Texas Rangers trade Tanner Scheppers and Michael Kirkman to the New York Mets for Carlos Beltran

 

 

A sample of 30-some lucky games aside, Endy Chavez isn't a championship-caliber center fielder. The Rangers' recent success and new 20-year, $3 billion(!) TV deal has turned the team into the high-revenue powerhouse it should have been all these years. That means they can afford to upgrade, and very well might upgrade, even if it means paying some serious bucks to do so. Beltran is in the final year of a seven-year deal that pays him $18.5 million this year, so even if he gets dealt right near the non-waiver deadline, he'll be owed about $6 million -- a sum that'll be too rich for many teams to handle.

Some questions need to be answered, such as whether Josh Hamilton could slide back to center field for the stretch run and be effective there, but there's no questioning Beltran's ability when healthy. The 34-year-old is hitting .288/.375/.506 in a pitcher's park and playing plus defense in a corner outfield slot. The Mets will also likely be happy to shed $6 million-plus in payroll. Acquiring power arms like Scheppers and Kirkman would sweeten the deal considerably, especially if Scheppers is fully recovered from past shoulder troubles and more recent back issues, and if Kirkman can refine his command. If the Rangers pick up all of Beltran's remaining salary, it's possible he could cost a little less, too.

Link to the rest of the story

http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/insider/news/story?id=6756652&addata=2009_insdr_mod_mlb_xxx_xxx

From MLBTradeRumors.com

Jon Daniels Scouting Yu Darvish By Ben Nicholson-Smith [June 24 at 3:49pm CST]

Rangers GM Jon Daniels is scouting Japanese star Yu Darvish, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. The 24-year-old right-hander will be eligible to make the jump to the Major Leagues after the season, so the Rangers went to Japan to watch him in person.

Darvish has said he wants to play in MLB in 2012. Heading into this season, the 6'5" starter had a 1.81 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 792 1/3 career innings.

per TR Sullivan

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels is in Japan looking at potential free agent pitcher Yu Darvish, who is going to be a free after this season. He is supposedly the next big thing out of Japan and the Rangers are going to be interested. He pitches for the Nippon Ham Fighters. He is 8-2 with a 1.39 ERA and was one of the stars of the World Baseball Classic team from Japan. He was 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA during the World Baseball Classic.

Let me start off by saying that I am not anti-Julio Borbon, and I’m not saying that I think that Murphy should start over Borbon. But I just like David Murphy better.
I know all the stat heads will argue WAR, UZR, VORP and all the other new fangled stats that I’m not sure I understand, but I just like Murphy better.
I guess it’s the grit.
I understand the thinking that having Borbon in center and Hamilton in left is better for the defense and better for the team long term, I have no problem seeing that. I also greatly enjoyed Borbon’s game on Saturday, when he displayed his speed on the bases and commanded center field. But I still just like seeing Murphy play.

It just seems that whenever people bring up Murphy playing more, they get ripped, as I’m sure I will for this post. But again, I’m fine with Borbon starting and I hope he develops into what we all want him to be, but I will always want Murph to get his playing time. How about trading Young and platooning Murphy and Napoli at DH?

Brad Hawpe Clears Waivers; Rangers Interested? By Ben Nicholson-Smith [August 18 at 7:15pm CST]

7:15pm: Hawpe appears likely to be either traded or released within the next 24 hours, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. If and when the Rockies make a roster move, the Rangers are one team that would have interest in acquiring Hawpe.

3:03pm: Brad Hawpe cleared waivers today, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter links). The Rockies can now trade the 31-year-old to any team. Hawpe has spent most of his career in right field, where his UZR numbers have been below-average, and he has appeared in six games at first base this season. His home run total (7) has dipped for a third consecutive year, but his batting line is about average: .252/.341/.430.

Hawpe projects to be a Type A free agent, but draft pick compensation isn't necessarily a factor, since the Rockies would have to offer arbitration to get any picks. Just under $2MM of Hawpe's $7.5MM salary remains this year and there's a $500K buyout for the team's $10.15MM option for next season. 

The Rockies could take on salary in a potential deal and, as MLBTR's Tim Dierkes pointed out, Hawpe could draw interest from a number of teams because he has hit well in recent years. The Red Sox, White Sox and Rays are potential fits, but that's speculation at this point.

