There is no bigger question for Rangers Fans each and every season. If it isn’t one, then it is the other. This season has brought new meaning to the question in the form of Josh Hamilton vs. Edison Volquez. No topic is more discussed in more arenas than this question. Who was or is the better pick? Which team got the better bargain? Did they trade only work with the swap of these two players?

Fans will argue this point for years to come. That it assuming both players spend equal time in the majors and that both players continue to play they way they have thus far.

Who was or is the better pick?

Even Hamilton has recently weighed in on this topic. He recently told Sports Illustrated to consider it a “draw”. Valid point by Hamilton, who is leading all of baseball with 74 runs batted in, has led the AL in homers for much of the season, and is among its best in batting average. On the flip side, Volquez is 9-2, with a major-best 1.64 ERA. So who is better? Both men are having All-Star caliber seasons, a first for both. One player plays every day, one plays every five (or so).

Which team got the better bargain?

Both players make barely above league minimum with Hamilton coming in at $396,830, while Volquez is close behind with a salary of $392,500. Bargain is a relative term here because both players are due for a huge pay day at the end of this season. Both teams will have to compete to keep them, as they both have one-year contracts.

Did they trade only work with the swap of these two players?

Hamilton was out of the question without Volquez. No matter who the Rangers offered, the Reds had one guy in mind: Edison Volquez.

The real question, in my mind, is what did the Rangers need RIGHT NOW?

Today, Rangers fans can agree on one thing that the Rangers need – wins! Currently the Rangers are 6.5 games out of first place in the AL West and 7 games out of the AL Wild Card race. The Rangers continue to teeter at the .500 mark, not yet able to get more than 2 games above .500 all season. So is it the pitcher or the center-fielder that achieves that? The Ranger’s pitching struggles don’t come in the first 100 pitches our starting pitchers throw. It happens somewhere between that point and the 9th inning of every game. Meanwhile, the Rangers offense is at the top or near the top of the leader boards in every major category there is. This is largely due to Josh Hamilton.

So at the end of the day this is my opinion: Congratulations Rangers Organization – you win this one.