T.R. Sullivan has a new mailbag up...the highlight is this breakdown of what the Rangers need to do the rest of the year:
1. Leave Robinson Tejeda and Brandon McCarthy in the rotation all year.
- Do not trade Teixeira until you can get a sure-fire young pitcher and a decent outfielder in return. Having him in 2008 and a potential free agent is better than not getting full value in a trade.
- Get one good prospect for Eric Gagne.
- Don't rush Eric Hurley and Edinson Volquez.
- Bring up Travis Metcalf to platoon at third base with Ramon Vazquez until Hank Blalock is back.
- Move Kameron Loe into the bullpen as a middle reliever. Bring up Jamey Wright and see if he can get hot. If so, he might bring something at the trade deadline. By then, the Rangers can either go back to Loe or call up John Rheinecker, or somebody else.
- Give Jason Botts a shot at some point this summer and find Joaquin Arias.
- Pray that Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla get their act together. If they don't. ...
- Keep pitching C.J. Wilson and Frank Francisco. They could have big roles for the Rangers in the future.
- Start pushing some position guys in the Minors. John Mayberry Jr. and John Whittleman come to mind.
I can't really argue with most of that. #6, I don't necessarily agree with -- particularly to make room for Jamey Wright -- but I am coming around to the p.o.v. that Loe isn't going to work in the rotation.
I'm also not that fired up about #10. Mayberry hasn't done anything, to date, to warrant a promotion, and I'd rather see Whittleman (and K.C. Herren) tear up the Midwest League until mid-July, and then think about jumping them to the Cal League for the last 6 weeks of the season.