Your 2007 Texas Rangers thread

[Johnny_87]

Re: Your 2007 Texas Rangers thread

http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20070414&content_id=1898406&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=tex

Rangers lose to Seattle and Sosa hits his his 590th HR of his career.

[Johnny_87]

Re: Your 2007 Texas Rangers thread

Whoo! Rangers!

[Easton]

Re: Your 2007 Texas Rangers thread

What an ugly last couple of games. I'm betting Wash had them out for lots of extra infield practice yesterday. It doesn't get any easier now with a trip to Chicago then back home for a 3 game set with Oakland.

[utexas]

Re: Your 2007 Texas Rangers thread

I'm not losing hope just yet. But we aren't clicking yet. We are still in a good position in our division, and with Vlad being hurt, we can hang around a little bit and hopefully get our act together.

[utexas]

Re: Your 2007 Texas Rangers thread

Big fan & season ticket holder here. I'm hoping this will finally be our year. I think our pitching is much better and we have some possibilities for some great seasons from unexpected people (Sosa & Cruz specifically). I also think Kinsler will have a great season...I don't think we saw all he has to offer with his injury-shortened season last year.Can't wait for opening day!

you are right on point so far this season. And with Robinson Tejeda learning how to pitch, we may have something here. Good win for Texas and good HR for Sammy after they walked Tex to get to him.

[SoMiss2000]

Re: Your 2007 Texas Rangers thread

same ol ****ing Rangers!

[Scott]

Re: Your 2007 Texas Rangers thread

what a good game today..

[Johnny_87]

Re: Your 2007 Texas Rangers thread

Shutout baby!

[Easton]

Re: Your 2007 Texas Rangers thread

Bounced back after that awful game Friday night to take 2 of 3. Need to get the 2 game sweep of the M's now. I've been bad luck at games, going 1 for 5 so far. Hopefully that turns around tonight!

[dkgojackets]

Re: Your 2007 Texas Rangers thread

Any chance Padilla starts pitching well? I'm giving him tonight before dropping him off my fantasy team for another random pitcher.

[Scott]

Re: Your 2007 Texas Rangers thread

thank goodness the game got canceled, maybe they'll skip Padilla in the rotation.

[Easton]

Re: Your 2007 Texas Rangers thread

I think they're actually skipping McCarthy this time around. At least that's what the DMN says.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/042507dnsporanglede.3383a5a.html

[Scott]

Re: Your 2007 Texas Rangers thread

Not a bad move, he needs it, he's really struggling.

[Easton]

Re: Your 2007 Texas Rangers thread

Good news: Young was 3 for 6 with a couple of clutch hits to drive in runs.
Bad news: This team still sucks.

[TankyTime]

Re: Your 2007 Texas Rangers thread

I recently posted something on DMN about my thoughts on the Rangers, so I thought I might share them here as well.
I caught myself thinking back at the JD era as Rangers' GM and what could have been.
First I thought back to that horrific trade between San Diego and our beloved Rangers. Oh my, oh my, how good would Young and Gonzalez look in a Rangers uniform. Most people went crazy when they heard the Rangers had traded Young away. While I was one of them, many didn't seem to care if Gonzalez was included in this deal. I did! Gonzalez was a former #1 overall draft pick. He was a solid, and some rumored better defensive 1B than Tex. The question was, could he hit for power. The answer is an obvious yes! Now I know the Rangers did in the end get Aki out of this trade. And Aki is as cool as the other side of the pillow. But let's be honest, the Rangers were taken on this deal. Gonzalez and Young could fix a lot of what is wrong with the Rangers. Young would fit nicely as the #3 and maybe #2 pitcher in this rotation. Gonzalez would allow the Rangers to quit worrying about signing Tex to a 8/$160 million contract extension that he is well not worth.

I then started thinking back to that CoCo and company trade that netted Carlos Lee and Nelson Cruz. Hmm.... the Rangers knew exactly what they were getting into when they made this trade. Lee was to be a free agent soon after the season. All Lee did was hit .322 while with the Rangers with a few less HR's than expected. While Carlos Lee is not an above average defensive outfielder, he is exactly what the Rangers need this day and time. A power hitting outfielder who can produce runs. Lee is contributing to the Houston Astros in a way the Rangers desperately need right now. How good would Lee and the Cat man rotating at LF/DH, Lofton in CF, and the youngster Cruz in RF look today? I know the pure fact that that omitted Wilkerson would make it look that much better.

Then I started thinking about the day I heard Danks had been traded. For Brandon McCarthy the radio said. Ok, he's a one year more advanced version of Danks... ok, this sounds ok. No, I think I and the Rangers were wrong. McCarthy just looks awkward on the mound. See, this is what kills me about the Rangers. Didn't they tell us that Chris Young was one of those tall and lanky pitchers that has trouble controlling his body and loses velocity because of it. But then we trade our best pitching prospect for the exact same of pitcher??? The problem isn't the fact the Rangers traded Danks, but the fact the Rangers made the wrong trade for Danks. Remember that Danks/Blalock for Beckett/Lowell trade? I would have pulled that trigger in a heartbeat.
Word was the Rangers were trying to substitute Diamond for Danks. When you have a shot at an ace, World Series MVP ace at that, you pull the trigger!

So the more I thought about all these interesting decisions by the Rangers brass, I wondered what could have been?
Yea, under my scenario the Rangers wouldn't have a closer. The Rangers would never have traded for Aki and Eaton. They still would have pulled the trigger on Carlos Lee and sent CoCo packing. Unless the Rangers had decided to keep CoCo (who by the way had righted his bad April, and since then has again continued to be one of the premier closers in the league) and gone after Carlos Lee in free agency.
Tex could have been traded over the offseason for a major league ready player and two more solid prospects.

Here's what you could be looking at:

1B Gonzalez
2B Kinsler
3B Blalock or Lowell (had the Beckett deal been completed)
SS Young
LF Lee/Cat
CF Lofton
RF Cruz
DH Lee/Cat
C Laird/Barajas (would you still like Rod here?)

Beckett (had this deal been completed, here's your ace)
Millwood
Padilla
Young
Tejeda
Danks/Loe/? (Danks could be your 5th starter if he was still around, or could there be a top prospect here via a Tex trade?)

What if?