The Texas Rangers have been quiet when it comes to free agency, and it has left fans wondering if they’re going to do anything at all. But if you have enough experience with general manager Jon Daniels and CEO Nolan Ryan, you would already know this front office isn’t one that allows leaks.
They are going to play their cards close to the vest. They’ll bluff a time or two, but when the right player comes along who makes sense for the team, they’ll go all-in and let that player know they are absolutely invested in bringing him to Arlington.
There are plenty of names who have been connected to the Texas Rangers over the last few weeks, but only a few of them make sense, and even fewer will actually don the Rangers’ blue and white.
The winter meetings are only a few weeks away, and though the general managers meeting this past week in Milwaukee got the ball rolling a little bit, it’s nothing compared to the kind of movement we’ll see when the owners, agents and general managers converge on Dallas for the 2011 winter meetings at the Hilton Anatole Hotel.
Even the New York Yankees think C.J. Wilson is crazy
One of the biggest questions fans wanted to know was how much C.J. Wilson was going to command on the free-agent market. That question was answered on Wednesday afternoon when his agent set the asking price at six years and $120 million.
Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated first reported the figure on Twitter, and even he couldn’t resist having a little bit of fun with it. “CJ Wilson seeks 6 years for close to $120M. Good luck with that. #dreaming.”
That kind of figure makes teams think he and his agent want Wilson to paid like an ace when he is no more than a number two or number three pitcher on most teams around Major League Baseball.
Wilson will meet with the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, and it would make a lot of sense to see him end up putting on the Angels’ red and white uniform in front of a press conference. While that’s far from a done deal, they seem to be one of only a few teams who are still very serious about signing.
Whether or not they are $120-million serious is still yet to be seen.
Neftali Feliz mentally incapable?
During an interview with ESPN Radio on Thursday, Rangers manager Ron Washington was asked about why he didn’t bring closer Neftali Feliz back in for the 10th inning during game six of the World Series.
His response? “We’ll just say that he was really upset and his state of mind at the time wasn’t where we felt like he could go out there and get it done,” Washington told the Ben and Skin Show on 103.3 FM. “So, it wasn’t like we didn’t get it done because Neftali didn’t go back out there. I still feel like that lineup set up perfectly for who we put out there and the job just didn’t get done. The end result is we just didn’t get it done.”
The Rangers are likely to move Feliz from the closer role to the starting rotation, a move they attempted to make last season but felt his arm just wasn’t ready yet. The concern now, at least among some, is if Feliz is unable to forget about one bad inning as a closer, how is he going to be able to do so as a starter?
If he gets lit up in the third or fourth inning, should we be concerned about him coming out for another inning because he might not be mentally all there?
If what Washington says is true, and there’s no reason for him to lie about it, then it’s something this young pitcher is going to have to overcome or he may have a very short stint in the rotation.
Is Grady Sizemore worth the risk?
The Rangers have a young outfielder in their minor league system by the name of Leonys Martin, an up-and-coming prospect this organization is very high on. Unfortunately, he won’t be ready until at least the end of the 2012 season, if not the beginning of the 2013 season.
What they have gone with this past season is a platoon of David Murphy, Craig Gentry, Endy Chavez and a few others who can play the position. So why don’t the Rangers go out and get someone who can play the position full time? Someone like former Cleveland Indians outfielder Grady Sizemore?
According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, Texas is one of several teams interested in Sizemore’s services. However, the sticking point to most teams looking at bringing him in is his inability to stay healthy. Something that has plagued him throughout his time with the Indians.
There’s no question he’s a talented player but what team wants to sign a player to a multi-year deal who won’t be able to be on the field for more than 100 games?