Thursday morning things

by Adam J. Morris on May 15, 2008 8:17 AM CDT

Off day today. Last time there was an off day, Evan Grant notes, Ron Washington wasn't sure if he would have a job the next time the Rangers had a game. No such concerns this time...going 11-5 will do that for you...

Marlon Byrd is back from the d.l., but apparently will be the fourth outfielder for now, with Brandon Boggs playing left field. Hank Blalock will have a rehab assignment in Frisco today and then be re-evaluated tomorrow, and Luis Mendoza left his rehab start after 1 inning last night because of a blister.

Randy Galloway likes Josh Hamilton, and even thinks the trade to get him was a good one for the Rangers...

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Sounds like Randy had a "moment of clarity."

This is what drives you crazy about the man. His rants are usually way out of left field, and then he’ll come along and get something right. Freaky.

by Athos on May 15, 2008 8:42 AM CDT 0 recs

He was due for a Hammy column

he could only ignore him for so long before getting back to the rest of his whiny diatribes.

"I hope it's a special dumb person hell so that I don’t have to meet up with you after I die."

- The D-tron

by Chase Irwin on May 15, 2008 9:18 AM CDT up 0 recs

Musta ate

the worm…

...it's the weekend, so why the hell not?

by Rodney on May 15, 2008 11:36 AM CDT up 0 recs

Stupid Byrd.

He should have refused to pinch hit for Vazquez. Lost the game for us.

by Apes and Androids on May 15, 2008 8:42 AM CDT 0 recs

Still Pissed

about RW pinch hitting him. I’ve been a supporter of Washington, but that was ridiculous!

by coachh on May 15, 2008 10:45 AM CDT up 0 recs

+ 1

The "Electrician" was born 7/16/07 11:53 PM EDT

http://www.lonestarball.com/2007/7/16/213154/893

by LAMuscleFag on May 15, 2008 10:47 AM CDT up 0 recs

Give Galloway a week ...

... and he’ll change his mind on the deal.

by northtexan95 on May 15, 2008 8:48 AM CDT 0 recs

Platoon

Please tell me I’m not crazy in thinking that, realistically, the optimal set up is a platoon of Murphy (who mashes RHP) and Boggs (who mashes LHP). Don’t get me wrong, I really like both players and they both add a lot defensively, but when this team is serious about winning, that should be the set up, right?

by clark on May 15, 2008 9:19 AM CDT 0 recs

That assumes that M.O.B. is traded

and that JMJ or some FA will be able to hold down RF, but yeah I would agree.

"I hope it's a special dumb person hell so that I don’t have to meet up with you after I die."

- The D-tron

by Chase Irwin on May 15, 2008 9:21 AM CDT up 0 recs

Why a Trade?

What’s wrong with a RF-Bradley, CF-Hamilton, LF-Murphy/Boggs platoon as an everyday OF when Bradley is healthy? I don’t see why it would necessitate a Bradley trade.

by Topgun22 on May 15, 2008 10:17 AM CDT up 0 recs

When will Bradley be completely healthy?

3 years after he retires from baseball?

"Before I leave, I once again condemn the despicable buffoonery of D.J. Cahill." - Huck

by DJCahill on May 15, 2008 10:18 AM CDT up 0 recs

Ouch! I'm a Bradley fan but...

...that’s a fair comment.

Right around the time all the young talent is ready to contend is when the organization will realize that Ron Washington is the wrong man for the job.

by Chad Crudup on May 15, 2008 10:28 AM CDT up 0 recs

Well...

Having those 5 OFers on the team gives you a lot of flexibility. It allows you to let Bradley DH a couple times a week, allows Hamilton to DH or play RF a couple times a week, and you still have good/solid defense at all 3 positions. JD deserves credit for turning the OF into a strength this year considering what it was last year. Yes he got a little lucky with the way Murphy and Boggs are playing, but Hamilton and Bradley were both very, very good moves. Bradley isn’t doing it as loudly as Hamilton, but he leads the league in OBP and is 3rd in OPS (almost 90 points higher than Hamilton). I don’t think the return on Bradley at the deadline will be equal to his value. I’m in the extend Bradley camp. 3yrs $24-27M sound about right?

by Topgun22 on May 15, 2008 10:56 AM CDT up 0 recs

I was in the sign Bradley camp

but all along, I figured the best move with Bradley was sign him, play him, and flip him.

