Another solid outing from Vicente Padilla last night. Evan Grant hits on the enigma that is Padilla, and speculates that Padilla is looking at a multiyear deal "in excess of" $20 million this offseason. That sounds about right...I don't think anyone will go more than three years on him, but I think he'll get three, at around $18-22 million.
Kevin Sherrington has some suggestions for what the Rangers need to do the rest of the way:
Bring up John Danks and put him in the rotation. Tell him there's no pressure. He's not making or breaking his career the next month.
You considered starting the season with Danks in the rotation. Might as well give him an idea what it's like now if you hope to see him in Arlington next year.
And you'd better hope you do. You're sure of one starter next season, and Kevin Millwood hasn't been so inspiring.
Disagree. Danks has had a solid year, but there's no reason to bring him up now, let him sit in the bullpen and maybe get a few garbage innings. Congratulate him on a solid season, and let him start working towards 2007.
And, to reiterate something I said months ago, Danks in the rotation to start 2006 would have been a huge mistake.
Vicente Padilla? Great Sunday against the A's. Of course, it was in a game that didn't matter anymore. Never can tell what you'll get from him. Unless it's one in the ribs.
I'd like to see Padilla back, personally.
Adam Eaton? He might come cheap, considering how much time he missed. But watch how he performs over the next month.
Eaton is gone, unless the Rangers offer him arbitration and he simply can't find anything else. If he's going to take a cheap, one-year deal, he'll go back to the N.L., or back home to Seattle.
Tell the manager to give the job to Gerald Laird. He's your catcher next year, not Rod Barajas. See what Laird does if he plays every day.
Yeah, I think you guys probably know what I think about that.
Tell the manager to stop it with Jerry Hairston Jr. already. He's not a shortstop. He's not a center fielder. He's not a left fielder, either, particularly hitting .190.
Ditto.
Tell Brad Wilkerson to take his sweet time on rehab. No hurry. Not when he's due at least $4 million next season after putting up 116 strikeouts in 320 at-bats.
Yep.
Work on a new deal for Gary Matthews Jr. Even if this was just a career year, he's been your best center fielder in a decade. And you don't have a lot of options.
I'd try to get him on a two year deal, with an option for a third...I'm not convinced he's a legit long-term option in center.
Figure out in September why Carlos Lee suffers an annual brown-out in the second half. Watch what he eats. Ask him to lift something heavy. Tell him you don't mean his wallet, either.
I'd try to figure out in September who the best option for left field in 2007 is, because it shouldn't be Lee.
Tell the manager to put Nelson Cruz in right field every day. Tell him he's on the John Danks plan. No pressure. Tell him he's got a great shot to start next season, and how he finishes has no bearing on it.
But tell him if he ends this season with more home runs as a Ranger than Carlos Lee, there's a bonus in it.
Word.
Congratulate yourself on three good finds this season: Ian Kinsler, Aki Otsuka and Wes Littleton.
Preach on, brother Kevin.
Preach some patience to your hitters. Tell them to take a few pitches over the next month. Make pitchers work a little. Oakland does. The A's don't put up big numbers, but they just outscored your club two out of three games.
Don't know if that's going to happen, with Rudy as the hitting coach.
Call your fashion experts. Tell them to be working up new unis. Tell them red will be the dominant color. Johnny Oates' playoff teams wore red. Blue doesn't seem to be working out.
Yep.
Tell fans you were just kidding when you scheduled a 1:05 start next Sunday against Cleveland. Tell them you realize it's 100 (expletive) degrees at 1:05. Tell them you're moving it to 7:05.
Yep. Sunday day games suck.
T.R. Sullivan reports that the Rangers aren't planning on selling between now and the trade deadline. That sort of begs the question, though...did anyone any other team would consider to be worth buying make it through waivers? Because if not, whether the Rangers want to sell or not becomes moot.
Brad Wilkerson says the surgery on his shoulder went well, and that in retrospect, he should have had the shoulder operated on last offseason, rather than trying to go forward with just treatment and rehab. Kat O'Brien also indicates in the article that Wilkerson hopes to be back as a Ranger in 2007, but understands that the club has a tough decision to make on whether to bring him back....
Angel Verdejo has an article in the S-T on GMJ. We'll need to watch what he does the rest of the way, but his performance over the last couple of months hasn't done much to assuage fears that the first half of the season was just a hot streak, rather than a new level of performance.
Richard Durrett says that Adam Eaton was experiencing a "burning feeling" in his finger between pitches Saturday, but that Eaton isn't concerned about it, and is blaming his poor starts his last two times out on bad mechanics, rather than the finger.