Per Jayson Stark - Rangers interested in Uggla

by Heebs on Nov 19, 2009 3:51 PM CST Comment 57 comments

According to Jayson Stark, the Rangers are interested in Dan Uggla. The mention is about 3/4 of the way through the article. No details are provided other than the mention of the Giants and Rangers showing interest at the GM meetings.

Personally I'm not sure what to think about this report. I have yet to hear Uggla's name mentioned in connection with the Rangers. Obviously we have little use for him in our infield. Perhaps he's being considered as a LF/DH option.

Thoughts?

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I was gonna float his name the other day when it was mentioned he was on the trade block

But then I looked at his numbers and he doesn’t fit our need of a RH bat who hits lefties well. hes alot like Nelson Cruz. Really good against RHP but struggles against LHP.

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 Nov 19, 2009 3:58 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

so long as the package

is centered around one of our catchers, I’d be interested in a deal involving Uggla. I have no idea what the cost would actually be, though, and he would probably lose some value because he won’t be an INF here.

What is this, Horseville? Because I'm surrounded by naysayers.

by clark on Nov 19, 2009 3:59 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

He sucks at 2B anyway

"I was going to say, 'You’re gay for Elvis.' But then I realized that I, too, am gay for Elvis." ~Adam J. Morris.

by Kinslerhomer on Nov 19, 2009 4:09 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

So did Soriano

by Heebs on Nov 19, 2009 4:16 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

your point?

by erikj07 on Nov 19, 2009 4:18 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

He might be moved to LF

I just like the comparison. Big Bat, Poor defense. Eventual move to LF. Soriano’s move to LF has been relatively succesful. I have no reason to think Uggla’s couldn’t be as well.

by Heebs on Nov 19, 2009 4:40 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

terrible idea

for the price it would likely cost in terms of salary and prospects. Plus we’re set IMO with an OF of Cruz in left, Borbon in center, and Hamilton in right. if you are unsure about Borbon, spend the money you would have to give to Uggla through arb on a 1 year deal for mike cameron

by erikj07 on Nov 19, 2009 5:14 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Don't get me wrong

I agree with those points. I’m not sold on trading for Uggla with consideration to cost. I simply am stating that I think there is no reason to think he won’t be a productive left fielder.

by Heebs on Nov 19, 2009 5:23 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

His defense would be so f'ing bad

"I was going to say, 'You’re gay for Elvis.' But then I realized that I, too, am gay for Elvis." ~Adam J. Morris.

by Kinslerhomer on Nov 19, 2009 5:26 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

He's not a big bat, though

by Adam J. Morris on Nov 19, 2009 9:25 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

What his contract?

"I was going to say, 'You’re gay for Elvis.' But then I realized that I, too, am gay for Elvis." ~Adam J. Morris.

by Kinslerhomer on Nov 19, 2009 4:07 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Cot's said

he won arb with the marlins for 09 @ 5.35 Mil

"Blister please, with those wings in your spine.
Love to be with a brother of mine.
How he'd love to find your tongue in his teeth,
In a struggle to find secret songs that you keep,
Wrapped in boxes so tight, sounding only at night as you sleep." ~Jeff Mangum; Neutral Milk Hotel

by jdh90 on Nov 19, 2009 4:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Per Cot's Baseball Contracts

Here is his contract.

Last season he was on a 1-year $5.35MM contract. Last off-season was his first year of arbitration. He currently has exactly 3 years of service time.