From ESPN Rangers blog

It's time ... to think about Vlad's future

May, 31, 2010 May 31 9:17 PM CT Comment

First of all, Guerrero will have immense trade value. If you think signing him was a stroke of genius, imagine if it can be turned into a batch of top-flight prospects at the deadline.

Further, you can argue that the Rangers don't stand much of a chance as currently constructed. And without a payroll boost from new ownership, they'll be unable to address a slew of glaring holes.

Their 26-24 record is bolstered by a 19-6 record against sub-.500 teams. They're 7-18 against teams doing better than .500 and 8-15 overall on the road. And while we're being honest, their schedule hasn't exactly been treacherous.

If this season is indeed going nowhere, the Rangers will get plenty of tantalizing offers for Guerrero, who could potentially be the most dangerous hitter available at the trade deadline. If, in fact, he is made available, that is.

If he's not made available, it will be because the Rangers are either in contention this year or are intent on keeping him in 2011. But at what price?

If he continues to punish the baseball like he is now, he'll likely decline his $9 million option for 2011 and look to sign for even more money in Texas, or elsewhere. While he's been a spectacular bargain at $5.5 million (with a Rangers buyout option of $1 million) at 35, will he still be a bargain at twice that and perhaps even more at the ripe, old, anyone-seen-a-pool-with-a-cocoon-in-it age of 36? For young Vlad? No brainer. For 36-year old Vlad? Gulp.

Glad I won't have to make that decision.

Assuming he wrestles the team away from the angry mob of creditors currently camped out on Hicks' well-watered lawn, Greenberg wont be spending $150 million on payroll in 2011. He'll still have to be exceedingly prudent. Vlad making big-boy money at the elderly age of 36 might be too risky to stomach, no matter how impressive he's been this season.

On the other hand, it wouldn't shock anyone with a halo on his hat if Guerrero's miracle season suddenly fell off a cliff due to a series of grown-man injuries. That scenario would most certainly make picking up the $9 million option for 2011 season too risky for the Rangers' front office. If that plays out, they'd likely exercise their $1 million buyout to cut bait.

So, what scenarios make sense for the Rangers and Vlad to reunite next season for $9 million, or more? If Vlad proves he can stay healthy all year and puts up monster numbers, that's a start. If the Rangers can overcome their many holes, an explosive courtroom drama, and tumbleweed in the petty cash drawer to somehow stay afloat in the miserable AL West, that would help, too.

But what happens if the Rangers are nose-diving without a real chance to win the West and they find themselves holding one of the most enticing trade chips in baseball come July?

For a team that still has a few more holes to plug before It's Time, it might be hard to turn down the right package.

 

 

Texas Rangers have fourth-lowest payroll in majors

 

 

05:42 PM CDT on Tuesday, April 6, 2010

 

From Staff and Wire Reports

 

The Rangers have the fourth lowest payroll in the majors, according to team payroll information released by the Associated Press. Texas' Opening Day payroll is $55.2 million, four million ahead of division rival Oakland. Texas cut its payroll by almost $13 million from last season.

In 2009, the Rangers' payroll was $68 million and ranked 22nd in the majors.

Team president Nolan Ryan said recently the Rangers would add payroll if they are in a pennant race.

 

 

TEAM PAYROLLS

 

Team Payroll Average 1 N.Y. Yankees $206,333,389 $8,253,336 2 Boston 162,747,333 5,611,977 3 Chicago Cubs 146,859,000 5,439,222 4 Philadelphia 141,927,381 5,068,835 5 New York Mets 132,701,445 5,103,902 6 Detroit 122,864,929 4,550,553 7 Chicago White Sox 108,273,197 4,164,354 8 Los Angeles Angels 105,013,667 3,621,161 9 Seattle 98,376,667 3,513,452 10 San Francisco 97,828,833 3,493,887 11 Minnesota 97,559,167 3,484,256 12 Los Angeles Dodgers 94,945,517 3,651,751 13 St. Louis 93,540,753 3,741,630 14 Houston 92,355,500 3,298,411 15 Atlanta 84,423,667 3,126,802 16 Colorado 84,227,000 2,904,379 17 Baltimore 81,612,500 3,138,942 18 Milwaukee 81,108,279 2,796,837 19 Cincinnati 72,386,544 2,784,098 20 Kansas City 72,267,710 2,491,990 21 Tampa Bay 71,923,471 2,663,832 22 Toronto 62,689,357 2,089,645 23 Washington 61,425,000 2,047,500 24 Cleveland 61,203,967 2,110,482 25 Arizona 60,718,167 2,335,314 26 Florida 55,641,500 2,060,796 27 Texas 55,250,545 1,905,191 28 Oakland 51,654,900 1,666,287 29 San Diego 37,799,300 1,453,819 30 Pittsburgh 34,943,000 1,294,185

