or maybe quarter full…

I have a lot of trust in JD and the F.O. these days (including Nolan, whose contribution is somewhat undefined to this point, but there is no evidence that it has been anything other than positive).

That said, there are only a few ways to actively destroy the type of progress that this organization has made in the past three-four years. Obviously there is the passive bad luck possibility, where all our prospects fail. But barring that, this team should be competitive for the next 5 years if left to its own devices.

Active failure is a more worrisome prospect. One type of active failure is trading young players for older players who aren’t really any better but cost a lot more. The downside here is obvious, but a trade of a Martin Perez for some team’s arbitration eligible 4th starter (who probably would have been non-tendered anyway) is the type of thing I used to worry about and simply won’t happen now.

Another type is to succumb to the urge to go out and sign players who we really don’t need but look good on paper (i.e., someone like John Lackey or Vlad Guerrero). This has the effect of clogging our roster long term for what really amounts to a short-term problem. While the team could probably stand to have a few smart bullpen signings (though I still prefer NRI’s and smart roster snags, a la Madrigal and O’Day), I don’t see any huge needs of the club outside a potent bat to help face lefties.

Everyone is throwing their arms up in panic about Hicks, but I see his difficulties as a signal that we won’t go spending money on bad contracts, sacrificing draft picks and future financial flexibility in the process. I’d rather go into 2010 with the roster as is (with a few smart bullpen NRIs and maybe a random can’t field much RHB, a la Andruw Jones this year). The team is lean and in good long-term shape contracts-wise. Obviously it’d be better if the team had Boston’s money. But in a financial crisis, I’d much rather have a team with the Rangers outlook than just about any other.