Rangers Rumors: Lamb, Gagne, Prior

Very true, trober81...makes me wonder how they are going to screw up the bevy of talented prospects the Braves gave them for Tex.

Trober81:
Might be a AAA MLB team, but look at the farm system. Jon Daniels doesn't seem at all willing to part with any of the prospects he's been hoarding away for a number of years.

Salty may start in AAA per Star-Telegram and Ranger reports.

The Rangers have reported that he will catch in 2008, no more 1B - hence the Shelton trade, and the Lamb interest.

Why is it dumb to start him in AAA? It's not like there's a contending team in Arlington for him to play for. He needs to be a better defensive catcher and as long as Gerald Laird is a Ranger, Salty won't be getting much veteran leadership and knowledge from him at the big league level.

I'm not sure I totally disagree with you. Laird still may get traded, or may just be the back-up.

Also, Don Wakamatsu is gone from the team (he was the catching instructor). So, I think Washington will bring someone in that can help Salty with game-calling, pitcher relationship info. These things obviously have not been strengths of the Ranger catchers in the past, and hopefully are adressed.

The Rangers just can't seem to do anything right. Guess that's why they've won exactly one playoff game (that's right, game) in their pathetic existence. They have always thought they were a couple of FAs away when they weren't, and now that they are on the cusp of rebuilding, they can't even commit to that without screwing it up by filling spots with retreads and never was-es.

Their approach to finding a 1B and a CF is dumpster diving, they won't pay enough for a FA to go to Texas - what are they going to do? They traded Tex and Gagne to get a little talent, now they think that the world will be theirs in 2009. No need to improve further, just fill a half dozen positions for a year or two because when all our talent gets up to the majors, we're going to be a force, by golly. In the mean time, this team still needs three starting pitchers, three outfielders, and a first baseman.

Well, the work has only begun, and the only thing accomplished so far has been giving teams like the Rays hope that they can beat someone else. This team won 75 games in 2007, and did nothing to improve itself this week.

Nothing.

Marlin fans, Pirates fans, Royals fans despair not. Your franchises have won pennants. You know what it is like to win, even though it may seem like a distant memory now. Your franchises cannot compete with the absolute embarrassment that is known as the Texas Rangers.

What better could they do? They could do something, sign Casey, sign Bradley; sign someone that will help the team. What about Josh Hamilton? You have young talent let’s get some veteran leadership. Maybe even a pitcher, who knows. What exactly is the Rangers long term goal? When do we want to be good? Next year, five years from now maybe? What do you think their goal was five years ago? I’ll bet it wasn’t to figure out what young talent they should keep in 2008. Never mind we got Chris Shelton, good work Daniels. If you are not going to do anything please let us know, don’t just continue to offer guys below market deals that have no chance of actually happening and act like you are making moves. If we are not going to spend any money on the free agent market lets sign a few guys we do have, starting with maybe Ian Kinsler, he is part of the long term plan right? If you don’t sign him this year you will have to pay more next year. Actually let’s go with what BrainTX says (I think BrianTX might actually be JD), disregard the free agent market and any realistic trades and spend 2008 letting the chips fall where they may. Most likely the chips will be falling into owner’s pocket. Maybe Daniels isn’t an idiot after all and he is just doing a bang up job of following the direction of the man who pays him.