Rangers Sign Jimmy Gobble
According to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, the Rangers signed lefty Jimmy Gobble to a minor league deal. Sullivan notes that the Rangers hoped to acquire Gobble back in '03 in a failed Juan Gonzalez trade.
Gobble, 27, was released by the Royals a few days ago. He held lefties to a .200/.246/.323 line last year. Gobble won't have six years service time after the season, so the Rangers can keep him for 2010 if they want.
Heyman On Bargains, Andruw, Buchholz
The latest from SI.com's Jon Heyman…
- Heyman runs through his top 13 free agent bargains, beginning with Orlando Cabrera, Bobby Abreu, and Jon Garland.
- Andruw Jones will decide next week whether to opt out and become a free agent again. Heyman reminds us that the Yankees, Braves, and Phillies were previously interested. He says a Yankees person "hedged" when asked if they'd rejoin the Jones pursuit.
- The Twins sent a scout to watch Ivan Rodriguez before he signed with Houston, but Heyman figures they must be confident about Joe Mauer's back after standing pat.
- The Red Sox "remain uninterested in the Rangers' proposal from a few months ago of Jarrod Saltalamacchia for Clay Buchholz." Buchholz has allowed one run, nine Ks, and two walks in 8.6 innings this spring.
Andruw Decision Pushed To Monday
1:35pm: The decision has been pushed to Monday, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. He adds that Jones does not appear interested in going to Triple A.
10:56am: According to Evan Grant of DMagazine.com, Rangers outfielder Andruw Jones is not expected to opt out of his contract today. Grant says Jones "will give the Rangers at least several more days to evaluate him" and has not cleared out his locker. Jones is hitting .258/.324/.419 in 34 plate appearances this spring.
Odds & Ends: Wade, Baker, Catalanotto
Links for Friday…
- RotoAuthority advises how to manage information during your fantasy draft.
- Something's not right with Corey Koskie, and the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan says he'll decide about his future by Saturday.
- Former Blue Jays assistant GM Bart Given has a blog, and it's pretty good from what I've read (hat tip: Drunk Jays Fans).
- Sidearmer Mark Worrell, acquired by the Padres for Khalil Greene, needs Tommy John surgery according to Bill Center of the San Diego Union Tribune.
- Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune says the White Sox "traded infielder Sergio Santos to San Francisco for future considerations." Santos was picked 27th overall by the D'Backs in the 2002 draft.
- Chico Harlan of the Washington Post wonders whether $5MM first baseman Dmitri Young will be willing to accept an assignment to Triple A.
- MLB.com's Alyson Footer says Astros GM Ed Wade never lied to her and doesn't owe her an apology about Ivan Rodriguez. Wade just changed his mind after talking to Footer.
- Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune doesn't see the Cubs releasing $4MM reliever Luis Vizcaino.
- Tracy Ringolsby of Inside The Rockies believes Jeff Baker is the team's most likely infielder to be dealt. ESPN's Jayson Stark mentioned Baker yesterday as a trade candidate, and the Denver Post's Troy E. Renck has wondered if he'd fit for the Yankees or Astros.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers have discussed Frank Catalanotto with other clubs but found no takers. Catalanotto has $6MM coming to him.
- Rany Jazayerli discusses the Royals' signing of Sidney Ponson and release of Jimmy Gobble.
Andruw Won’t Be On 40-Man Roster
According to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News Rangers GM Jon Daniels confirmed that Andruw Jones won't be added to the Rangers' 40-man roster by tomorrow. This decision gives Jones the chance to opt out of the minor league deal he signed with the Rangers.
Jones has said throughout the week that he'd discuss his options with agent Scott Boras if he doesn't make the roster. He can either re-enter the free agent pool or accept a minor league assignment from the Rangers. Jones is six for his last 17 after a very slow start, but he has 14 strikeouts in 31 spring at bats. It'll be fun to see how Boras handles this.
Heyman On Pedro, Pudge, Andruw
SI.com's Jon Heyman has a new column.
- Heyman believes the Mets offered Pedro Martinez a $1-2MM base salary, but he's still looking for $5MM. Not happenin'. ESPN's Jayson Stark suggests Pedro is asking for $6-8MM.
- Heyman takes Astros GM Ed Wade to task for seemingly lying to MLB.com beat writer Alyson Footer about the team's pursuit of Ivan Rodriguez. The Pudge deal will be official once his physical is complete.
- Andruw Jones must decide by Friday whether to stay with the Rangers (presumably he'd head to Triple A if he does not opt out). In talking to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, Andruw said he doesn't know yet and needs to talk to Scott Boras.
