clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Wednesday a.m. stuff

Two in a row against one of the best teams in baseball, on the road, with Kam Loe and Willie Eyre starting. Even if the Rangers lose the next two, they have at least guaranteed a split of this series, which is probably the best you would have reasonably expected coming into the series.

Evan Grant says that this recent run shows what the Rangers can do if they can just get starting pitching that isn't terrible.

T.R. Sullivan discusses trade possibilities, and says that the Rangers are taking an aggressive stance in regards to trading Eric Gagne because they expect to get two draft choices for him as a Type A free agent if he leaves.

I've been saying for a while that they won't get pick compensation for Gagne, given how much time he missed, but he was a Type A free agent last offseason, and presumably will be again this offseason, given his performance. So that makes it a lot more likely, on the one hand, that the Rangers hang onto him, while also making it more attractive for other teams to overpay for him (since they know they'll get a first rounder and a sandwich pick for him after the season).

Sullivan also has this on potential trades:

One source said the Rangers will likely have a better chance of getting quality position players back rather than pitching. That may make some howl but that's the reality of the situation.

I'm sure that some of the media types and fans will start screaming about how Jon Daniels is "over his head" if he makes a deal for positional prospects instead of pitchers...but the Rangers have been focusing on pitchers in the draft the last several years, and that's where the strength of their system is. Personally, I think they need positional prospects more than pitching prospects anyway.

Sullivan also says that there's nothing on the Sosa trade front right now.