Rangers Off Season Moves Thread

[ames7]

Why don't we consolidate all new news into one thread.

Rangers sign Richard Hidalgo. One year, $5 mil.

FWST also says that Carlos Delgado is "extremely interested" in the deal Texas is offering. They've also up-ed the offer for David Dellucci up to 2 years, but he has better offers from Florida & Arizona.

[jayC]

Hidalgo is a huge upgrade in the Outfield. I heard the Rangers are interested in Carlos Delgado as well.

[XERXES]

I want to hear about 3 things: pitching, pitching, and pitching...

We can have a top-of-the-rotation starter for half of CHan Ho's salary!

[sike]

I know nothing about Hidalgo....someone throw me a bone as to what you've seen from him....I'm not so hot for that 239 average.....
and getting Deljado would be sweet...though he did not have a great year last year, he has always loved the ballpark...

as usual though, the Rangers need to find a bit of pitching....as sexy mentioned

[mercury_rev]

Originally posted by: XERXES
I want to hear about 3 things: pitching, pitching, and pitching...

We can have a top-of-the-rotation starter for half of CHan Ho's salary!

exactly

[XERXES]

Originally posted by: sike
I know nothing about Hidalgo....someone throw me a bone as to what you've seen from him....I'm not so hot for that 239 average.....
and getting Deljado would be sweet...though he did not have a great year last year, he has always loved the ballpark...

as usual though, the Rangers need to find a bit of pitching....as sexy mentioned

last year was a down year for him. he has hit over .300 a couple of times and hit 122 rbi once (i think) -I'm going off the top of my head- so don't hold me to this (I'm too lazy to research it at the moment.)

[Murphy3]

The Rangers are hoping for a retrenching year for Hidalgo. Last year, he had 25 HR's and 82 RBI's but struck out a career high 129 times and hit well below .250.

The year before, he hit .309 with 28 HR's, 88 RBI's and a ..85 OBP.

[sike]

Originally posted by: Murphy3
The Rangers are hoping for a retrenching year for Hidalgo. Last year, he had 25 HR's and 82 RBI's but struck out a career high 129 times and hit well below .250.

The year before, he hit .309 with 28 HR's, 88 RBI's and a ..85 OBP.

stats I could find on my own.....any thougts on him?

[XERXES]

no- we just want to give you stats...



[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

[Murphy3]

He has a good arm. He's a head case.

[Murphy3]

The Rangers' offseason is looking more and more repulsive as it goes along.

[XERXES]

That's what we were saying last offseason too.

I hope we didn't just catch lightning in a bottle last year.

Anybody excited about Aaron Sele? Looks like that may be our big pitching acquisition.

[NYCdog]

On Hidalgo......

Everyone in baseball is waiting for him to return to the impressive form he displayed in 2000. In that season, he hit 44 homers and had 122 RBIs with a .314 batting average. Since then, everyone has expected big things from him, which havent exactly panned out to this point.

On Delgado....

It appears he is headed to division rival Seattle, to join Richie Sexson, according to an article at MLB.com and KOMO in Seattle. Its not a done deal yet as the O's could still swoop in and steel him away.

And I have to agree with XERXES here......pitching is what is needed in Texas for this team to contend, not another overpriced hitter (...unless the hitter's name is Carlos Beltran.) I really think the Rangers brass should be making pitches at Oakland to lure away Tim Hudson, although I think its highly unlikely Oakland's brass will trade him to a division rival. But stranger things have happend so its not impossible. The Rangers should have also gone after pitchers such as Pavano and Radke real hard. But when it came to hearing teams that were in the hunt to sign these guys, the Rangers were no where to be found. Instead the Rangers chose to devote their time and waste there money on Hidalgo.

So it begs the question....What did this team need more....starting pitching or another overpriced hitter?

[jayC]

RICHARD HIDALGO TO RANGERS
Buster Olney's analysis:
The Move: The Rangers sign free agent outfielder Richard Hidalgo to a one-year deal.


