Series Thread: The Rangers Host Seattle For Three Games September 22-24

[scotsman1948]

Yay, Lowe still in the 3 spot for some reason.

Don’t understand why they don’t move him to 5 or 6 until he comes out his slump

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

Don’t understand why they don’t move him to 5 or 6 until he comes out his slump

10 games left and they are all important. The best options need to be in the best positions, the time for "wait and see" is long gone.

 

[Kelleyman]

Yay, Lowe still in the 3 spot for some reason.

I think 7 works better

 

[Kelleyman]

By the time they signed Heaney they knew what the relief market had become. They made a decision to go after another starter instead of a couple of relievers at that point.

The question is, will they do something similar again? Will they spend on starting pitching and hitting and scarely spend on tje pen?

If they do not at least address the closer spot and really at least one more relief guy they will be raked nationally

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

I think 7 works better

Semien
Seager
Heim
Garcia
Lowe
Jung
Spare of the Day
Taveras
Carter

That's what I'd like to see

 

[scotsman1948]

Semien
Seager
Heim
Garcia
Lowe
Jung
Spare of the Day
Taveras
Carter

That's what I'd like to see

I was thinking:
Semien
Seager
Garver
Jung
Garcia
Lowe
Heim
Taveras
Carter

 

[saddles]

If they do not at least address the closer spot and really at least one more relief guy they will be raked nationally

Do you think that fixes us up, a closer and just an average relief pitcher?

I don't think that comes close. That leads to 6th and 7th inning guys who tend to give up the lead. Also, it leaves you without anyone good after those two have pitched a couple of days in a row, making it hard to string together needed win streaks.

In today's game, you need two different guys to turn to in the 9th and others to take care of the 7th and at times the 8th.

We will have Burke coming back and I would trust a younger guy for one spot. I don't know who else to trust as far as in-house guys go.

I can see in-house guys as passable for every other spot on the roster.

 

[scotsman1948]

Look at what Moore and David Robertson are making this year. About $18 total for the two of them. Combined they probably get $20 million in 2024, I would think.

Moore never made more than 3M until this year and then the Angels overbid on him by at least 3M giving him 7550000. I doubt any other team offered him more than 4M maybe 4.25M

 

[saddles]

If they do not at least address the closer spot and really at least one more relief guy they will be raked nationally

Locally the only people who would rake them are the same ones who have done so at some point over the last 9 months.

 

[saddles]

Moore never made more than 3M until this year and then the Angels overbid on him by at least 3M giving him 7550000. I doubt any other team offered him more than 4M maybe 4.25M

Well, we will find out over the next 3 or 4 months.

Moore had been pretty sorry before last year so I would factor that into what he was given before last offaeason. He became one of those bad starter to really good reliever success stories.

 

[scotsman1948]

If they do not at least address the closer spot and really at least one more relief guy they will be raked nationally

Our bullpen was and is one of worst in baseball. We only converted 47% of save opportunities this season (28 out of 60). So adding 2 relievers (closer & ?) isn’t going to solve those numbers it’s going to take a commitment to add no less than 4 and probably at least 6 or write off 2024

 

[Kelleyman]

A closer and a winning piece is the bare minimum I was addressing purely from a public relations standpoint.
Obviously they need more so here are the internal options

Stratton
Burke
LeClerc - I think they keep
Kelly
Speas
Marteen. Long guy
+ 2 FA
One via trade

Still could use some minor league depth and some of those may come in via trade

Who do we get rid of above Le Clerc Burke?
Not likely IMO. Maybe not ideal but realistic

 

[saddles]

 

[Kelleyman]

Love his attitude

 

[saddles]

A closer and a winning piece is the bare minimum I was addressing purely from a public relations standpoint.
Obviously they need more so here are the internal options

Stratton
Burke
LeClerc - I think they keep
Kelly
Speas
Marteen. Long guy
+ 2 FA
One via trade

Still could use some minor league depth and some of those may come in via trade

Who do we get rid of above Le Clerc Burke?
Not likely IMO. Maybe not ideal but realistic

That's actually 4 free agents because Perez and Stratton are free agents.

I said 5 and you are saying 4. Not a lot of difference other than I am not locked into Stratton and Perez. With you adding one via trade and me already saying I am okay with that, we come close to agreeing. I think my quality level requirement for the second best guy may be a little higher than yours.

I think Speas, Kelly and Leclerc are all risky. I only want 1 risky guy in the pen. I have no problem with Speas and Kelly being the first line of reinforcements in AAA.

 

[scotsman1948]

A closer and a winning piece is the bare minimum I was addressing purely from a public relations standpoint.
Obviously they need more so here are the internal options

Stratton
Burke
LeClerc - I think they keep
Kelly
Speas
Marteen. Long guy
+ 2 FA
One via trade

Still could use some minor league depth and some of those may come in via trade

Who do we get rid of above Le Clerc Burke?
Not likely IMO. Maybe not ideal but realistic

Leclerc NO
Marten NO
Speas maybe/maybe not
Stratton YES
Burke YES
Kelly strong maybe
Above average Closer
Above average late inning (8-9) reliever
Above average late innings (7-9) reliever

 

[Kelleyman]

That's actually 4 free agents because Perez and Stratton are free agents.

I said 5 and you are saying 4. Not a lot of difference other than I am not locked into Stratton and Perez. With you adding ine via trade and me already saying I am okay with that, we come close to agreeing. I think my desire for the second best guy may be a little higher than yours.

I think Speas, Kelly and Leclerc are all risky. I only want 1 risky guy in the pen. I have no problem with Speas and Kelly being the first line of reinforcements in AAA.

Ok 4 but maybe agreements made prior to free agency for the 2. We are in the drivers seat there

Yes I get the risk with 2 many youngbloods but I don’t think they go over luxury tax due to relief pitcher signings. Ideally more time for Kelly is probably better but…..
At some point we have to trust some guys but some we will have to trade or let loose

 

[saddles]

From Scott Lucas:

Owen White's regular season is done. In 52 AAA innings, he posted a 4.99 ERA and allowed ten homers and a .264/.381/.467 opposing line. He had a 16% BB/HBP rate and 14% SO rate. Loss of some fastball velocity and worse control of everything resulted in fewer strikeouts than BB/HBP and a swinging strike rate of 9.1%, lower than every pitcher aside from three veteran AAA signings who didn't last long and a couple of Frisco pitchers called up as reinforcements. Last night, however, despite mediocre basic stats, White missed 15 bats, and his swinging strike rate was 17%. Both figures are his highest since July 2022, just before he was shut down for two months.

White could get back to the Majors without his top velocity, but not without better control. I try to avoid reading too much into body language or thinking I know what's in a player's head, but I will say White is out there putting forth his best effort. He's a bulldog. Late in his final home start, he offered a glimpse of a better version of himself, and I suspect last night was similar (I haven't watched any of it yet). There's a danger in assuming some time off will help, because sometimes it doesn't, and the only result is more sand through the hourglass. But I think that, more than most folks, White could use a little break, and hopefully he's able to start fresh in 2024.

 

[saddles]

Also from Scott:

Wyatt Langford has swung and missed at one (1) pitch out of 23 swings and 66 total pitches.

 

[Kelleyman]

Honestly I don’t mind resigning Chapman but he should not be in our top 2 relievers.
I wonder if Bochy has some pull for signings