Evan Grant's piece on the Drese DFA this morning has a couple of interesting paragraphs worth noting...
The move left several key components of the Rangers' clubhouse stunned. After Drese told Kenny Rogers of the club's decision, the AL ERA leader, who had just emerged from a shower, threw on a pair of shorts and went to Showalter's office for a closed-door conversation. Rogers later declined to discuss the topic of the conversation.
Pitching coach Orel Hershiser, who had praised each of Drese's three starts prior to Tuesday's, also declined to comment about the demotion. But Hershiser said he was not simply trying to boost Drese's confidence with recent comments; he believed the pitcher was making real progress. Several other players also expressed surprise at the potentially irrevocable course.
"Orel is always going to try and take the positive approach," Showalter said of Hershiser's recent comments.
T.R. Sullivan's article this morning has almost the same language regarding the possibility of using the Drese money (if he is claimed) on trading for a starting pitcher or signing a free agent starter after the season as Evan Grant has, which suggests that someone in the Rangers' organization is already spinning the upside of losing Drese to the local beat writers.
Randy Galloway, meanwhile, opines on the tight leash Buck has on the organization, marking dropping Drese as a Buck move while marveling at his decision to come "help shape" the Rangers' draft on Monday.
In particular, Galloway identifies Mayberry as a Buck pick -- a character guy who, Galloway suggests, Buck wants to replace Mark Teixeira in a few years.
The willingness to write off Mark Teixeira's future in Arlington -- the attitude that so many seem to have, that he's gone in two or three years no matter what -- bothers me immensely. I still have to believe that the Rangers are going to step up to the plate and make a legitimate effort to keep Mark Teixeira. If they do, and Teixeira doesn't want to stay, then so be it...I'll be very disappointed, but that's the way it goes.
But there seems to be a sense that we are already giving up on Teixeira sticking around, that Tom Hicks isn't even going to really try to do what it will take to make sure that Mark Teixeira stays a Ranger for the majority of his career. I can only hope that that is not really the case.