The Upside: The Rangers already have some big-time hitters at every infield position, but Brian Jordan struggled with injury last year and Texas sometimes lacked production from its outfield. Hidalgo is probably going to thrive in his new spot in Texas -- probably hitting in the bottom four spots in the Rangers' lineup, behind Michael Young and Alfonso Soriano and Hank Blalock. Hidalgo will probably never be as great as the Astros once thought he would be, but he's a good complementary player.


The Downside: He is big, thick-legged, often nagged by injuries, and on defense, he'll never be confused with Torii Hunter. And Hidalgo is coming off a year in which he hit well early and then faded, finishing at .239.


Big Picture: Rangers Manager Buck Showalter likes high-character guys and Hidalgo will fit in, and give Texas good production without costing top dollar.


MLB executive's take: "I thought it was a nice pickup. They got themselves a decent player, and it was only for one year. He has some limitations, but he gives them a good defensive outfielder. They've run some cement shoes guys out there to right field the last couple of years. Hidalgo can throw and he has really good range. He doesn't get on base a ton, but he'll take advantage of that ballpark. He should hit 25-30 home runs pretty easily there. This hitting market stinks. There's nothing out there. So if you can pay a 10-20 percent premium and not have to go the extra years, that's pretty good.''

JD Drew would also fit in the outfield. He was a big part of what the Cardinals did last year. If the Rangers can't nab a top flight pitcher Drew would be a nice fit.

It will be interesting to see if Soriano stays or goes. Tim Hudson's unlikely to go to the Rangers. AJ Burnitz of the Marlins would be an excellent pick up if the Rangers could trade for him. I hear Sele might return to the Rangers, he does know how to pitch in this ball park.
I am anxious to see Chris Young's first full year in the majors. Benoit might be the perfect long relief guy.

[sike]

Sexy:Anybody excited about Aaron Sele? Looks like that may be our big pitching acquisition.

where did you hear this?

[ames7]

Dellucci agrees to terms. 2 years, up to $2.5mil (w/incentives). Solid part-timer, good clubhouse guy, nice to have back, especially since they are losing a lot of their other vocal leaders (Brian Jordan, EY).

They also sign Greg Colbrunn to a minor league deal. Cross off Jose Valentin, he will sign w/LA. Oh well.

[Murphy3]

Originally posted by: sike

where did you hear this?

I think he's invited to camp..doubtful he makes the team.

[sike]

Originally posted by: Murphy3

I think he's invited to camp..doubtful he makes the team.

wow that old curveball dont bite anymore?

[jayC]

I hope the Rangers sign Astro Wade Miller to a free agent deal.

[Just211]

nope, red sox got him

[jayC]

I know it sucks. We could have payed him 1.5 million to move up I-45.

[XERXES]

The Rangers made a move today by passing some spare infielder through waivers- this cleared a space on the 40-man roster...anybody wonder if they're about to use that extra space to make a signing?

[Just211]

i wish.











DELGADO

[Just211]

dbl

[PlanoJ]

I like Delgado and agree he could really jack some homers here, but what does that mean for the firstbasemen at AAA. We were talking about promoting the kid all year and moving Tex out to Rightfield, but now we have Hidalgo out there and would have Delgado at the DH. Also, we already have 2 guys in the top 10 of the AL in homers, so I don't see how we need more power hitting. Again, i'd love to have his production but it seems 12 mil could be a lot better spent on a top of the line pitcher or 2 mid-grade pitchers.

Everyone seemed shocked when Kenny Rogers ran out of steam in the second half but he's like 42. I wouldn't be surprised if he starts off well again this year, but he shouldn't be our ace and won't have anything left if we somehow made it to the playoffs.

[dalmations202]

I am absolutely impressed with the offseason for the Rangers this year (at least so far). [img]i/expressions/anim_roller.gif[/img]

After all, everyone knows that they need starting pitching. At least 2-3 starters, and the young 'uns to develop.
They have a really good infield, descent bull-pen, an outfield with some young guns (but could use Hildalgo for sure).
So they "save" all this money from the pAy-Rod deal, so Hicks can save money. Why else wouldn't they have signed Lowe or Millwood (either would have been a step up in pitching), and both wouldn't have cost Delgado.

I think Delgado is a great player, but they have Tex and/or AGonzalez.

They need pitching. Why do they keep letting the 1st and 2nd tier pitchers sign else where?

