Rangers/Giants In Lead For Beltran (2 UPDATES)

The New York Mets are making progress with both the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants in trade talks involving outfielder Carlos Beltran. The Indians actually offered to take on Beltran's entire salary, but Beltran refused to go there using his no-trade clause.

As I stated earlier this week I think the Rangers make a lot of sense, and I would think Beltran would want to go there since they are most likely going to be in the playoffs. That being said, Beltran has stated his desire to play in the NL, unless it is the Red Sox so it will be interesting to see if he uses his no-trade clause again here.

I would still have the Rangers as the favorites, but we will have to wait and see. No matter what Beltran will be wearing a different jersey after the trade deadline.


***UPDATE***

Or not...

Beltran is not going to the Rangers, tweets Rosenthal. The Giants are his presumed frontrunner.

It is also being said that Boris wants Beltran to go to SF, because they have the money to resign him in the offseason.


***UPDATE 2***

The Mets have agreed to send Beltran to the Giants for Zach Wheeler. The Mets are said to be sending back a lot of money. Beltran has 24 hours to agree to the trade, which isn't expected to be an issue.

Tragedy in Texas

The fan had a ball tossed to him after Josh Hamilton caught a fly ball and flipped over the 1st row railing falling to his death.

This is awful figuring the guy was there with his son. It will be interesting to see if the MLB will do anything about not allowing players throw the ball into the stands anymore, which was initially implemented to make the game fan friendly. Also, this has to be pretty awful for Josh Hamilton also, and isn't good to have happen to figuring hes a recovering addict.

It is the second fatal fall at a MLB ballpark this season. In May, a 27-year-old man died after he fell about 20 feet and struck his head on concrete during a Colorado Rockies game.

Rangers Going After K-Rod/Beltran?

According to sources the Texas Rangers are interested in Mets veterans Carlos Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez. Beltran to me makes sense. He can play CF, and would add just another solid bat in an already potent lineup. K-Rod though is on borrowed time, and is only a couple more appearances from kicking in his 2012 option which is worth $17.5MM. Obviously, in a deal for either the Mets would need to eat a lot of money, but to me trading for Beltran just makes a lot more sense. He is having a decent year (.278 BA, 10 HRs, 49 RBIs), while K-Rod has an ERA over 11.00 through the month of June. We have been hearing for years that his velocity had been dropping, and that might finally be catching up to him.

Josh Hamilton Is Injured

Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton is headed to the disabled list and is expected to miss six to eight weeks after breaking his upper right arm Tuesday while diving into home plate on a play he called "stupid."

What happened was there was a foul ball in 3rd base territory and no one was covering home plate and he tagged up and went. Josh blamed the third base coach on the play however, he needs to take some blame for this. The play was in front of him and he made the judgement call and ended up suffering the consequences. Maybe he shouldn't have slid head first anyways.

This is going to dent the Rangers line up for sure, as you are now replacing Josh Hamilton with David Murphy. The Rangers have a strong enough line up to still succeed without Hamilton, but still a big blow.

Rangers 26, Red Sox 11

All the anticipation for Opening Day and then the Rangers outscore the Sox 26-11 in three games. Don't panic yet, though. The Sox can still win those magical 100 games, if that's what you care about. They'd just have to go 100-59 in the remaining 159 games. And that's certainly possible.

Had the Sox done well this weekend, I would have been my wet blanket self, and pleaded for everyone to settle down, as it's only April. Well it is only April, and so therefore I'm not too worried about what we saw in Texas.

Jon Lester is a perennial slow starter. From 2008 to 2010, he went 3-5 in April, with a 4.58 ERA. So we shouldn't worry about his struggles on Friday.

Carl Crawford is going to improve. He broke out a bit on Sunday, after going hitless in the first two games, and being demoted in the lineup.

Clay Buchholz allowed 4 runs off 4 homers. Apart from those occasional mistakes he was spot on. It's not as if he was allowing 4 or 5 hits in an inning, and being ripped apart by the Rangers' batters. He made some big mistakes, but not many, and give Texas some credit for capitalizing.

And there were some positives this weekend. Adrian Gonzalez has settled right in. 5 for 9 over the weekend with a double and 3 RBI. I feel a burst of homeruns coming from him.