I’m not particularily saavy with regards to arbitration raises but I’d guess he’ll be in the $6-8MM range next year. That sounds a bit pricy for this club.

by Heebs on Nov 19, 2009 4:16 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Hes currently at exactly 4 years of service time

The numbers on Cots is following the 2008 season

And I would guess probably 8-9 million is what he gets in arb this winter

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 Nov 19, 2009 4:40 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

pass

expensive not so great player, especially off of 2B where he’s lousy anyways. what an awful offseason this is going to be

by erikj07 on Nov 19, 2009 4:17 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Plus

He played in the NL with pitchers pitching around Hanley

"I was going to say, 'You’re gay for Elvis.' But then I realized that I, too, am gay for Elvis." ~Adam J. Morris.

by Kinslerhomer on Nov 19, 2009 4:18 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

30 home runs 3 years in a row playing in a pitcher friendly park

I think hed be a nice bat here for DH/backup LF except he isn’t the type of hitter we need. He sucks against lefties which is what we need to improve against

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 Nov 19, 2009 4:41 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm somewhat interested in Thome

after we thought we could possibly get Matsui. But from the looks of it, that’s not going to happen.

by jdh90 on Nov 19, 2009 4:23 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Law

Law said something positive about Uggla in a tweet not too long ago. It was based upon him taking better AB’s. Here are a few numbers (’06 to ’09):

SO/BB – 2.56, 2.46, 2.22, 1.63
BB% – 7.0%, 9.3%, 12.4%, 13.8%

You figure his power numbers will go up. Law alluded to the fact that Uggla might be a player who will improve upon what we saw in Florida (defense not included). But at that price, you really can’t say you’d be buying low.

by Excel Hearts Choi on Nov 19, 2009 4:25 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Wonder if this is some kind of chess move to go after Nolasco

by oc on Nov 19, 2009 4:45 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Several great targets...

Florida has several players I would target if I were Texas.

Nolasco is an obvious fit and extremely valuable. I would be elated if we somehow got Nolasco. But Cantu might make some sense as well. He had an .892 OPS against lefties last year, and a .865 OPS against lefites in 2008. He also is a quality defensive first baseman, according to fan graphs. He would be a great insurance plan for Chris Davis and he could platoon at first.

Cody Ross would also be a good option to split time in center with Borbon. He crushes lefties (.959 OPS last season). Although his UZR/150 is tough to read from year to year, he seems like a viable option to split time with Borbon, and serve as a 4th/5th outfielder.

And Uggla could still be a solid DH, and he could fill in for Kinsler when and if he gets hurt again. His .826 OPS would be a better option at DH than we currently have on our roster and his splits against lefties aren’t so clear. He was strong against lefties two years in his career, horrible against them in 2008, and mediocre in 2009. Given the small sample size, I’m not ready to say he can’t hit lefties. He also is a much more complete offensive player than Cantu or Ross.

But either way, any of those four players could really fit on the Ranger’s roster. I think Florida is a great trading partner. It also seems that “hot and heavy” negotiations with Florida, as Stark describes them, could be an avenue into acquiring any of those four players. If I remember right, when Daniels completed the McCarthy trade, he had already had discussions with Chicago about Garlard, Buerhle, etc.

by Stephen Rushin on Nov 19, 2009 4:58 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I agree with every bit of that.

I’m hesitant only on Uggla, who might cost too much in both trade return and salary. Nolasco is worth the price, and Cantu probably nets less in trade return and doesn’t get as much in arbitration.

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by t ball on Nov 19, 2009 5:10 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I think Cantu would be a great addition.

by jdh90 on Nov 19, 2009 9:27 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

The Jorge Cantu who has never wOBA'd better than the .340's and has a career 6.3 BB%?

Pass.

"It's kind of a new stat that's in vogue" - Joe Buck on OPS

"...he wasn’t a good hitter, just a good middle of the order bat that hit a lot of homers." - NYTXFAN on Mark McGwire

by lonestarJon on Nov 19, 2009 9:53 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I like

Cantu more then Uggla becasue of the cost. You are going to have to give up some quality prospects for Uggla and he is also getting more expensive. Uggla might be improving as a player as KLaw suggested but that’s still not enough for me to want him on this team at the price it’s going to take to get him.