I think a long term contract with Bradley will see brilliant play, as well as injuries costing him about half his playing time, and the occasional blowup which will cause issues with the club.

"Before I leave, I once again condemn the despicable buffoonery of D.J. Cahill." - Huck

by DJCahill on May 15, 2008 11:00 AM CDT up 0 recs

off the reccord w/ bradly

trade bradley (talk to him off reccord about comeing back to tx) then after the year is over resign him as a free agent if he is willing to comeback to tx.

"HELLO WIN COLUMN"

by dmurphnextrusygreer on May 15, 2008 11:24 AM CDT up 0 recs

Great in Theory..

But is it practical? That was supposed to be the plan with Gagne. The problem is anything can happen when a player hits the open market and there are multiple teams bidding. If you lock him up, you get the benefit of being the only bidder, although it comes at the price of whatever prospect you could have gotten for him at the deadline.

by Topgun22 on May 15, 2008 11:29 AM CDT up 0 recs

Has this ever worked?

I can’t think of any examples of this type of “trade/re-sign” thing working.

Can anyone provide any?

Right around the time all the young talent is ready to contend is when the organization will realize that Ron Washington is the wrong man for the job.

by Chad Crudup on May 15, 2008 11:30 AM CDT up 0 recs

Rickey Henderson

Wasn’t he traded from Oakland to Toronto and then re-signed with Oaklan in the offseason? Can’t remember exactly.

by Topgun22 on May 15, 2008 11:32 AM CDT up 0 recs

Ismael Valdes

by Adam J. Morris on May 15, 2008 11:34 AM CDT up 0 recs

Did they ever decide if his last name ends in an s or a z?

by Inkara1 on May 15, 2008 11:44 AM CDT up 0 recs

I think it happened with Harold Baines once, too.

And I’m too lazy to confirm that.

by philkid3 on May 15, 2008 11:46 AM CDT up 0 recs

Well if it happens with MB...

...let’s hope it has a happier ending than the Ismael Valdes story.

Of course you could argue that the Exxon Valdez story had a happier ending than Rangers-Valdes II.

Right around the time all the young talent is ready to contend is when the organization will realize that Ron Washington is the wrong man for the job.

by Chad Crudup on May 15, 2008 1:15 PM CDT up 0 recs

unrealistic

If so, he’ll probably insist on a no-trade clause.

"You’re the only here who contributes schtick only." - brettgardner

by trza on May 15, 2008 12:13 PM CDT up 0 recs

Trading Bradley

If he keeps up this type of production, I Think we be one of the final moves to put us in a position to finally compete.

Getting a key piece back for him could put us from scraping to get .500 to competing all year above it.

by SaltyGoesYard on May 15, 2008 11:28 AM CDT up 0 recs

+1

A Lonestar in California - 2.0

David Murphy rocks, so Ellsbury can just go get himself a taco or something.

by lonestarJon on May 15, 2008 6:14 PM CDT up 0 recs

Except

that the offense would take a serious hit. Trading him and getting a key piece back could put us from scraping to get to .500 to seriously competing—in 2009 or 2010. A contender wanting Bradley is not going to trade us a key piece for this year. They’ll trade a part of the future, not the present, if their goal is to win now.

...and curse Sir Walter Raleigh, he was such a stupid git.

by t ball on May 15, 2008 8:07 PM CDT up 0 recs

Isn't that the plan?

Its great we are competing this year but that is not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is to build a consistant winner by growing our own young players and suplementing them with key veterans when needed. Bradley is great right now and is no doubt contributing to our success. But if he could bring back in trade a key young player that could be staple of several winning years I have no problem letting him go this year.

by bigsteve on May 15, 2008 9:15 PM CDT up 0 recs

+1

by philkid3 on May 15, 2008 9:46 PM CDT up 0 recs

Well, duh

but I was replying to SGY, who seemed to be saying they could get a piece for the present.

