So Grant thinks the Rangers have about $6 to $7 million to use this offseason. Previous to this estimate, Grant says that the Rangers need to let Bradley go, trade Blalock, or trade Cat if they are to make a serious offer (around $7 million) for Tazawa.

I am not understanding this too well. If the Rangers have $6 or $7 million to spend, why do they need to trade or not resign a player in order to make a $7 million offer to a Japanese pitcher? Am I to understand this as the initial $6 or $7 million is to be earmarked for free agent relief pitchers?

Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel ;)

http://eastwindupchronicle.com/operation-rabindranath-kofax-nears-fruition/#more-2773

Very worthy of a read.

Texas Rangers. The Rangers need pitching and have catching to deal, which makes them the ideal trade partner for the Sox on this year’s market. Quite simply, there is no better fit. Texas has four catchers on its 40-man roster – Gerald Laird, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Taylor Teagarden and Max Ramirez – and one major league evaluator recently suggested that the Rangers would be willing to deal two of them (so long as Ramirez is one of the two).

That leaves Laird, Teagarden, and Saltalamacchia as the centerpiece of any deal.

Clearly, if the Sox wanted Laird, they could easily get him. The defensively skilled Teagarden (who is also blessed with power) and the hyped Saltalamacchia are more desirable targets that will cost more, though Epstein and his baseball operations staff understand the difficulty in finding good young catching. If the Red Sox ever were to give up a top pitching prospect like Clay Buchholz, Michael Bowden or Justin Masterson – the last is unlikely – this is precisely the kind of deal that would inspire them to do it.

So why hasn’t a deal been struck yet? As every executive likes to say at this time of year, there are a lot of “moving parts.” If the Red Sox can upgrade their offense significantly on the free agent market, they can make a lesser trade (Laird?) and keep their pitching prospects because the rest of their lineup would allow them to carry a mediocre catcher. At the same time, if the Sox lose on someone like Mark Teixeira, the cost for Saltalamacchia or Teagarden could go up.

(link)

i found it interesting that he singles out Masterson over Buchholz as the guy they are least likely to deal.

didn’t recognize the name, but the face rings a huge bell…the kind of bell that makes me want to get up and punch the TV whenever those commercials come on.

Full report:

http://rangersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/11/conditioning-camp-notes-determined-hurle.html