Friday a.m. things

by Adam J. Morris on Sep 5, 2008 9:50 AM CDT Comment 41 comments

There are only 21 games to go in the season. That seems bizarre...I'm sort of ready for the season to be over, and yet, I can't believe that there's that few games to go.

The Rangers are 69-72 right now. To finish at .500, they need to go 12-9 over their final 21 games.

The Rangers are also 5 1/2 games up on Oakland, which has 22 games to go. If the Rangers just go 10-11 over their final 21 games, the A's would have to go 17-5 to finish a game ahead of the Rangers. If the Rangers cratered and went 6-15 the rest of the way, the A's would still have to go 13-9 to pass them.

You know how we've been complaining about Milton Bradley not staying healthy this season? Well, Evan Grant points out Bradley has played in 113 games this year, which isn't a ton, but is the second most of his career, and he's stayed off the d.l. for just the second time since 2001. That speaks volumes about Bradley's health history. In Grant's article, Jon Daniels said the organization will wait until after the season to talk contract with Bradley.

T.R. Sullivan has some bloggy notes up, which includes this amusing quote from Ron Washington:

Washington on Gerald Laird's desire to play every day: "That's okay with me. He expects to catch every day? That's fine. It's just not going to happen."

I have my doubts about whether Washington is the answer as a manager -- something that we discuss at length in the latest podcast, which should be up later today -- but quotes like that make it hard for me to beat up on him too much.

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Nice Ron

That’s the best possible response to Laird’s little rant.

By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw

by Gdawg on Sep 5, 2008 10:02 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Bradley

I am torn as to whether or not to bring him back. If the Rangers don’t then I think their offense will regress. I don’t think MaxRam is ready to be a middle of the order bat and there are even some questions about Davis’ readiness to slip in there, at least in the eyes of the organization. Further it takes away another right handed bat against lefties who already punish them.

On the other hand, he just can’t stay healthy. Ugh. What to do…

Fire Ron Washington

by pblack on Sep 5, 2008 10:06 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I say bring him back...

and assume he’s only good for 100 games..paying accordingly… hopefully that will be enough. Of course that doesn’t mean the Rangers wouldn’t be outbid but…

"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 5, 2008 10:40 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

+1

Its only the people who expected Bradley to play 150 games all of a sudden that are disappointed. The guy was coming off a major knee injury. We are lucky hes been able to play as much as he has. I say you bring him back with the expectation that he is only going to play 120 games or so and that gives you 40 games to use for Hammy, Kinsler, Young, and various other players as DH. The simple fact is we don’t have another RH bat we can stick in the middle of Hammy and Davis and Murphy and possibly Hank which will really hurt us. Max needs more time in AAA anyway to work on his defense so we can either trade him now for pitching or wait and see what all unfolds as the season goes on next year.

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 10:51 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

We are not the same team, offensively,

when Bradley is out of the lineup, he is to the Rangers what Ortiz is to the Red Sox.

I have nothing to say

by rldwb on Sep 5, 2008 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You're damn right we aren't

Which is why i think we need to bring him back. Theres nobody on the roster who can provide the presence Bradley does. Not even Max as good as he is.

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 11:14 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

To me it all depends on the length, and amount of the contract

I can easily walk away from Bradley for 3/40. I want to have him for 2/20, and if we can get him for 1 year and a team option, I could even go higher per.

I just don’t want to tie up long term to a guy who is lucky to get 100 games in, especially if he can’t play the field.

"Oh well, McCain is pretty communist anyway,... we can be 70% communist with McCain,"-Sharky

"I just hope enough dumb oversexed over self-esteemed American public educated female liberals (yeah, you know the type) vote for a woman because she has a vagina, to swing some things."- Sharky.

"JD is a great GM if you ignore the giving away pitching and handing out horrible contract stuff."-Tricer

by DJCahill on Sep 5, 2008 11:17 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Max

doesn’t need to hit 4th or 5th to be the DH. It wouldn’t surprise me, though, to see Bradley resigned and Max traded for pitching.

O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!
Sondern laßt uns angenehmere anstimmen,
und freudenvollere.

by t ball on Sep 5, 2008 10:47 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Actually

It also wouldn’t surprise me to see both on the roster, with Bradley slated for RF and Max at DH/1B/3rd C. I think that would be too risky, but it wouldn’t surprise me.

