Let's round out the American League side of our arbitration eligibles series with a look at the Rangers.
- First time: Nelson Cruz, David Murphy, Darren O'Day
- Second time: Josh Hamilton, Mark Lowe, Dustin Nippert, Esteban German
- Third time: Jeff Francoeur, C.J. Wilson, Brandon McCarthy
Locks to be tendered contracts: Cruz, Murphy, O'Day, Hamilton, Lowe, and Wilson. There will be sizeable raises in this bunch. Cruz has 55 home runs over the last two seasons, Hamilton had an MVP season, O'Day has been quietly dominant, and Wilson and Murphy are also coming off their best years. Lowe had back surgery in June and might not pitch for the Rangers this year, but they acquired him with that knowledge and clearly want him for 2011.
Nippert has slipped since last year, but the raise he gets on this year's $665K could be small. McCarthy tossed 56.3 minor league innings this year, dealing with shoulder issues. He's a non-tender candidate given his $1.3MM salary. Likewise for Jeff Francoeur at $5MM, even with 42 stellar Rangers plate appearances added to his resume. German, a role player, will probably be cut.
Francueor, Nippert, Lowe, and McCarthy can all go. Resign everyone else (a hefty pay day).
Hamilton would easily get $6 million if he was completely healthy, but since he’s missing the final month of the season I think he’ll lose a good $1-2MM, unless he signs an extension. As I understand he turned down 5 years/$40MM? I bet they could get him for 5 years/$50MM now but I doubt they’d want him for that long. He may be doomed to go year to year for his entire career and get lots of low base salaries with high ceilings from incentives.
Not to mention he’s such a threat to relapse that he has a tiny allowance and goes everywhere with a sober life coach and drives everywhere with his wife. Even if he was given tens of millions he’d never get the chance to enjoy it. Plus he apparently hates his tattoos and only keeps them to remind himself of how much he screwed up when he was on drugs. I pity him, wealthy, famous and a major leaguer or not.
Josh Hamilton always kind of depresses me. Between his personal struggles and injury problems, he didn’t get regular playing time until he was 28. He has the skills to be an elite player, and had he taken the same career path as Jason Heyward or Justin Upton….I think he could have been one of the greats
it’s hard to say about Hamilton’s career
? what’s to say he wouldn’t have battled injuries even if he had’ve started his projected trajectory earlier.
? Maybe he’d be a beat-up “old” 28 now. (See Griffey, Jr)
? Maybe those years of battling “demons” is what has made his body fairly brittle
whatever, let’s not forget he’s one of the great comeback stories ever
He brought all of those issues on himself. I like Hamilton and hope that he stays healthy and continues to play great ball. But it’s his fault that he won’t go down as one of the greats.
its his fault he got hit by a car???
You can’t edit out the health with a “if he was healthier” kind of qualifier. Greatness is not just raw talent. Greatness is all factors taken in totality. And, part of what makes a great player is quality of performance over length of career.
I get what you mean though, but every era has their “Josh Hamilton.” The other day I saw a doc about J.R. Richards, which to me, completely outdoes Josh Hamilton on the “Depresses you” scale. At least Josh achieved some form of greatness in his career. Richards was primed to become the absolute greatest pitcher of all time (if we take his peers’ opinions and stuff that averaged 101 mph into account), but nosedived completely, eventually becoming homeless after a life-altering stroke.
I’m glad you mentioned Richards. No one seems to remember him anymore and he had an unbelievable potential to become one of the greatest pitchers of all-time.
This is going to be a real awakening for Francouer, who thinks he’s an everyday player every place he goes.
McCarthy is an interesting non-tender candidate. He has good stuff and was a highly regarded guy when he was a White Sox prospect who was traded straight up for John Danks. Still young. If his health is ok (which is a decent sized “if”), he could be one of those guys who finds new life after he finds an opportunity in another org like Edwin Jackson or Josh Hamilton. Potentially he has that kind of talent if healthy.