Andruw Jones Unlikely To Make Rangers
WEDNESDAY, 10:51am: Jones indicated to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he feels comfortable in the Rangers' system and has developed a strong relationship with hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo:
"These guys have the system," Jones said. "The hitting coach they’ve got, they work on the things they want to. We’ll see what happens."
TUESDAY, 10:27pm: According to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, outfielder Andruw Jones is unlikely to break camp with the Rangers. Marlon Byrd seems to have a leg up on the fourth outfielder role (he's quieted concerns about his surgically-repaired knee). Sullivan explains the Jones situation:
Technically, the Rangers have to decide by Friday if they'll put him on the Major League roster, but it seems quite clear they have no interest in doing that.
The question is, will Andruw head to Triple A for the Rangers to prove he can still contribute?
Offseason In Review: Texas Rangers
Next up in our Offseason In Review series, the Rangers. Here’s what we wrote about them on September 23rd. Changes for 2009:
Additions: Hank Blalock (exercised option), Omar Vizquel, Andruw Jones, Kris Benson, Brendan Donnelly, Eddie Guardado (re-signed), Jason Jennings, Derrick Turnbow, Greg Golson, Elizardo Ramirez, Guillermo Moscoso, Adam Melhuse
Subtractions: Milton Bradley, Ramon Vazquez, Gerald Laird, Chris Shelton, Franklyn German, Sidney Ponson (midseason), John Mayberry
GM Jon Daniels gave the middle finger to free agency this winter, signing players only on minor league deals (he did come close on Ben Sheets though). The main offseason change was the losses of Bradley and Laird. For Bradley the Rangers received the 44th pick in the June draft, and for Laird they snagged two pitching prospects from Detroit.
The ’08 Rangers led the AL by a wide margin with 5.56 runs scored per game. The ’09 squad won’t match that, but CHONE projections and the lineup analysis tool suggest the team could score 5.07 per game with good health. That would’ve ranked fourth in the league.
The problem, of course, is the pitching staff. It was the worst in the league in ’08 and doesn’t look much better for ’09. The Rangers have the best farm system in baseball, but advanced pitching prospects Neftali Feliz and Derek Holland can’t be expected to lead the staff as rookies. The bullpen will have a somewhat different look in ’09, but it’s a crapshoot.
The Rangers did not profile well defensively last year, ranking 11th in the AL according to The Fielding Bible II. There are gains to be made by switching Young to third base and using Andrus or Vizquel at shortstop.
If the Rangers allow runs like they did last year, they’re looking at 68 wins. But just with better defense at a few positions and a couple of halfway decent starting pitching performances they could trim 100 runs allowed and win 77 games. They still seem a long shot for .500 ball though.
Bottom line: Knowing the fruits of his top-ranked farm system won’t be realized in 2009, Jon Daniels held off on spending money this offseason. Veterans such as Blalock, Guardado, Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla, Frank Catalanotto, and Marlon Byrd may serve as midseason trade bait.
Gammons On Sheffield, Tazawa, Kearns
ESPN’s Peter Gammons posted a new blog entry last night. Let’s take a look.
- Gammons sees Gary Sheffield as a "serious comeback player of the year candidate."
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels told Gammons his team bid $7MM for Junichi Tazawa, but the Red Sox signed him for $3MM due to their presence in Japan. According to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times, the Rangers also offered more money to reliever Chad Cordero but he preferred the West Coast.
- Kicking Jim Bowden while he’s down: Gammons says Nationals outfielder Austin Kearns was claimed on waivers last summer but the Nationals pulled him back.
Jennings Competing For Rotation Spot
Jason Jennings is trying to make a comeback after two consecutive injury riddled seasons reports Jeff Wilson of the Forth Worth Star Telegram. Good news for the Rangers who are trying to maintain as much starting pitching depth as they can. Wilson writes,
"The former Mesquite Poteet and Baylor star remains willing to open the season in the minor leagues to build up arm strength if he’s unable to do so over the final three weeks of spring training.
But the minor league contract Jennings signed last month has two opt-out dates – April 1 and April 25. Plenty of scouts have seen him pitch, and more will watch him as those dates draw near."
Jennings’ flexor tendon has torn each of the last two seasons. This spring, there’s added velocity to his fastball, now recorded in the upper 80s. Rangers Manager Ron Washington is optimistic and expects it to reach 90mph by the time the club breaks camp.
As recently as 2006, Jennings recorded a 3.78 ERA and held opponents to a .258 average over 212 IP while playing half of his games for the Rockies in Coors Field.