O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!
Sondern laßt uns angenehmere anstimmen,
und freudenvollere.

by t ball on Sep 5, 2008 10:48 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Max

I think that happens if Davis stays at 3B. Honestly, I think that’s the only way you’ll get enough ABs for them both.

by FirebatM3 on Sep 5, 2008 11:06 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Exactly!!

It was miraculous for bradley to come off of September knee surgery and be ready for the start of the season. The fact that we are going to get 130 games out of him this year exceeds my expectations. After another full offseason to rehab/recover, I don’t see why Bradley can’t be in the outfield 4-5 times a week next year. That said, if management deems him more valuable at DH as a preventive measure against injury, and due to the fact that we already have enough OFers, thats another story. But, I wouldn’t relegate Milton to full time DH for the rest of his career.

by Topgun22 on Sep 5, 2008 11:16 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Was there

Something juicy left out in that last sentence after “whether Washington as a manager”?

by brettgardner on Sep 5, 2008 10:11 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Bradley vs Max

Max isn’t quite ready. Bradley can’t play more than 120 games.

So, it seems there’s enough ABs for both. The key is signing Bradley to a one-year deal, a year when Max transitions to the starting role.

And if Bradley gets offered better elsewhere, take the picks and play Maximiliano full time.

The outfield’s OK without Bradley…Ham, Murphy and Boggs/Byrd and then Borbon comes up. Pretty good depth.

Stay the course, play the kids. The team isn’t contending next year, folks.

Go Strangers.

by hightowersmith on Sep 5, 2008 11:04 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

is it realistic

to think that Bradley would sign a one year deal?

I’m against giving him a multi year deal, but if wants to come back on a 1-year contract, then that is great – but I don’t see how he wouldn’t get at least a Gullen type 3/36 offer.

"So he tore it up in AA. Yippee. ...Max Ramirez be damned." - bigsteve

by tricer on Sep 5, 2008 11:08 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't see him getting more than 2/20 - 2/22 the max

by Coolbean04 on Sep 5, 2008 11:09 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Two years

Considering his age and performance, I’d probably give him a two-year deal.

More than that, you have to push away from the table. It might be different if he played the field.

Go Strangers.

by hightowersmith on Sep 5, 2008 11:12 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't see it

Guillen had played at least 148 games in 3 of the previous 4 seaosns before signing with KC. Milton has never played 148 games in a season. I have no problem giving Milton a 2 year deal and include a couple options in there to make him feel better. He plays 120 games a year and you have to feel good about it. That will allow you to break Max in slowly and maybe in that 2nd year Max can come up and play more full time.

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 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Guillen

how did this guy not get more flak for being bat-shit loco? It seems to me his violations of baseball ettiquette (calling out managers, other players) are far more severe than Bradley’s, but no word was made of it when he signed that ridiculous contract last year.

by FirebatM3 on Sep 5, 2008 11:21 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

most still talk about him

as a “value” type guy in free agency, so i think we are all overvaluing him a bit. Also, remember that there were next to no trade rumors about him this July, which i think speaks more about how other teams view him than about how available he was.

by clark on Sep 5, 2008 11:13 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Wasn't he injured

I think that had alot to do with the lack of rumors. Nobody knew if he would be going on the DL or not. Plus I would guess JD made it known around the league that it would take a badass package of players to pry him away from us.

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 11:16 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bradley at the Deadline...

I think that there was significant interest. Not a lot of concrete rumors because JD made it known that he wasn’t available and that any team would have to way over pay just to get into the conversation. If I recall, I heard that several teams were interested, including the Cubs and Yanks to name two.

by Topgun22 on Sep 5, 2008 11:21 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

this is an interesting gamble

if Bradley does well, and plays another 1/2 a season like he did this year, his value would be significantly higher, regardless of his contract. If not, there’s always a team that would take a risk on him, especially if the contract only runs for 2 years.

by FirebatM3 on Sep 5, 2008 11:22 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Still makes no sense

With a kid like Max ready to go, with the state of the ML rotation, with the team clinging to conte, I mean “contention” by their fingernails, you’re telling me JD refused to deal Milton???

He’s an injury risk at DH…that’s not as valuable as many (hear, hear) originally believed.