 

The Rangers were one of 13 teams that dropped payrolls this season.

Opening-day baseball salaries grew despite the recession, although at a slower rate than in recent years.

Cubs Release Kevin Millar By Tim Dierkes [March 30 at 1:42pm CST] The Cubs released first baseman Kevin Millar, tweets Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. The Cubs will go with Chad Tracy for a corner infield bench role instead. Tracy made more sense, given his ability to back up Aramis Ramirez at third base. Millar, 38, hit .223/.311/.363 in 283 plate appearances for the Blue Jays last year, playing 386.6 innings at first base. In an article Sunday, ESPN's Jim Reeves noted that Millar is on the Rangers' watch list.

From MLB Trade Rumors

Ramon Vazquez Could Be Traded Or Released By Tim Dierkes [March 11 at 9:21am CST]

Infielder Ramon Vazquez is fighting to make the Pirates, reports Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Vazquez said he's been told he's not on the team right now, despite being guaranteed $2MM in 2010. GM Neal Huntington admitted he has to consider a trade of some sort, having six players for four bench spots.

A release is the least-desirable approach for the Pirates, since they'd still owe Vazquez's $2MM salary (less $400K if he joins another big league club). A trade makes more sense, with Kovacevic naming the Rangers and Orioles as possible matches.

Vazquez, 33, hit .230/.335/.279 in 239 plate appearances last year while playing second base, shortstop, and third base. His poor performance may have been related to a knee injury. Huntington's plan when signing Vazquez in December of '08 may have been to find a credible back-up middle infielder in case the team traded Freddy Sanchez and/or Jack Wilson. But you have to question his $4MM commitment to Vazquez, a journeyman platoon player who still didn't hit lefties in his career year '08 season.

R R Rangers Acquire Edwar Ramirez By Tim Dierkes [March 9 at 12:32pm CST]

The Rangers acquired reliever Edwar Ramirez from the Yankees for cash considerations, tweets Jack Curry.  Ramirez had been designated for assignment on February 28th to clear a spot for Chan Ho Park.

Ramirez, 29 this month, whiffed 10.6 per nine in his 98.3 career big league innings with the Yankees.  Walks and home runs were a problem, though not nearly as much in recent Triple A stints.

NEW YORK (AP) — Mark McGwire finally came clean Monday, admitting he used steroids when he broke baseball’s home run record in 1998.
McGwire says in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Monday that he used steroids on and off for nearly a decade and he apologizes for his actions.
He says: ‘‘I wish I had never touched steroids. It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era.’’

 

NEW YORK (AP) — Mark McGwire finally came clean Monday, admitting he used steroids when he broke baseball’s home run record in 1998.
McGwire says in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Monday that he used steroids on and off for nearly a decade and he apologizes for his actions.
He says: ‘‘I wish I had never touched steroids. It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era.’’

http://bases.nbcsports.com/2009/12/mlb-is-concerned-about-greenberg-groups-funding-in-the-texas-rangers-bid.html.php

By Craig Calcaterra UPDATE:  I received a call from someone with the Greenberg group. They couldn't explicitly comment because of confidentiality agreements, but they deny the report that there is anything amiss with financing and say that everything is going just fine.

Fair enough. The way it breaks down right now, however, is that I have a source I trust and who has no dog in the hunt telling me that there are issues with the financing. I have a party with an undeniable interest in the matter telling me that all is hunky dory.  Absent anything new, I am going to stick with the report as it currently stands.  Greenberg has a window to negotiate. If he has a deal at the end of all of this, we'll know that, ultimately, there weren't any problems (or at least the problems were overcome).  If it falls through, we'll know differently.

