For those of you who want to sign KRod

by JBImaknee on Sep 4, 2008 11:52 AM CDT

I saw this up on the header above a few minutes ago. Beyondtheboxscore looks closely at KRod's season, and his progressive decline in the past 4 or 5 years

http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2008/9/4/607253/the-worst-season-of-franci

Rodriguez has still been very good this year; but, save total aside, he has also been very lucky. His ability to throw strikes and his fastball velocity are both down. His slider is less tight than it used to be – it’s no longer getting the two-plane break that it was getting before, and it’s being thrown at a slower velocity. These are all very troublesome signs, and they’re coupled with a lower strikeout rate (and a still-high walk rate).

Now, KRod is still a great pitcher, and he'll probably help some team win in 2009 and 2010, but there is a lot of risk associated with giving him a long-term deal. I've seen several people advocating signing him this offseason, which I think is a great mistake. Between the obvious injury concern with his freak motion and this slow trending away from total dominance, I can't see him as a guy I want under contract for $15 million in 2012. Besides, the Rangers shouldn't worry about a closer until they get starting pitching capable of giving their bullpen a lead more often than not.

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I'd be flat out shocked

if the Rangers seriously persued KRod.

I'm undefeated in fights. Have I been in any? No. Thats because people know my f'ing status. Don't mess with the elite. - Miles

by Dirk Diggler on Sep 4, 2008 11:55 AM CDT 0 recs

They may want to give the idea lip service

just to try to scare the Angels into shelling out ridiculous cash to keep him. I think his contract will be a disaster for whoever signs it – so I’m hoping for Anaheim

by JBImaknee on Sep 4, 2008 12:03 PM CDT up 0 recs

Has anyone suggested it?

Everything should go into the starting rotation. If the rotation gets better and throws more innings, the bullpen probably gets better just for that.

the preceding post is not nearly as negative or insulting as you think it is

by DSheppard on Sep 4, 2008 12:15 PM CDT 0 recs

I've seen it suggested every once in a while

usually when people are also buying both Sheets and Sabathia, but I’ve seen it enough to fire this warning shot in their direction.

I agree with you about the rotation / bullpen relationship. Give even a strong bullpen enough innings and they’ll start wearing thin.

by JBImaknee on Sep 4, 2008 12:41 PM CDT up 0 recs

apparently

1/3 voters wanted him in this poll a while ago

http://www.lonestarball.com/2008/7/21/575894/k-rod

by JBImaknee on Sep 4, 2008 12:42 PM CDT up 0 recs

Ask the Reds how Coco's working out

Whoever throws big money and big years at K-Rod is just asking for disaster.

Baseball Time in Arlington

by jamcadbury on Sep 4, 2008 12:15 PM CDT 0 recs

Frankie Fran is back!!!

KRod can go hoodwink some other team. Frankie is going to evolve into a top notch closer next year. Put that money towards a …………S T A R T E R.

"California is the most liberal state in the union. No joke that place is probably going to slide into the ocean one of these days. California is a wasteland run by liberals"

-Sharky- what a nice guy huh? I guess he doesn't watch any TV shows or movies.. If California goes so goes the entertainment industry. What a nut job!!

by LAMuscleFag on Sep 4, 2008 12:19 PM CDT 0 recs

Damn Skippy LA/NY

The bloggerformelyknownasBigBaddBubbaJ

by NYTXFAN on Sep 4, 2008 4:38 PM CDT up 0 recs

he reminds me of CoCo so i'd

steer clear…..as Hitler said ’CJ’s my boy!’

by jcAustin on Sep 4, 2008 12:42 PM CDT 0 recs

KRod is too much of an a-hole

to sign. I can’t stand all of his little dancing after he makes a save. I couldn’t look at that for 3-4 years. Then again, coming to the Rangers would probably greatly limit the amount of times he would do said dancing.

Nippert=Cy Young

by RA Dickey on Sep 4, 2008 1:17 PM CDT 0 recs

Derek Lowe

speaking of potential FA signings, Derek Lowe is apparently projected as only a type B free agent, making him all the more attractive. As I have stated elsewhere, if we fall short on Sabathia, then Lowe, when factoring in his groundball rate, his WHIP, his consistency, his good health, and the fact that he will probably sign for only three years and cost less per year than guys like Sheets and Oliver Perez, would be my clear second choice. I really like the idea of our young pitchers being around a guy like Lowe.

by clark on Sep 4, 2008 2:23 PM CDT 0 recs

I've always liked Derek Lowe

But he’s 35 and a 3-year contract might be too much.

And obviously, given that his agent is Scott Boras, he might think 3-years is not long enough.

by chrisR on Sep 4, 2008 2:31 PM CDT up 0 recs

i tend to agree

but we have a good working relationship with boras (although the press would jump on the fact that the last boras pitcher we brought over from the Dodgers didn’t fare well). but i like lowe because he has pitched in the hardest division in baseball (AL East) and his numbers aren’t inflated because of his time in LA. In fact, they may have a worse infield defense than the Rangers. Plus, he has old man pitching skills (a la Kenny Rogers).

by clark on Sep 4, 2008 3:22 PM CDT up 0 recs

I'm on board with Ollie Perez

Nippert=Cy Young

by RA Dickey on Sep 4, 2008 3:42 PM CDT up 0 recs

Hell to the no.