Go Strangers.

by hightowersmith on Sep 5, 2008 11:29 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bradley...

If whatever preliminary talks JD had about him with other teams would have netted the Rangers less value than 2 draft picks + whatever value the Rangers internally placed on Bradley being here for the “playoff race” and finishing the season here giving the Rangers a leg up in offseason negotiations, then Yes, JD refused to deal him.

by Topgun22 on Sep 5, 2008 12:05 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't remember there being...

…significant interest…

by Adam J. Morris on Sep 5, 2008 11:49 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

agreed

there were some rumblings that teams asked, but the interest did not seem to be at the level one might expect for a player signed on the cheap for one year who was leading the AL in OPS at the time. His emotional/medical history is still a huge red flag for teams. Barry Bonds has proven this year that even the most sabermetric teams do not evaluate talent on numbers alone.

by clark on Sep 5, 2008 12:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The majority of the interest

probably occurred near the end of the deadline (Cubs) or after the deadline (Yankees). That says to me that Milton was option B for a lot of teams.

by FirebatM3 on Sep 5, 2008 2:51 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Max is a luxury for this team

and i think he should be traded in the offseason. He had a career year in the minors, but this team really doesn’t need another bat. I would shop him to teams who need good young hitters. A recent post on minorleagueball suggested Brett Cecil for Andrus, but i would see if they would take Max instead. They have a bounty of good young pitchers and Max could join Snider, Lind, Rios and Wells to form a solid middle of the order for them.

by clark on Sep 5, 2008 11:19 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Cecil

LOVE the player. I’d deal Max for him in a heartbeat.

No way they would, though…

Go Strangers.

by hightowersmith on Sep 5, 2008 11:32 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I just looked him up

holy shit.

Brett Cecil

I’m not sure if Davis would get Cecil right now. 65% GB, 28% K, 7% BB and a lefty. It’s like he was built to pitch in the ballpark

by FirebatM3 on Sep 5, 2008 11:39 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Holy shit, indeed

Why isn’t he talked about more? Given their recent history at the SS position they would probably be interested in Andrus. Their system is kind of weak right now, and they need offense. Perhaps Ramirez + Vallejo?

O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!
Sondern laßt uns angenehmere anstimmen,
und freudenvollere.

by t ball on Sep 5, 2008 1:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

ahh

Reliever turned starter, I guess there’s some skepticism about if he has the stamina.

Originally, I thought he must be the fattest man alive, but nope, dude looks normal.

by FirebatM3 on Sep 5, 2008 2:49 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

yeah, i was afraid of that

but those numbers look too perfect for our ballpark.

by clark on Sep 5, 2008 12:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think I'd sign Milt for 2 at $10 or so per

We’re not 100% sure if Max is ready. If he become a realiable middle of the order bat, then the Rangers should be able to trade Milt for something fairly nice in return. Besides, I like Milt and I think he’s good for the team. I still remember him being the reasonable one during the Sexson donnybrook.

Nothing pithy here. Please move long.

by WyoRanger on Sep 5, 2008 1:10 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

MJH

New blog post…

http://rangersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/09/mjh-payroll-study-save-as-draft-do-not-p.html

Go Strangers.

by hightowersmith on Sep 5, 2008 1:16 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

quote

Undoubtedly, you’ve been told by local media that the reason the Rangers don’t win is because they don’t spend enough money.

Does Mike realize he is local media? I hear that far more from fans than media.

O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!
Sondern laßt uns angenehmere anstimmen,
und freudenvollere.

by t ball on Sep 5, 2008 1:22 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I love how people in the media talk about the general media as if they're not associated with it.

Hey, you suck McBain.

by oc on Sep 5, 2008 2:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's a blog

In a newspaper website. Traditional MSM would consider that sort of like parking an ATV in your garage in place of either a luxury sedan or SUV. Heh, bloggers are bloggers, don’tcha know?

"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912)

by Ed Coffin on Sep 5, 2008 2:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hindman as local media

I find it kinda funny that Hindman is over there at DMN. Reading through the comments on occasion, I wonder if his skin will be thick enough to stay there for any length of time.

"So he tore it up in AA. Yippee. ...Max Ramirez be damned." - bigsteve

by tricer on Sep 5, 2008 2:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs