Thad Levine on MLB Home Plate

Thad Levine was just on MLB Home Plate, and had the following things to say:

• Said it is "terrific" that BA has named the Rangers as the team with the best farm system; result of the last five years of work.
• When asked what players are on the cusp of helping the team in 2010, Levin said they don't like to put those expectations on players, but that Smoak will be a middle of the order bat and Perez will be a SP "in the not so distant future".
• Rangers feel rewarded so have so many young players contribute last year, and that they are prepared to do the same next year (Levine mentioned this on several occasions).
• Looking to add some pitching, either RP or SP because the team has some players who could go either way as a pitcher.  They also want a middle of the order bat.
• They wanted Salty to go to Winter Ball so that he could be 100% by ST; in hindsight they rushed him a bit.  Pain and discomfort was around the area where the incision was made, not a continuation of TOS symptoms.  He needs another 2 to 3 weeks to recover, and should be ready for ST.
• Said the league adjusted to Davis in '09.  The team will stick by Davis in 2010, and they were pleasantly surprised by his GG defense last year.
• Called Hunter a workhorse and innings eater.
• Holland has potential to be a 1 or 2.
• Called Feliz's debut "phenomenal".  He will be brought to ST as a starter, but could end up back in the bullpen if the situation presents itself.  Longterm, Feliz will be a starter.
• When asked if the Rangers were going to spend a "ton of money", Levine said that was a relative term.  The Rangers are prepared to be creative which could mean a trade, finding a bat through in-depth analysis (probably somebody we wouldn't normally think of), or going with a group of second-tier players.  Reiterated that the Rangers are comfortable going with their young players.
• This offseason will be "business as usual" because they have not been active with big name free agents the past few years.  They are looking for players will outperform their contracts, and mentioned they have lots of depth from which to trade.
• Levine stated that the current financial situation is not an excuse for the team to not compete.
• The arbitration process and contract escalators (Kinsler and Young) will eat up much of the $20 million coming off the books this offseason.
• Said the Winter Meetings are not stressful, and it provides an excuse for Daniels and Levine to meet with their best evaluators who don't normally work out of Arlington.  Together they will strategize for the future; mentioned one-year and five-year plans.
• Conversations with other teams are friendly, and they typically the find new fits for a potential trade that they did not know about before the meetings.