The Battle in the Bullpen
T.R. Sullivan says that it looks like Robinson Tejeda is going to stick in the bullpen as a second long man (along with Jamey Wright), with the Rangers liking his arm and not wanting to risk him getting plucked off the waiver wire by another team.
Sullivan says that Franklyn German has the inside track on the final bullpen spot, although Wes Littleton is also in the mix. The Rangers will keep 8 relievers until April 12, when Luis Mendoza or Kason Gabbard will get called up to take over the 5th starter role, so Littleton could make the team initially only to be sent down after a couple of weeks.
What complicates this is the 40 man situation. German and Wright are both on minor league deals, meaning they'll have to be added to the 40 man roster before Opening Day. John Rheinecker will go to the 60 day d.l., which opens up one slot, and Nelson Cruz will either be traded or DFA'd, which opens up another.
However, it seems likely at this point that Adam Melhuse will have to be added, as well, as it appears likely that Jarrod Saltalamacchia will start the season in AAA. There's no obvious spot that can be cleared for Melhuse (and before you suggest Jason Botts, if Botts doesn't make the team, Kevin Mench will, and Mench would take Botts' spot on the 40 man).
Travis Metcalf or Thomas Diamond could go to the 60 day d.l., conceivably. But if someone doesn't go to the 60 day d.l., the Rangers are going to be in a roster squeeze, because there is no one out there who looks like an obvious choice to get whacked from the 40 man roster.
My guess is that, if the Rangers decide to go that direction, you'll see someone like Littleton or Kam Loe dealt to a team that needs relief help, like the Tigers (whose manager is predicting they will make a deal in the next few days) or the Phillies. The Rangers have a lot of bullpen options, and both Littleton and Loe could contribute in a middle relief role to a contending team.
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28 comments
Comments
Has Feldman already been DFA'd?
I can't remember.
by a bebop a rebop on Mar 22, 2008 1:37 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Nope
I don't think he will be, although he or Metcalf would seem like the most likely candidates.
by Adam J. Morris on Mar 22, 2008 1:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
i can see tejeda
becoming another Benoit. Nice power arm that just doesn't have the makeup of a starter.
by SteveP on Mar 22, 2008 1:37 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I agree
I'm glad to hear that they are trying to keep Tejeda around. Something about him intrigues me - I think that he's probably one fix away from being a valuable staff member, be it in the bullpen or rotation. Of course, he's been one adjustment away for as long as he's been in Texas, but I'd be very sad to see him make that final step elsewhere.
by JBImaknee on Mar 22, 2008 4:49 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
40 man
This 40 man roster crunch is going to be an ongoing problem. Say Padilla or Millwood need to go on the 15 day dl and the Rangers want to bring up Ponson? What if one of the IFs go down and the Rangers want to bring up Roberts or Duran? That having been said, why use a valueable spot on Melhuse. Platooning Laird and Salty conserves a 40 man spot.
by Randy Richardson on Mar 22, 2008 2:06 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
No platoon
Salty needs to play everyday. Whether its in Arlington or OKC wherever he is I want him playing everyday at catcher.
by bigsteve on Mar 22, 2008 3:49 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
+1
I want to see Salty in the Majors, but I don't want to see him getting jerked around, and only playing 3-4 times a week. He needs to be the full-time catcher, even if it does mean heading to AAA.
by lonestarJon on Mar 22, 2008 6:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Loe, Littleton, & Laird
One or more will be moved before Opening Day.
There, I said it.
...it's the weekend, so why the hell not?
by Rodney on Mar 22, 2008 2:27 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Agreed
Someone's going to have to go and one of these guys would make a good option. I'd probably prefer it to be Loe at this point since I've seen about enough of him, but we'll see.
by TexasTiger on Mar 22, 2008 3:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
max ramirez on the 40
seems a little taxing at this point.
by ab03 on Mar 22, 2008 2:33 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Julio Borbon
is the one who bothers me.
I could see a team grabbing Max and stashing him all year as a DH/PH/emergency catcher-type, cause I think his bat could play at this level right now.