The 40 Trumps All!!!

by thedirkatron on Sep 4, 2008 5:38 PM CDT up 0 recs

Lowe

is a great pickup, especialyl since the defense the dodgers are running out isn’t that much better than the one that we field.

by FirebatM3 on Sep 4, 2008 5:40 PM CDT up 0 recs

Rangers defense !~ Dodgers defense

Rangers DEF = .681 (tied for 28th in majors)
Dodgers DEF = .698 (14th in majors)

RZR
Davis (.672) vs. Loney (.728)
Kinsler (.801) vs. Kent (.820)
Young (.847) vs. Hu [210 INN] (.891)/ Berroa [424 INN] (.870)/ Furcal [282 INN] (.835)/ Garciaparra [237 INN] (.823)
Duran [223 INN] (.673)/Blalock [263 INN] (.646)/ Vazquez [533 INN] (.645) vs. Blake [315 INN] (.719)/Dewitt [693 INN] (.714)

So, basically at every infield position (which is important since Lowe is a groundball pitcher), LA has a better defense, even with Young having a career year (according to RZR) in the field.

by Requiem on Sep 4, 2008 11:18 PM CDT up 0 recs

I stand corrected

I thought Nomar and Kent got more playing time than they did at their respective positions.

by FirebatM3 on Sep 5, 2008 11:37 AM CDT up 0 recs

Sad thing is

that Kent was BETTER than Kinsler….. At least according to RZR.

ZR has Kinsler slightly better than Kent….

Either way, it’s kind of sad that a 26-yo fielder can’t be better than a 40-yo counterpart….

by Requiem on Sep 5, 2008 5:44 PM CDT up 0 recs

Who's projecting Lowe as a type B?

He was pretty firmly a type-A last off season and he’s had a good year this year so there’s no reason to suspect he’s gonna fall ten or so spots on the list.

The 40 Trumps All!!!

by thedirkatron on Sep 4, 2008 5:41 PM CDT up 0 recs

perhaps being a type A

would benefit the Rangers, because all of the upper tier teams would be a little more resistant to sign him. that could be a reach, but it is something to consider.

by clark on Sep 4, 2008 8:36 PM CDT up 0 recs

if we're a bottom 15 team

does it really matter?

by FirebatM3 on Sep 5, 2008 11:34 AM CDT up 0 recs

Yeah it kinda does

If hes a type A there will be teams who will shy away from him simply due to that fact alone. If hes a type B nobody will really care about his FA status. It doesn’t affect our draft picks but it may afect how much competition we would have for him.

Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.

by bigsteve on Sep 5, 2008 12:56 PM CDT up 0 recs

Yah it does

I like second round picks.

Obviously first rounders are a bigger deal, but, still.

The 40 Trumps All!!!

by thedirkatron on Sep 6, 2008 2:10 PM CDT up 0 recs

Stay Away

I could look up stats and other such about why we shouldn’t sign K-Rod. But is closer something this team really needs to spend 12-15M a season on? I think that’s all that needs to be asked. Look what it did for Cinci.

This is the Texas Rangers, professional destroyers of hope, we're talking about. - BAC

by nikpin on Sep 4, 2008 4:09 PM CDT 0 recs

agreed

saves are like hits, its all about oppurtunities.

just like batting average you should go bay save percentage. you dont go by the amount of hits, same with closers. mariano rivera is twice the closer fransisco rodriguez is

I give up

by Steal Home on Sep 4, 2008 5:22 PM CDT 0 recs

Just a gut feeling

But it seems like FA closer signings turn out bad more often than good. It seems that most of the great closers are those that are developed within versus FA. Perhaps I’m myopic and focusing on the busts but it really seems that way. If I were industrious I’d look at all the closers in MLB and compare the FAs to farm grown, but I’m lazy. But somebody out there isn’t. Help me out or prove me wrong.

Nothing pithy here. Please move long.

by WyoRanger on Sep 4, 2008 6:22 PM CDT 0 recs

How about

pulling another Gagne and taking a flyer on Rafael Soriano as an 8th-inning guy/backup closer (with C.J. the LH’ed half of the 8th-inning platoon)? When he’s healthy he has wicked stuff. He’ll probably come really cheap since he’s coming off a lost year due to injuries. Sign him to a one-year incentivized contract, and maybe he’ll pitch well enough that we’ll be able to pull off another Gagne-type deal at the deadline.

Or bring Ryan Dempster home. Ticket him for the rotation at the outset, but if the closer situation still looks dicey he offers the versatility of being able to fill that role with aplomb.

by Rangerchick on Sep 4, 2008 6:50 PM CDT 0 recs

Dempster

Hes gonna want to cash in on his great year this year and some team will pull a Carlos Silva and give him big money for multiple years.

As for Soriano I like that line of thinking. It will depend on what we see our bullpen looking like next year. May not have any room for a guy like him. Loe and Littleton are both out of options so if we are going to keep them we have to keep them. We can’t stuff them in the minors for another year. Add in Nippert, Frankie, Madrigal and CJ and thats 6 guys right there. Then we have guys like Mendoza, Rheinecker, Murray, etc who could be vying for spots.

Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.

by bigsteve on Sep 4, 2008 6:53 PM CDT up 0 recs

Soriano

is signed for 2009 at $6.1 M. Unless the Braves pick up a good portion of that (and then, he won’t come that cheap), I don’t want to gamble with him.

Dempster, like bigsteve said, is probably going to get paid, and if we’re going to spend the money, I’d rather go after Sabathia and/or Sheets (though he might cost less than and is probably not as fragile as Sheets).

Though I’d rather go after Dempster than Garland, and they’re both going to get serious money.

by Requiem on Sep 4, 2008 11:31 PM CDT up 0 recs

"For those of you who want to sign KRod"...

I’m willing to bet if you did a poll that about only 10% of people here would like the Rangers signing K-Rod for the kind of $ he will get this winter.

"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates

by slc ranger on Sep 6, 2008 12:39 AM CDT 0 recs