And there doesn't seem to be the annual Ortiz slump in April. Two homeruns already. And when he pulled the ball, he hit it hard enough to get it through the shifted infield. That's a very good sign.

Now to the bad news. John Lackey looked awful the second time through the lineup. Everyone's hoping he improves on his 2010 performance, but none of us (my pessimistic self included) considered that he might get worse.

And the bullpen needs to be "sorted out," to put it mildly. I don't put much stock in Papelbon's struggles on Sunday, as it was a non-save situation after he'd been sitting all weekend. I don't think he even warmed up once. The other pieces to the bullpen puzzle will take some time and some headaches to fall in place.

One thing I hope you all learned this weekend is how important pitching is. The starting pitcher is literally the ONLY player who can singlehandedly lose a game for his team. They're also capable of doing the most to help his team win. Lackey lost Saturday's game, pretty much on his own. And on Sunday, Matt Harrison's 7 innings did more to help Texas win than any of their homerun hitters.

So buck up, there are 159 games left. I mean, Baltimore's in first place. It's not yet time to take things so seriously.

Red Sox at Cleveland for three, starting on Tuesday.

-The Commodore

Sox vs Rangers Preview

Welcome to Opening Day lady and gentleman. The Red Sox kick off the season in Arlington to visit the Rangers and old friend Adrian Beltre. The Sox put Jon Lester against C.J. Wilson. Jon Lester is obviously the ace of our staff, last year he went 19-9 with a 3.25 era and 225 Ks, however Arlington can make even the best pitchers look awful.

However, I don't care about pitching at all this game. It's all about offense and bullpen to me. The starting line up is Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Crawford, Gonzalez, Kevin Youkilis, Ortiz, Cameron, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Marco Scutaro. Which I'm not really a fan of to be honest. I would rather see Crawford, Pedroia, Adrian then Youk and Ellsbury batting last, but what can you do. I just can't wait to see Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez and a healthy offense. I can't wait to see if Bobby Jenks or Dan Wheeler pitches in the 7th or to see if Papelbon doesn't scare us week 1.

I don't think this game will be a pitchers duel as I have no faith in CJ Wilson and for some reason I see Lester shaking off some rust from preseason. Adrian Beltre will get a bit of revenge.

Predictions:
Score: 7-5
WP: Bobby Jenks
Tommy Award: Adrian Gonzalez

Neftali Feliz Locked In As Closer

Finally the Rangers have made their decision..

"The Rangers named their starting rotation for the start of the season on Thursday, and Neftali Feliz was not a part of it. With Tommy Hunter, Derek Holland and Matt Harrison filling out the spots behind C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis, Feliz will return to the closer's role that he filled last year (CBS Sports)."

It's the right choice, and not just for my love for Derek Holland, but the Rangers didn't have anyone to close if he moved to the starting rotation, and it's a little late to go out and find some one. I think Feliz has the stuff to be a starter, but until the Rangers commit to that, and start molding someone to take over his closers role he needs to stay where he is. Plus, I hate when teams flip flop guys between the rotation and the bullpen (example Joba/Morrow).

Feliz had wen 40 for 43 in save chances with a 2.73 ERA, and rumor is he has added another pitch to his arsenal. He is probably the best closer in the game, and the Rangers are lucky to have him in whatever role he plays.

Now It Sounds Like Feliz Will Start

A week or two ago Neftali Feliz came out and said that he is more comfortable being a closer, but now he has done a complete 180 and sounds like a guy who will be in the rotation. After the Rangers lost Cliff Lee I guess it makes sense. I do always get worried when people start flip flopping guys between the rotation and the bullpen. Plus, I have Derek Holland as a minors keeper in my AL only league, so this pisses me off.

Feliz no doubt has the talent to pull this off. He has been nothing short of amazing this spring. Obviously you will get a lot more innings out of a guy in the rotation then you will out of the bullpen. My worry, if I was a Rangers fan, would be whether or not he can make it through the whole season. Usually with young guys you want to limit their innings. For a team that was in the World Series last year, I wonder if he will have certain level of innings he will be allowed to pitch this year. Feliz is their best arm, so they need to be careful, but if this does workout it could be huge for this team.

The only question now is who will close?