"Stats are like a woman in a fine little bikini. You can see a lot, but you can't see everything." -Dirk A. Tron

by coolaid on Nov 19, 2009 5:25 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I think Uggla would be great here

He’d be the target of a lot of ridicule because of his low BA, but he has a career 11% walk rate which has gone up each of his 4 years in the league (love that trend). He’d also come here to DH which means the only time he would have to get on the field is to give someone a day off or in case of emergency. The only question is what will the Marlins be asking for him? Since he’s going to get a nice raise this year, the Marlins probably won’t be asking for too much which makes this doable.

By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.

"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw

by Gdawg on Nov 19, 2009 5:28 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

What would be the point?

- He’d be expensive.
- 2B is out of the question.
- There’s no telling if he’ll be any good in the OF.
- He only has a couple of years of team control left, and they’ll be expensive years.
- Let’s say he does DH. Do you expect this team to pay their DH 7mm+ next year? And give up good prospects for the right to do so?

by LiamP on Nov 19, 2009 5:45 PM CST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

He may not fit our need or budget but hes gonna fetch a nice package

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 Nov 19, 2009 5:48 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

That's what I meant with my first point.

Also, Andruw Jones’ 2009 OPS: 782. Dan Uggla’s 2009 OPS: 813. Dan Uggla’s career OPS: 826. Unless you expect him to have some sort of renaissance coming from the NL to the AL at the age of 30, pass.

by LiamP on Nov 19, 2009 6:11 PM CST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

He's pretty good at hitting the baseball

That’s the point. He fits in here as a DH who could be used around the IF in an emergency and could probably be a back-up 1B option as well. Uggla is also going to bring a patient bat to this lineup. He also looks like a great candidate to improve next season. If his BABIP regresses, he’s could put up a .370 OBP next season. His power was also down last year which could come back this season and especially if he gets out of Florida.

What we really need is a guy for next season. You could non-tender him after next year if you don’t have any interest in him past that season. And unless some of the richer teams are interested in Uggla, Florida will probably just treat this trade as a salary dump.

By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.

"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw

by Gdawg on Nov 19, 2009 7:28 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Guy's allergic to line drives

There’s a reason for his low BABIP.
This is a case where Florida will be selling him as a second baseman, thus inflating his value. It’s not worth it for us to pick him up to DH or play first base.

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by Conjunction on Nov 19, 2009 7:59 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

What makes you think they won't ask for much?

Hes under team control for two more years and has averaged 30 HRs a year over his first 4 years in the majors. His downside is his defense but if you bring him in as a DH that negates his bad defense.

The only way he goes for a package that doesn’t include one of our top 5 prospects is if the Marlins are desperate to shed his salary.

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 Nov 19, 2009 5:46 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Which is possible

But It’s not like the Rangers are backed by Daddy Warbucks.

My podcast. I'd be very appreciative of any listeners-for enjoyment, criticism, or otherwise.

by Conjunction on Nov 19, 2009 5:48 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I wouldn't mind having him

His power #’s would probably get a little boost from playing in the RBiA, and you gotta like his walk trends, like Gdawg pointed out.

Thing is, is OPS and wOBA’s aren’t that impressive outside of 2008, and I would consider him to have less defensive value than Andruw Jones. Kinda feel the same way about him as I do Adam Dunn: wouldn’t mind having him, but if the price is too high I don’t know that he’s really worth the prospects.

"It's kind of a new stat that's in vogue" - Joe Buck on OPS

"...he wasn’t a good hitter, just a good middle of the order bat that hit a lot of homers." - NYTXFAN on Mark McGwire

by lonestarJon on Nov 19, 2009 6:34 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Reply fail.

by JDT217 on Nov 19, 2009 6:35 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Uggla isn't in the same class as Adam Dunn.

by JDT217 on Nov 19, 2009 6:35 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

No, he's not, but it's the same principle.

Dunn a great player only under control for 1 year, Uggla is a solid, yet not “great” player under control for 2.

Just don’t think either one is really worth a big package in prospects during an offseason when we supposedly can’t afford to buy new jock straps.

