The Texas Rangers could look at bringing back two former players who are now wearing Boston Red Sox uniforms.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Mike Napoli could free-agency options, but if you had to choose one, would you be able to not choose Napoli? With the deal the Red Sox had in place with him prior to this season, before it fell apart because of a hip problem that came up during his physical, it’s more than likely he returns to Boston.
As for Salty, he seems like more a fit to be the Rangers number-one catcher if they don’t throw all their chips in on Brian McCann. However, with all the talk about how interested other teams will be in him, not to mention teams that need catching in the worst way, I’m not entirely convinced I want to see the Rangers get into a bidding war for his services. With that said, doesn’t Salty seem like the most logical, and cheap(er), fit for this team going into 2014?
Speaking of the Rangers, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News talked about the possible candidates to replace Jackie Moore as the bench coach, and right hand man, for manager Ron Washington. While Jason Giambi doesn’t make much sense, the name at the top of Grant’s list makes a lot of sense, not to mention has an impressive resume. Tim Bogar, who was selected by Baseball America as the top managerial candidate in the Texas League for 2013, has connections not only to Washington, but has worked with hitting coach Dave Magadan while in Boston and was teammates with Rangers’ pitching coach Mike Maddux with the New York Mets and Houston Astros. At only 46 years of age, and a lot of experience not only in coaching but also in managing, he seems like a tremendous fit for this team going forward.
A big welcome back to the Los Angeles Dodgers who got themselves back into the NCLS with a win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night. When the Cardinals have their top dog going in game three, already sporting a 2-0 lead in the series, you’re almost assuming St. Louis is going to take a commanding three-game lead. However, the Dodgers weren’t going to let that happen in their own ballpark, but I still don’t think they’ll be able to win this series. The Cardinals always seem to find ways to win, and I think they’ll do that against the Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke be damned.
Is it really surprising that David Ortiz, a.k.a. Big Papi, stepped to the plate with the bases loaded, the game and possibly the ALCS on the line, and hit what could be a series-changing grand slam? Isn’t that what we’ve seen him do time and time again over the years? I know Derek Jeter has been called “Mr. October” for years, but I think Ortiz deserves the Mr. October title as well, don’t you? Happy Tuesday everybody.