...and curse Sir Walter Raleigh, he was such a stupid git.

by t ball on May 15, 2008 11:24 PM CDT up 0 recs

I think he was meaning

We could get a piece that could help us now but would really help us in the coming years. Like a top prospect who is ML ready but in the minors right now. I took what you said as if you were not wanting to trade away Bradley so we could compete this year. It would be nice but ultimately that isn’t the long term goal

by bigsteve on May 16, 2008 7:51 AM CDT up 0 recs

Byrd

So you want to platoon Boggs and Murphy and give Byrd a fulltime gig? WIth the 4 OFers the Rangers have now, Byrd needs to be the 4th OFer giving the other 3 an OCCASIONAL day off.

Brandon Boggs 2008 Texas Rangers ROY

by RangerMad on May 15, 2008 9:22 AM CDT up 0 recs

+1

I don’t know if I misread his comment or not, but I hope he isn’t trying to make room for Byrd by platooning the others.

"I hope it's a special dumb person hell so that I don’t have to meet up with you after I die."

- The D-tron

by Chase Irwin on May 15, 2008 9:24 AM CDT up 0 recs

I dunno

When Bradley’s back full time, will we need a fourth outfielder?

by jwiscarson on May 15, 2008 9:25 AM CDT up 0 recs

MB

I think Bradley will be pretty much a fulltime DH until July. He will then start playing some OF in order to increase his trade value.

Brandon Boggs 2008 Texas Rangers ROY

by RangerMad on May 15, 2008 9:27 AM CDT up 0 recs

^

This

by philkid3 on May 15, 2008 9:57 AM CDT up 0 recs

I'm not sure

Bradley will play the outfield much at all this year. The type injury he had normally takes a year to completely recover from plus he seems to attract other nagging hurts.

by Jea103 on May 15, 2008 10:06 AM CDT up 0 recs

Byrd Spelling OFers

I say each guy gets one day off in 10, and Byrd plays that position that day.

"Gabbard's not gonna hit Richie Sexson. You got a guy coming up there who can't hit water if he fell out of a boat. And you think hes gonna throw at HIM?" -TAG

by FuturePants on May 15, 2008 9:54 AM CDT up 0 recs

no way

I am not even sure Byrd should be on the roster at this point. Despite what the record says, this team is still rebuilding. As my post stated, when this team is ready to make a serious run, then Murphy and Boggs should be platooned. To make a serious run, they need another full time OF.

Also, I love Milton Bradley as much as the next guy, but he is way too much of an injury risk to be given a long term deal, unless he accepts something like 3 yrs/21m (which I doubt). Plus, he is really only a DH who can occasionally play in the field at this point. If he turns down that deal, he should be traded at the deadline (assuming he is still healthy). He is having a great year and we should leverage that. Also, keep in mind that the team trading for him is also receiving a top pick (he is a lock for either A or B). I could see us landing a package that includes a nice OF prospect and a solid pitching prospect, at the least, for him, as he could be one of the premier bats available at the deadline.

by clark on May 15, 2008 10:04 AM CDT up 0 recs

Well Said

Byrd should not be on the roster. He had a good year last year, but other than that, he’s been a spare! And yes, if we’re out of the race (we might actually be buyers), Bradley will bring a nice bounty if healthy.

by coachh on May 15, 2008 10:48 AM CDT up 0 recs

I like the idea

of the Boggs/Murph LF combo but I think we need to be able to make informed decisions on Byrd/Cruz/Bradley by the end of the year and with Boggs up we can’t. If the ultimate goal this season is contending then I think thats the best. That would be awesome and I really hope they can keep winning. But, if the plan is still in effect, I’d rather see him swapped with Cruz right now so we can make a decision on Cruz and then bring Boggs back up if Cruz falls on his face again. I’d like to see Marlon get his ABs too so we know exactly what we have at the break and let that drive the decision with what we do with Bradley.

by corbsclinton on May 15, 2008 10:58 AM CDT up 0 recs

Byrd and Cruz

I’ve seen all I need to with them.