Rangers Owner Steps Down

"The reign of Texas Rangers' owner Chuck Greenberg was a short-lived one, as the Pittsburgh lawyer is poised to resign his position of CEO as soon as Friday, reports the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram (CBS Sports)."

There is no official word on why he is stepping down, but most reports seem to lean towards the theory that there was pressure from the MLB for him to step down.

"Greenberg made headlines during the World Series when he commented on how awful he felt Yankee fans were during the ALCS. He would later draw the ire of New York president Randy Levine over the winter for seemingly innocuous comments on Texas' pursuit of Cliff Lee (CBS Sports)."

If that is the case that's kind of messed up. He shouldn't be forced out because people don't like his comments. Still, I think it was only a matter of time before Nolan Ryan was running everything anyways. Ryan puts a face to that franchise that and that is something I think the MLB would really want.

2011 MLB Preview: Texas Rangers

2010 Record: 90-72

Pitching:
1 C.J. Wilson
2 Colby Lewis
3 Tommy Hunter
4 Derek Holland
5 Brandon Webb
6 Scott Feldman
CL - Neftali Feliz

Out of all the rotations we run through this is probably the one we know the least about. There are reports that Feliz might be moved to the rotation. Even if he doesn't there are 3 starters fighting for 2 spots, an behind them a shit load on minor league talent. Also, there are just a lot of questions about how well these guys will play. Is CJ Wilson for real, and can he handle back-to-back years pitching so many innings for the first time? Is Tommy Hunter going to be the same guy that went 13-4 last year? What are you going to get from Webb? Is Derek Holland ready to take the next step? So many questions, but with all the depth they have I think they will have a pretty good rotation even if a couple of these guys blow up in their face.

Hitting:

1. Elvis Andrus SS
2. Michael Young DH
3. Josh Hamilton OF
4. Nelson Cruz OF
5. Adrian Beltre 3B
6. Ian Kinsler 2B
7. Mike Napoli C
8. Mitch Moreland 1B
9. Julio Borbon OF

One of the best lineups in all of baseball, especially if they can keep Michael Young around. The big thing with this team will be health. Hamilton, Beltre, and Cruz have all had injury problems in the past, so keeping on the field will be the most important things for this team. Most people expect Beltre to fall off now they he got his contract, but with the talent around him he could put up very similar numbers. Basically, we are going to find out about Beltre's heart this season. With their rotation taking somewhat of a step back it's always conforming to know you have a lineup like this behind you.

Overall:
One of the hardest teams to figure out going into this year. Just so many questions. Will Young be here? All the questions with the rotation, but in the end this team has too much talent to just disappear, and will only get better with the talent they have coming up in the next 2-3 from the minors.

2011 Record: 88-74

Baseball News

Here is the latest from around the MLB...

- The Rangers (as noted before) are shopping around Michael Young, who has asked for a trade. The problem is finding a suitor this late in the offseason. The rumors that was going around the most was that he was going to head to the Rockies, but that changed today, as the Rangers were not happy about what they were going to get back in the deal (Eric Young Jr) and the Rockies don't see to want to give anything more. The Angels were also rumored, but all they have to offer is Scott Kamir and the Rangers are said to have no interest in him. Another team was the Astros, but they have also dropped out because of the price of his contract. So right now there isn't much news on where he WILL go, only where he WON'T go. One team that I think should get involved is the Blue Jays. That just makes a lot of sense to me.

- Speaking of the Blue Jays they are looking to unload Juan Rivera. He was really traded for only to get rid of Wells contract. No word yet on who might be interested. My guess is not many.

- CC Sabathia lost 30 pounds, which should help his surgically repaired right knee.

- The Red Sox signed Alfredo Aceves for about $650K, and is basically just some starting rotation depth and he will most likely be sitting in AAA most of the year.

Michael Young Demands Out Of Texas

"After hearing his name in countless trade rumors and seeing his infield position filled by Adrian Beltre, Michael Young has "grown disillusioned with his diminished role" on the Rangers and wants out of Texas, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown. According to Brown, Texas has told Young that they will push to trade him in the coming days (MLBTradeRumors)."