[capitalcity]

Originally posted by: dalmations202
They need pitching. Why do they keep letting the 1st and 2nd tier pitchers sign else where?

Because we're the Texas Rangers.

[dallas_esq]

"We have starting pitching coming up through the minors."- Texas Rangers Org.

Is this true? Only time will tell. They are obviuosly doing something right over there if last year is any indicator.

[Murphy3]

Originally posted by: dallas_esq
"We have starting pitching coming up through the minors."- Texas Rangers Org.

Is this true? Only time will tell. They are obviuosly doing something right over there if last year is any indicator.

In my opinion, yes.....The Rangers have a couple of studs coming up through the ranks and a host of other players that could be middle of the rotation guys. This year, the Rangers will hopefully find out about Rodriguez, Dominguez and a host of other middle of the rotation guys. However, what I'm most looking forward to is perhaps a mid season call-up for Diamond. He's the first of two possible studs (Danks being the other).

What do I see from the rotation? Personally, I just want to see Drese do something that remotely resembles last year. I would be happy with a 4.5 ERA from the guy. I'd like to see Rogers eat up innings with about a 4.5 ERA. But the Rangers need for a couple of the young guys to step it up and prove that they can play in the majors. My preference would be the two mentioned above in Rodriguez and Dominguez. Both looked solid in the limited amount of games they started last year. Can that carry over?

Let's not forget CYoung.....can he be a middle of the rotation kind of guy? I don't think he has the stuff to be a number 1, but possibly a #2 on a mediocre staff.
Of course, all of the pitchers will look better if the Rangers can pick up Delgado.

[TomThaMavsFan]

Looks like the Marlins have a nice chance of getting Delgado now. Way to go Rangers management on using that A-rod money [img]i/expressions/anim_roller.gif[/img] Delgado to the Marlins?

[ames7]

Man, & I really thought they were going to get this done. I hope to God they go find a real DH.

[GP]

Purely from a personal preference standpoint I'd like to see them play Ramon Nivar at DH if he has a good spring and shows that he can get on base and make things happen. It wouldn't be traditional but could be very, very exciting for us fans. They could bat him 9th or leadoff so that he could set the table and disrupt the opponents pitcher. They've already got a boatload of run producers on the team: Young, Blalock, Soriano, Teixeira, and Mench are all very capable. They need a slow footed home run hitter about as much as John Hart needed an extension.

[Murphy3]

I'm not remotely convinced that Nivar can hit at the major league level. I don't even think he's considered a top prospect anymore.

[LonestarROB]

Mets have withdrawn from the Delgado sweepstakes too. Marlins have increased their offer to 4 years 50 million. Birds(4/48) and Fish look to be the final 2.

[Dooby]

Originally posted by: Murphy3
I'm not remotely convinced that Nivar can hit at the major league level. I don't even think he's considered a top prospect anymore.

This is, like, a direct quote from Norm on Friday.

[Murphy3]

Originally posted by: Dooby

This is, like, a direct quote from Norm on Friday.

Norm's mentioned it several times, but I didn't have the pleasure of hearing his show on Friday (right in the middle of an audit at work). On a personal level, you never hear a peep in the Rangers organization about him being in their long term plans. Newberg doesn't seem to mention the guy much anymore either.

[jayC]

The Rangers sign 35 year old Pedro Astacio to a one year 2.5 million dollar deal. According to hart the Rangers only have one spot for a young stud to pitch in. Chan Ho, Rogers, Drese, Astacio, maybe Dominguez, Danks, or Young.

[ames7]

WTF?? Kenny Rogers says he might consider retiring if he doesn't get an extension on his contract?? EH?

[mary]

Originally posted by: ames7
WTF?? Kenny Rogers says he might consider retiring if he doesn't get an extension on his contract?? EH?

Boras strikes again [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

[Max Power]

Screw him. He started out 12-2 and faded afterwards. 6-7 with 4 no decisions in his last 17 starts. Rogers had the fourth-best support in the league. He had a 4.76 ERA.

I didn't think we'd get anything from him last year and while I was suprised at the 1st half of the season, the 2nd half of the season was what I expected.