3:02 P.M.: A source is telling me that that the Chuck Greenberg/Nolan Ryan group's bid for the Rangers is in trouble.  Money trouble, specifically, as in they're having problems putting financing together and it has Major League Baseball concerned that the bid may not be viable. Tom Hicks -- who stands to be a minority stakeholder in the Greenberg group and desperately needs to sell the team to save his Hicks Sports Group -- is freaking out.

You'll recall that Greenberg's group beat out the MLB-favored bid led by former agent Dennis Gilbert and the reportedly highest bid by Houston businessman Jim Crane. What they won was an exclusive negotiating window.  It may have been the Hicks/Nolan Ryan factor more than the merits of the bid that won the day, however, because even before this report there were whispers that Greenberg, while a great minor league operator, may not have the financial wherewithal to pull this off.

If the Greenberg bid falls through, it's back to square one.  Specifically, it would mean that the Rangers would be left with Gilbert, for whom Nolan Ryan said he would not work, and Crane, who everyone who matters in Major League baseball hates because he reneged on a previous bid for a team.

Merry Christmas Rangers fans!

How about this Rangers rumor?

December 8, 2009, 4:32 PM

By: Richard Durrett

 

INDIANAPOLIS -- Walking through the lobby turned up an interesting find. One baseball official says the Texas Rangers offered pitcher Neftali Feliz and first baseman Justin Smoak for Florida's Josh Johnson.

Johnson, an All-Star, had a 15-5 record and a 3.23 ERA last season for Florida. He had 191 strikeouts and 58 walks and opponents batted just .237 against him.

The fact that the Rangers would even consider giving up two of their top prospects for Johnson could show they feel they can win the division the next two seasons and are willing to make a big move to do it.

But I'll be honest: I don't make that move. I think Feliz has shown way too much potential.

Your thoughts?

Angels Close To Acquiring Scott Kazmir By Ben Nicholson-Smith [August 28 at 2:58pm CST]

Threports that the Rays are "on the verge" of sending Kazmir west for a pair of prospects, Alexander Torres and Matthew Sweeney.e Angels are close to acquiring Scott Kazmir from the Rays, according to MLB.com's Lyle Spencer. Spencer

The Angels are close to acquiring Scott Kazmir from the Rays, according to MLB.com's Lyle Spencer. Spencer reports that the Rays are "on the verge" of sending Kazmir west for a pair of prospects, Alexander Torres and Matthew Sweeney.

The Angels are close to acquiring Scott Kazmir from the Rays, according to MLB.com's Lyle Spencer. Spencer reports that the Rays are "on the verge" of sending Kazmir west for a pair of prospects, Alexander Torres and Matthew Sweeney.

Maybe we have a chance. per TR Sullivan Rangers still working seriously on Halladay

The Rangers still haven't given up hope of acquiring Roy Halladay. Word is the Rangers still have significant on-going communications going on between them and the Blue Jays with under 24 hours to go before the Trade Deadline.

There are also indications that the Rangers are not going to let money get in the way if they can land Halladay for a reasonable package.

The Blue Jays are not going to give him away. Some of the names that have been thrown around include first baseman Justin Smoak, shortstop Elvis Andrus, outfielder Julio Borbon and pitchers Neftali Feliz and Derek Holland.

The Rangers have to weigh that against having for Halladay for just 11/2 years. But apparently this going to come down to a baseball decision. The Rangers apparently are not going to let money get in the way of getting this guy.

-- T.R. Sullivan

per DMN blog Josh will be hitting seventh in the line-up versus the Tigers. I wonder how that will go over in the clubhouse? But it;s over due, how about moving Kinsler down as well?

I like seeing Murphy higher up as well, hopefully he'll stay there.

 

 

Ian Kinsler, 2b
Michael Young, 3b
David Murphy, lf
Marlon Byrd, cf
Hank Blalock, 1b
Nelson Cruz, dh
Josh Hamilton, rf
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, c
Elvis Andrus, ss