"For the record, I did not and do not like the Volquez trade, even though Hamilton is awesome and our best player and I think he’s going to be one of the best players in baseball." philikid3

by Brian Thomas on May 15, 2008 11:27 AM CDT up 0 recs

Once Milton's able to play the field

I’d be all for this.

Picking a random blog comment and wielding it as a club to bash "blogs" is like picking a random romance novel off an airport bookstore shelf and saying, "This book sucks. Fuck you, Tolstoy -- your medium is worthless!" - Ken Tremendous

by TheBZA on May 15, 2008 10:03 AM CDT up 0 recs

HAHAHAHA

I remember Galloway bashing the trade everyday calling Hamilton a druggy!!!

Oh Galloway…

Say your sorry to Ron Washington

by miles on May 15, 2008 9:51 AM CDT 0 recs

hahaha true dat...

mr. pissy pants had no choice but to recognize him for what he is. Its a lose/lose situation bashing Hammy or the trade at this point, not even Galloway can get away with that.

The "Electrician" was born 7/16/07 11:53 PM EDT

http://www.lonestarball.com/2007/7/16/213154/893

by LAMuscleFag on May 15, 2008 10:51 AM CDT up 0 recs

First Kaz..... Now Braun

Rumored 7-year deal signed. $ isn’t available yet, but it will be the largest contract ever given out by the Brew Crew.

by TheBZA on May 15, 2008 10:04 AM CDT 0 recs

Link

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/05/ryan-braun-sign.html

by TheBZA on May 15, 2008 10:05 AM CDT up 0 recs

Norm Factoid:

Through the first 36 batters of the game yesterday….38 balls were thrown.

Yowza, that’s some control, huh?

...it's the weekend, so why the hell not?

by Rodney on May 15, 2008 11:42 AM CDT 0 recs

That's what I like to see

Even at 12 innings, the game was under four hours. One thing baseball can do to win the casual fan is make the games not take nearly four hours for nine innings with a final score of 7-4 or something.

by Inkara1 on May 15, 2008 11:48 AM CDT up 0 recs

Off Topic

Manny Ramirez is an idiot savant in terms of baseball. Shouldn’t his nickname be Rain Manny?

/offtopic

by philkid3 on May 15, 2008 12:26 PM CDT 0 recs

FWIW

Stark on Texas pitchers:

• EXCESS IN TEXAS? Teams shopping for pitching this July are already getting nervous about how little figures to be available, since so many of the prospective non-contenders are so pitching-deprived themselves. Take a team like Texas. Kevin Millwood would be enticing, except he has $23 million coming in 2009-10. “Too pricey,” said an official of one team. And Vicente Padilla has $12 million guaranteed for next year, plus either a $12-million option or $1.75-million buyout.

“The guy on that staff who drives me nuts is Padilla,” said one scout who just crossed Padilla off his shopping list. “One start, he goes out there and pitches like he doesn’t care if he wins or loses. The next time out, he pitches eight shutout innings because they scored some runs for him. Sorry, I’m not buying into a guy like that.”

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&page=rumblings

Go Strangers.

by hightowersmith on May 15, 2008 1:15 PM CDT 0 recs

Ugh

I seriously doubt that teams don’t want Millwood because he’s due too much money. Barry Zito is due too much money. Millwood’s contract is quite reasonable. Padilla is high if he pitches like last year, but okay if he pitches as he has most of this year.

Now, if you consider what JD is inevitably going to demand for them, and maybe “too pricey” becomes a valid comment, because JD has no reason to trade guys for the sake of trading them.

by JBImaknee on May 15, 2008 1:19 PM CDT up 0 recs

That is why

I don’t read a word they put out anymore. Lazy. Sloppy. Drivel.

I would much rather read something written by some geek in his mom’s basement.

...it's the weekend, so why the hell not?

by Rodney on May 15, 2008 1:32 PM CDT up 0 recs

Pricey

If you look at Kazmir’s contract, he’s going to make right about $10 MM a year, so perhaps Millwoods contract is too much. Whatever – if you’re a contender and he makes you better, you get him and pay it.