"It's kind of a new stat that's in vogue" - Joe Buck on OPS

"...he wasn’t a good hitter, just a good middle of the order bat that hit a lot of homers." - NYTXFAN on Mark McGwire

by lonestarJon on Nov 19, 2009 6:37 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Uggla

I’d be interested. No top line prospects (Felix, Perez, Smoak), after all this is a cost cutting measure for the Marlins.

by Randy Richardson on Nov 19, 2009 8:28 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I'm astonished

I can’t believe so many people would be on board with giving Dan Uggla $7-8 million next season to be the Rangers’ DH.

That would be a bad move, even without factoring in the cost in terms of prospects.

by Adam J. Morris on Nov 19, 2009 9:28 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

why's that?

Bradley would be my first choice. But, I don’t think Uggla’s a bad option – he’s a good bat. I figure 81 games at RBiA instead of LandShark has to have some factor as well. Also be nice to plug him in at 2B or 3B in case Kinlser or Young spend time on the DL.

by Randy Richardson on Nov 19, 2009 9:49 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

A couple of things

.280 EQA last season, .281 career EQA — not all that great for a DH, particularly not at $7-8 million for a year.

Secondly, while he’s not going to cost you Smoak or Perez or someone like that, he is going to have value, because teams are going to want him as a 2B. And if you are going to give up value as if he’s a 2B, but play him at DH, you’re losing value. Uggla is going to cost you a Kiker or a Ross or a Beltre.

Getting Uggla makes sense if you want to trade Ian Kinsler. Otherwise, you’re better off targeting, say, Josh Willingham, who I’ve sneered at before, but who is a better hitter, is less expensive, and probably won’t cost any more in terms of prospects.

by Adam J. Morris on Nov 19, 2009 9:53 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

fair enough

I wouldn’t go all in on the guy, but if the Marlins want to get rid of him Chicago White Sox, Nick Swisher style, I’m in.

Really, I’m just seriously concerned about the Rangers 2010 offense. If I’m JD, I’ve got to worst case scenario plan on zero from Hamilton and stockpile some bats.

by Randy Richardson on Nov 19, 2009 10:02 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Kiker, Ross, Beltre

Not really interested in Uggla but if all it took was one of those I’d say sign me up.

by groundingout on Nov 19, 2009 10:37 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Why?

If you aren’t interested in him, then why would you give up one of those guys for him?

by Adam J. Morris on Nov 19, 2009 10:45 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Meh

I’d be willing to give up either two of those three for Uggla.

But at this point in the offseason, there are better options to consider

by chrisR on Nov 19, 2009 10:59 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Why the hell...

would you give up two of those guys for Uggla?

The guy isn’t going to be worth the salary he makes, much less that salary plus two of Ross/Kiker/Beltre.

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

by slc ranger on Nov 19, 2009 11:03 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

For Uggla

Kiker and Beltre. Those are the two I’d give up.
He’d very much benefit from moving to RBiA. Of course, the price tag is an issue with this team.

There are better options to explore (MB, Dunn, Cameron, etc) but if none of those work out, I wouldn’t mind parting with Kiker and Beltre rather than going into ’10 with a big question mark at DH.

by chrisR on Nov 19, 2009 11:16 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I'd rather give up Kiker and Beltre...

…for someone who was either a better hitter, or who was as good a hitter and not as expensive.

Uggla isn’t worth $7.5 million and giving up Kiker and Beltre for, if you’re going to make him a DH.

There are better options than that.

by Adam J. Morris on Nov 20, 2009 8:18 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

If all else fails

Dunn, Cameron, MB, etc…
would you rather give up Kiker+Beltre for a $7M Uggla or hope that someone from within fills in at DH?

by chrisR on Nov 20, 2009 10:07 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

If we assume...

…that every single other option out there is unavailable, and the only choices are internal options or giving up a package like that for Uggla at $7 million, I keep my powder dry.

You can get a better deal in June or July when teams are sellers.

by Adam J. Morris on Nov 20, 2009 11:51 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs