Rangers-Nats trade: Wouldja?

Anytime you’re in the middle of a pennant race and can snag a productive hitter with two more years of team control who fills a real need for you (Patient RH power) for a few C+ prospects, you make that deal.

I still think Glaus is a much more likely target for us. We match up very well with the Cards and I’m not sure how many other teams out there are gonna be interested in a DH-only RHH right now. If we could take back enough contract to make the salary relief worth STL’s time, we could probably get away with not giving them too much in terms of prospects, which would be nice.

Is the money still owed to Willingham (~$1.2M) not going to be a problem? I was under the impression that they couldn’t take any salary on…

to give Davis/Smoak another year in the minors or put one in a package to fill another need.

I’d really love to nab Clippard, but I kinda doubt the Nats give him up, since young pitching is supposed to be what they’re after.

That deal is a no brainer.

If you can improve this team without giving up one of the top 10 prospects in the system (and yeah, I guess some list somewhere may have Poveda or Moreland around #10, but you know what I mean), you have to do it.

Of course most of the effective pitchers for the Rangers were not top 100 prospects. Most players in baseball weren’t. Doesn’t mean that you hold onto ever non-top 100 prospect around. At most, Poveda is a 10% shot to be an effective pitcher in the majors. Moreland has a higher chance of being a big leaguer, but it’s doubtful he’s ever a critical cog to a team.

The odds are so high on some of these prospects that you have to cash them in for something real and tangible when you get the chance, especially if you could really use it. And this team could really use someone to get on base.

With the roster glut that having Willingham would cause (OF – Murphy, Hamilton, Cruz, Byrd, Willingham, Jones and DH – Willingham and Jones, both RH) I think you need to maximize value for Byrd while you can.

CIncinnati has been said to be looking for ML OF help and is shopping Arroyo and maybe even Harang. Would you do Byrd, Kiker and Boscan for Harang and convince them to throw in Josh Ravin who looks like he could be on a faster track, with somewhat similar numbers, than Boscan?

Keeping with the Washington deal, trade up Poveda, Moreland and Moscoso for Willingham and Clippard and try to snake Mitchell Clegg from them?

Our 40 (which trumps all) is a little stacked right now and for the foreseeable future. These moves take away three and add three to the 40, so that is a wash, but we’d also take two more young, high K pitchers to plug in to Hickory (Clegg) and Bakersfield (Ravin) in the mean time.

Daniels has created a habit of coming out of nowhere with “throw in” pieces that the field scouts do an excellent job of researching, that track record definitely needs to continue if we are going to push some of the chips in to the pot for this season.

Rotation of Millwood, Harang, Feldman, Padilla (post swine) and Hunter/Holland wouldn’t be too bad in my estimation. Understanding that Byrd is a clubhouse guy, that’d be the tough part, but if we’re trying to get to the postseason and do something there, you need guys on the team that have been there. Willingham, Andruw Jones (who’d get more playing time) and Harang have all been there and you’d think have a bit more calming influence and better words of wisdom once the time comes for all of this to matter. Yes the financials may be a bit of work to sort out, but it’s for one season only and you’d have to think that MLB would pitch in a little on the LOC (like Josey suggested above) for there to be an increased interest in the Rangers at the gate and interest in potential investors.

Let’s say JD does call up the Nats and offer them that deal. Being a good gentleman, he refuses their counter offer (‘We want Smoke, Fleas, and that Switzerland kid!’) and then refuses their second counter offer (‘We want Hyatt, Stoneburner, and a bucket of that mud they use on the basesballs before the game!’).

They settle on the Poveda/Moreland for Willingham/Clip Art deal. In a reverse Thunderdome move, one guy goes off the 40 while another two come on.

Not a huge problem, you say- we can just 60 Matty Ice, and we got this covered.

As you’re filling out the form 901D, ‘Request to 60-Day DL a somewhat disappointing Lefty’, you feel an odd pinge.

You go on out to lunch before the press conference, knowing full well it’s not wise to eat before coming into the presence of Jennifer Floyd Engel, and that pinge stays there. ‘Nerves.’, you say, and you finish your ribs and waffles.

An hour later, you’re standing at the podium, introducing the two latest additions to the Texas Rangers. Nolan’s there, Hicks is there (which is odd, for some reason he didn’t go to lunch with you. You notice later there’s a Lunchable package with an out-of-date clearance sticker on it in his trashcan. You chuckle at his financial poor-being.). You answer some questions, and head home for the evening a little early- it’s been a long day, and you just did quite a bit to settle your teams OBP problems. There’s some I35 shufflin’ to be done in the morning, but it’s your personal time now. You drive home, your mind flitting about how exactly you’ll make those 25 Man moves tomorrow, and that pinge gets worse. ‘Just stress.’ you tell yourself. Heckuva day.

You eat a nice dinner, watch some Deadliest Catch (That Sig’s just irascible!) , and turn in a little early. As you settle down, that pinge gets stronger… and stronger… and stronger…

‘What is it? Should I have gone after Johnson instead? Should I have tried to move Andruw somewhere, even if I only got Hamburgers back for him? Am I prepared to tell Ron that this is going to cut into Byrd’s and Andruw’s playing time more than anyone else?’

The pinge seems to go away thinking about the lineup- that’s not where the problem is.

‘Maybe it’s this bullpen thing. This Clip Art guy’s not too bad. We needed another strong Righty in there.’

Your mind wanders back to who’s going tohave to go back down to OKC. Who would you remove to add a young, strikeout righty to this pen, one who has a chance of transitioning to starting in the not-too-distant?

Wait- that feeling, it just magnified. The most intense it’s been- what was it?

Righty, young, high strikeout, bullpen, starter down the road…

And it hits you- Matty’s 40 spot should have gone to Neftali Feliz.

You then realize you just thought out your entire day, with references to Thunderdome, Deadliest Catch, and Tom Hicks being forced to eat out-of-date Lunchables, all to say ‘Would we be better off long-term using this oppurtunity to get Feliz on the 40 and the 25, rather than adding in another ML reliever right now?’

JA Happ, Dominic Brown and Kyle Drabek for Halladay. And, apparently, it’s too expensive.

What would be the Rangers equivalent?

Would you trade Poveda and Mitch Moreland for Willingham? Would you expand it to include Moscoso for right-handed reliever Tyler Clippard?

I would do and I think Washington would do the Poveda and Moreland for Willingham deal. I am not sure about the expanded deal. Do they see Clippard as a future closer?

One reason the Rangers woildn’t do it is because Willingham is making $2.95M in his first year of arbitration. He would probably cost the Rangers ~$10M over the next 2 years at a time when Hicks wants to reduce payroll by attrition.

for second tier prospects. And I’d part with Feliz, Font, and one or two second tier guys for Johnston. And I’d do the Willingham/ Clippard deal. To me, Dutch is the only guy off the table.

Imagine a team with Willingham’s dreamy ops, Duke and Johnston in the rotation, Downs and Clippard in the pen, and I dare you not to touch yourself. I know I just did.

The Willingham portion of the deal seems fine to me, but what in the hell would we want with Tyler Clippard? I don’t think he is better than any of the options already available, and I don’t think he’s better than Moscoso.

2 effin recs?! this is a serious, informative and post with good incite, and it gets less rec’s than miles complaining about mavs or sharky shitting himself and wiping it off with the wrong hand.

jesus.