What happened to my old signature?

by WyoRanger on May 15, 2008 2:08 PM CDT up 0 recs

Didn't Grandpa Urine also like the San Diego trade at the time?

brettgardner's mom is a stupid bitch.

by DaheelzCM on May 15, 2008 5:56 PM CDT 0 recs

Yes, he did

Because the Rangers gave up 1 pitcher and got 2 pitchers, and Adrian Gonzalez wouldn’t be any good.

by Adam J. Morris on May 15, 2008 8:28 PM CDT up 0 recs

I think

I’m going to call in the show tomorrow and call him out on all of his bullshit.

Say your sorry to Ron Washington

by miles on May 15, 2008 10:30 PM CDT up 0 recs

Just don't tell the call screener that

they’ll never put you through to him… just tell the screener that you think Randy is amazing and you wanna tell him how totally awesome he is…

Grieve: The Yanks have struggled so far. - Lewin: Yeah, cry me a bag of money.

by WhipSmart on May 15, 2008 10:35 PM CDT up 0 recs

Hamilton a 5-tool player?

Let me preface this by saying that Hamilton is a huge talent, but is he a 5-tool player? I think speed implies (in part at least) that he’s stealing bases too… has he even attempted a steal this year? And is that by design (part of the plan to keep him healthy)? Seems like he could luck into one once in a while.

by Wemedge on May 15, 2008 8:54 PM CDT 0 recs

Nope

Speed does not translate into stolen bases. It helps but it does not automatically mean stolen bases. If it did I am sure most teams would keep a track star for pinch running duties so they could steal 3 bases in a row late in games. Stealing bases is almost like an artform. Having to track the pitchers move to 1st and get a good jump. Having to know what counts are good counts to run on. Stuff like that. Plus there is a higher chance of getting injured during stealing bases and I am sure that plays into him not attempting many if any. Also his position in the lineup. He has guys hitting behind him who you don’t want to take the bat out of their hands by getting an out on the basepaths. All in all I am fine with Hamilton not having any steals thus far and I don’t think it makes him a nonspeedy player.

by bigsteve on May 15, 2008 9:20 PM CDT up 0 recs

wow

I’ve read two things I don’t like in this thread:

1) Trade Milton Bradley

2) Platoon David Murphy and Brandon Boggs

Bradley is easily our 2nd best overall hitter on the team. EASILY. Kinsler’s still on his way up, Young is the steady veteran who can hit for average and clutch situations, but Bradley can hit for average, get on base, steal bases, hit the long ball and score/produce runs. Plus, he’s a pretty good outfielder when it’s all said and done. And the thing I like about him the most, is the fact that he’s such a fiery competitor and he is clearly a team player (whether he has been all along or he has transformed into more of one the last year) – he sticks up for his teammates, and he speaks out when he feels it is necessary. I didn’t see those things in him before he got here. Sure, go ahead and tag the claim “when healthy” to any of the qualities I mentioned above. Unless we get bowled over in a trade offer for him, which I don’t think we will due to the “health scare” – both physically and mentally – I say sign him to a 3 year deal. If we have continued success with Boggs, and some of the farm guys come up and contribute like JMJ or we sign a key free agent outfielder, fine – Bradley can still be a 4th outfielder backing up the entire outfield and start as our DH. We’ve been missing a quality DH for a few years now. Why trade the perfect one away?

Now, further to the point above, why would you platoon Boggs at this moment, when he’s still hot? To keep his confidence? Let the guy prove he needs a platoon before doing it – nevermind the confidence issue, I think he would be much more confident in himself if he saw the team reward him for consistent results, compared to the lack of confidence if he starts slumping like Murph did. I think Murph hit a slump, and will get back out of it. And this platoon idea makes NO sense if you are championing the trade of Bradley.

"No, Donny, these men are nihilists, there's nothing to be afraid of."

by Walter Sobchak on May 17, 2008 11:42 AM CDT 0 recs