...who apparently doesn't like anyone rubbing his head...
Thoughts?
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I guess my quesiotn is why? We need better pitching more than a third baseman. Although since it moves Young to a DH role, we could get rid of Vadli and have some actual fielding back up when needed.
Still, pitching should be the priority
I like it. Beltre at 3rd, Andrus at short? Pretty hard to beat that. Plus a good bat. Sure, pitching would be great but what is out there in free agency that is left? Do you take the money and sign a bunch of guys to fight for the number 4 and 5 spot in the rotation? They have plenty of that. I like moving Young to DH and having him as a super-utility type of player. I like Vlad, but I thinhk as the season wore on, he sort of wore down. Yes, that hit against the Spankees was huge but other than that, I cant remember him doing a whole lot in the playoffs other than butchering right field in San Fran.
I was surprised when the A's offered him $64m for 5 years a few months ago, and really did not feel good about them upping the offer over that. At 96/6, the Rangers can have him. They deal may look good for the next few years, but I wouldn't want to be spending 16m for a 37 year old in the final year of the contract. By that point his defense will have diminished to Michael Young levels and his offense will not be worthy of DH, especially for 16m.
Apparently there will be a club option for that 6th year. So, in a sense it's really a 5 year 80 mil deal. Easy to say that when it's someone else's money :)
Yes, but from what I read, year 6 vests with plate appearances... as long as he stays healthy, they have to pay him no matter how bad he sucks by then.Quote:
Originally Posted by AlanP1964
Who decides if he gets to appear at the plate though?
True, but I can't recall a team ever paying a player 16m a year to sit on the bench in order to avoid triggering an option year.Quote:
Originally Posted by AlanP1964
Well, what I meant though is if it's a club option for the 6th year, I'm guessing if they feel he has declined they possibly just cut him loose at that point.
In 2014, Young's contract is up and the Rangers are just overpaying an aging Beltre... As I have said, I think this is stupid for them, but whatever... I am now thinking about what this does for the team over the next 3 years.
They are going from a 2010 with Guerrero ($6.5m) as DH and Young ($16m) at 3rd, to a 2011-13 with Young (16m/16m/16m) at DH and Beltre (14m/15m/16m) at 3rd. This represents a cost increase of $7.5m for 2011, $8.5m for 2012, and $9.5m for 2013.
So what does the team get for that $25.5m over the next 3 years?
Offense- Guerrero/Young vs Young/Beltre is a wash offensively IMHO. Nothing lost, nothing gained.
Defense- There is obviously a huge bump in 3rd base defense. I am thinking this is worth around 5m/year.
Flexibility- This may be big. They are going from having a DH who can't even play a single game in the field without Fing things up to a DH that can also fill in at any infield position. This could affectively free up a spot on the 25 man roster and allow them to carry another pitcher. If they find themselves using the bullpen a lot more in 2011 (Which would not be a big surprise), then an extra pitcher in the bullpen to eat innings should become pretty important. Is this worth $3.5m/year? I think so.
So there you have it... this move is financially worth while over the next 3 years. Will it have a huge impact? No where nearly as big as Cliff Lee would have been.
Sour grapes because the A's are so cheap! ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Titus
PS
It's hard to argue with Jon Daniels track record. He seems to know what he's doing.
More like so poor. As long as the A's are in Oakland, they will live in the shadow of the Giants and have to deal with whatever table scraps are left over. The only way that will ever change is if MLB approves their request to move to San Jose.Quote:
Originally Posted by sammm
They mentioned Young as being "Super Utility". I'm not sure exactly what they mean by this. I've got the impression that he'll be DH 90 percent of the time or so. I'd like to see Young regularly sub in at 3rd base, shortstop, 2nd base, 1st base, and possibly even left field on any given player's day off. If he can play a position at least once a week I think that would be great. Kind of sounds like Chone Figgins but if Young could successfully do that and have a great season he could pull MVP as a utility/DH, that would be something lol.
I haven't been keeping up with this off season as much as I'd like to. I really wanted the Rangers to sign Cliff Lee along with everyone else, but oh well, that's how baseball go! I am excited about the acquisition of Brandon Webb. I'm not sure how cheap the Rangers signed him for? Surely not too much coming off an injury but if he's 80 percent of his former self I'd take it. I'm really interested to see how the Rangers catcher position progresses through the season.
If y'all haven't seen the Rangers It's Time DVD (it's basically just a big collaboration of all the highlights of the Rangers 2010 Season and Playoffs) I would recommend picking it up. I picked one up for ~12 bucks on Amazon. It'll really pump you up for the upcoming season! :D
Yep, I think that's exactly the plan. He can sub in for the month that Kins is hurt, fill in at short to give Elvis a rest, and maybe give Mitch Moreland a break. Don't think they'd plan to sub him in the outfield.Quote:
Originally Posted by CHeavin_2006
IIRC, we got a hell of a deal on Webb. Plus, the doc that did his shoulder surgery is the Rangers' doc, so we should have a pretty fair idea of what kind of shape he's in.Quote:
Originally Posted by CHeavin_2006
I've been tempted... $12 is a small price to pay for all-out dorkdom. I'm pretty sure my Ranger-obsessed aunt has a copy, so maybe I'll borrow hers first. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by CHeavin_2006
I think they did a great job piecing it together. Eric Nadel was a great choice for the narrator. Some cool little bonus features as well. I'll be watching it again right before opening day.Quote:
Originally Posted by trickyrix