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I was rooting for Oregon. Bah. They should at least let Oregon and TCU play to see who should be awarded the default national title once Auburn gets its title stripped.
Anthony Andro writes that the Rangers are interested in Jim Thome.
Here's the problem with Thome...if he is going to be the DH against righthanded pitchers, what do you do with Michael Young against righties? Play him at first base?
Okay...but then, if you do that, when does Mitch Moreland play?
In that scenario, are you just going to plan on having Moreland go to AAA and have Young be the starting first baseman, with Thome the everyday DH?
But if you do that, doesn't it defeat the whole "we want a DH who gives us flexibility" argument?
And when is David Murphy going to play? You presumably don't want him, Julio Borbon, Moreland, or Thome starting against lefties if they don't have to, but if that's the case, you don't really have any choice, because you don't have any righthanded alternatives.
The other issue is that, if you sign Thome, it means your bench is probably Moreland, Murphy, Blanco, and Treanor. Both your bench "hitters" are lefthanded, which means it is harder to give Borbon or Thome a day off against a lefty (or if you do, you aren't gaining any sort of platoon advantage).
It also means that the backup centerfielder on the team is Josh Hamilton, I situation I think we've said would be best to avoid, if possible.
I asked on Twitter the other day whether one would trade David Murphy straight up for Marlon Byrd. Murphy is younger and cheaper than Byrd, and is under team control through 2013, while Byrd is under team control through 2012. Murphy is also probably the better hitter going forward. But Byrd is righthanded, and is also a better fit as a defender in centerfield, which means he's probably a better fit on this roster right now than Murphy is.
I have to assume that, if the Rangers sign Thome, another move is coming. Maybe Moreland being dealt as part of a package for a starting pitcher. I don't know.