There had been rumors ever since the Rangers signed Beltre that Young was going to be moved. Most rumors suggest that the Rockies are the most likely landing spot, but today there are also rumors that the Angels have jumped into the mix. The Angels have had a terrible offseason, so adding a bat like Michael Young on top of Vernon Wells would certainly soften the blow. Yet would the Angels be willing to take on another overpaid player (Young is owed $48MM over the next three years)? That seems like a lot for the Angels to take on, but after then taking on Wells silly contract I guess nothing would surprise me.

Vladimir Guerrero Situation Getting Interesting

We have been waiting for Vladimir Guerrero to sign with the Orioles for some time now, as he was rumored to have been offered between $4.5 million and $5.5 million. Now Vlad is saying he has a deal on the table for $8 million, but won't say who it is, but we know it is not from the Orioles. So who could it be?

It is really a short list (Blue Jays, Angels, and Rangers), and I just don't see any of those teams offering that kind of money. My guess is that this is complete bullshit. We have heard all along that Vlad has been looking for a 2 year deal, and it is not pleased at all with the offers he has been getting. My guess is that he caves in the next week or so and signs a 1 year deal with the Orioles for about $5 million.

Blue Jays Turn Around And Trade Napoli To Rangers

"Hopefully Mike Napoli's suitcase is still packed. Just four days after acquiring the catcher/first baseman from the Angels, the Blue Jays have sent him back to the AL West. Napoli is heading to the Rangers for Frank Francisco and cash, the teams announced. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the deal (on Twitter) and Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports (on Twitter) that the Rangers are sending less than $1MM to Toronto (MLBTradeRumors)."

This isn't a deal that will make a lot of headlines, but it is still very interesting. For one, it never made sense that the Blue Jays acquired Napoli in the first place. They have their catcher of the future in J.P. Arencibia, and a veteran in Jose Molina, so the catching duties seem to be covered. On top of that they have somewhat of a log jam at first with Adam Lind and Edwin Encarnacion lobbying for playing time.

What is interesting now is that the Rangers are kind of running into the same problem. Napoli will play some catcher, sharing time with Yorvit Torrealba and Matt Treanor. He could play some first, but Michael Young is rumored to be moving to first base after the signing of Adrian Beltre. On top of that the Rangers have Chris Davis and Mitch Moreland battling for playing time.

This could mean that Rangers plan to trade Michael Young (Colorado has expressed interest). So, keep an eye on the Rangers as they may not be done wheeling and dealing yet.

This also could mean that Neftali Feliz will stay in the bullpen. There had been rumors that the Rangers would stretch him out and try to make him a starter again. I'm almost always against doing that, but after losing Cliff Lee I guess it had to be looked at. With this deal it seems a lot more likely he'll stay in the bullpen.

For the Blue Jays Frank Francisco helps round out a bullpen that already has Jason Frasor, Jon Rauch, and Octavio Dotel. They needed to add some arms back there after losing guys like Scott Downs.

Jim Thome To Texas?

"Jim Thome was one of the last notable free agents to find a new home last season, signing a one-year deal with the Minnesota Twins in early February. The 40-year-old Thome is playing the waiting game again this winter, and there are indications that the Texas Rangers are looking to make a move. ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney reports that the Rangers are in serious pursuit of Thome, who may be a better fit in Arlington than Anaheim (ESPN)."

Thome is really old, but he still has pop in his bat (25 HRs last year). At first glance the Rangers don't make a lot of sense after signing Beltre, and moving Young to DH, but you could see Young play some first base since Moreland and Chris Davis are nothing special. Plus Thome at this point is a platoon player. So, if the money is right they could be a nice signing, because like I said before he can still hit the long ball.

Bunch Of Small Red Sox News

All the big Red Sox stories for this offseason are basically over, but there are 3 small stories that are a little interesting...

1. "According to a source familiar with the situation, the Red Sox have withdrawn their request to the office of the Massachusetts Secretary of State to undergo construction that would bring in the right field fence at Fenway Park as much as nine feet. The move, which would have expanded the width of the Fenway bullpens fro 21 to 27 feet, had to approved by the Boston Landmarks Commission and the Massachusetts Historical Society. The proposal was met with some resistance from the Massachusetts Historical Society (WEEI)."