But having Borbon on the 40 right now is just asinine. I'm not a Borbon hater, but his major league contract really bothers me.
Jason Botts PWNS.
by thedirkatron on Mar 22, 2008 3:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ramirez & Borbon...
If the Rangers were to remove Max Ramirez from the 40 Man Roster then another team would be able to take him, and option him to the minors. He has three options remaining.
Ramirez was added to the 40 man roster before the rule 5 draft. Had the Rangers not added him at that point, another team could have added him to their roster, contingent upon him remaining on their 25 man roster all year long.
As for Julio Borbon, according to what I read and remember, the Rangers needed to give him a 40 man spot or he would have returned for his senior year of college. I believe it was so the Rangers would have to make a decision about adding him to the major league roster sooner. That way, if the Rangers aren't ready to put him on the roster, he could explore other possibilities sooner.
by YourNameHere on Mar 22, 2008 4:20 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think he understands all of that
what was your point?
Next track for OC, et al:
Del tha Funkee Homosapien - Catch A Bad One
by Chase Irwin on Mar 22, 2008 7:59 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
What was said...
I don't think he understood that if Max Ramirez were removed from the 40, another team could claim him and put him in the minor leagues. I could be wrong. I just got that impression from the line:
"I could see a team grabbing Max and stashing him all year as a DH/PH/emergency catcher-type, cause I think his bat could play at this level right now."
by YourNameHere on Mar 22, 2008 10:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sigh
No, I was talking about why we added Max when we did. The quote in question:
"I could see a team grabbing Max and stashing him all year as a DH/PH/emergency catcher-type, cause I think his bat could play at this level right now."
...was referencing the fact that I think he needed to be added cause I think there was a pretty good chance a team would have decided to snag him in the rule-5.
Jason Botts PWNS.
by thedirkatron on Mar 23, 2008 1:57 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Kometani, Madrigal and Garr
is probably the collective force that will dictate who is and isn't expendable on the 40.
[cough cough doppler effect cough cough]
by shroomer on Mar 22, 2008 2:36 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Hey I finally set up my account,
what sucks is I had to turn my firewall off in order to do it but whatever.
Adam loves him some Lard
by NYTXFAN on Mar 22, 2008 2:50 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Diamond
Won't Diamond be going on the 60 day DL? Is he ready to start his rehab?
I don't want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it. ~Rogers Hornsby
by RangerMad on Mar 22, 2008 4:55 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Diamond
It was explained that to put Diamond on the dl would start his major league service clock and burn an option.
by Redcaps on Mar 23, 2008 11:11 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
He's on the 40
so doesn't he have to be optioned?
I don't want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it. ~Rogers Hornsby
by RangerMad on Mar 23, 2008 11:18 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Here's the way Grant explained it
"Creating a third spot becomes tricky. The Rangers could move Thomas Diamond, still recovering from Tommy John surgery, to the 60, but that would start his service-time clock, inching him closer to salary arbitration. They would like to avoid that. Brandon McCarthy could be a 60-day candidate, but that would keep him from pitching before June 1. The Rangers were hoping he'd be back from elbow inflammation in early May."
by Redcaps on Mar 23, 2008 11:30 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Per jamey's newsflash
Ponson and Elizardo Ramierez assigned to minor league camp
"When we're mad we'll use our words. Then the rest of the world will play nice with us. And the only boom-booms will be in our pants." - Ralph Wiggum
by rentz on Mar 22, 2008 5:18 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
interesting
did the lizard get a fair shake? we'll probably see him again but he did produce when called on
by ab03 on Mar 22, 2008 5:43 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
He's another guy that wasn't on the 40
That's what kept him off the team. We'll see him later this year, but with all the other NRI's making the team this spring, the Rangers just didn't have the room for him.
by lonestarJon on Mar 22, 2008 6:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
A fair shake
He's pitched quite a bit in the majors and been awful.
He's young and could put it together, but I'm not real interested in whether someone with his track record got a fair shake this spring.
by Adam J. Morris on Mar 23, 2008 4:48 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

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