I have to say I am a little disappointed since we have so many left handers in this Red Sox lineup. Saying that, the idea was kind of stupid, since the field is already so short. When I walked by Fenway a couple weeks back they were doing construction, I am not sure what they are working on, but it seemed somewhat major. I have heard rumors they are getting a new "jumbotron", so maybe that is it.

2. "The Red Sox announced Wednesday that they have claimed catcher Max Ramirez from the Rangers and designated pitcher Matt Fox for assignment. Ramirez, 26, had nearly been acquired by the Red Sox last offseason in exchange for Mike Lowell, but concerns over Lowell’s hip led to deal’s collapse. MLB.com’s TR Sullivan was the first to report the Sox’ acquisition of Ramirez (WEEI)."

What happened to all these Rangers catchers? There was a time when the Rangers had 3 of the top catching prospects in all of baseball with Max Ramirez, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Taylor Teagarden. Now the Red Sox have 2 of them. I am not sure what to expect from Ramirez, but he was pretty damn good in the minors posting a line of .286/.373/.381 last year, and .298/.396/.476 in the minors over his seven-year career. I like what the Sox did here, because it really can't hurt them. Hopefully between Saltalamacchia and Ramirez, one of them turns out to be something decent.

3. Mike Nicotera, the agent for outfielder Mike Cameron, said that his client was excited about the Red Sox' acquisition of Carl Crawford and that, even though Cameron is likely to be a fourth outfielder (barring an injury to Crawford, J.D. Drew or Jacoby Ellsbury), he looks forward to competing for a World Series in Boston.

“Mike wants to be with this club and feels like he will have a significant role with this club,” said Nicotera. “Mike thinks that this can be a very good team and that he has a chance to be a big part of it and that they have a chance to win a championship.

“That’s No. 1 in his mind. No. 2 is that he feels like, ‘Look, I need to show the Red Sox that I’m healthy. I feel great, but I need to go in there and show everyone that I’m healthy [following season-ending surgery to repair an abdominal tear]. When I show that, everything will take care of itself.’ That’s how he’s approaching it. He’s very positive about it (WEEI).”

I wish this statement came directly from Cameron, but it sounds like he will be fine with being the 4th outfielder to start the season next year. It really shouldn't hurt his playing time too much, as JD Drew loves not playing (maybe platoon?), Ellsbury is coming off an injury plagued year, and Francona likes to get his guys rest. So, I feel there will be plenty of playing time for all 4 of these guys. The best part? Every one of the them is a hell of a defensive player, so there will be little to no drop off no matter who is playing.

Another Sign Beltre Is Going To Rangers (2 UPDATES)

Yesterday we had a post about how rumors were going around that Adrian Beltre was getting close to a deal with the Rangers. Well, it seems to have more legs today after reading what Michael Young had to say...

"Michael Young told Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News "I'm willing to move to DH," so the club can sign and play Adrian Beltre at third base, a change from the veteran's original approach to switching positions for the second time in three years (ESPN)."

I hope Texas fans really love Young, because this is now the 3rd time he has had his position changed (if this is true). He has played 2nd, SS, 3rd, and now will be a DH utility guy. It really does give the Rangers some awesome depth, and if Beltre plays well this will once again be a hell of a lineup.

If Beltre does sign with the Rangers then Vlad's days there are over, and since we haven't really heard much about him in awhile it seem to point that there is something to all of this.

***UPDATE***

The Rangers are close to a six-year deal with Adrian Beltre, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown. Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Rangers are making progress and that a deal would be in the $90-100MM range (MLBTradeRumors)."

***UPDATE 2***

Done deal.

"As expected, it's a six-year deal worth $96MM according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). SI.com's Jon Heyman tweets that the Rangers will be able to void the sixth year if Beltre falls short of a specific number of plate appearances in years four and five combined, or just year five (MLBTradeRumors)."

Rangers About To Sign Beltre?

ESPN is running with the rumor that the Rangers are about to sign Adrian Beltre to a multiyear deal, but according to MLBTraderumors (great site by the way) there is nothing close...

"Multiple reports suggested that the Rangers and Adrian Beltre were close to an agreement on a multiyear deal yesterday, but it turns out that "nothing is remotely imminent" between the team and the third baseman. Though MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reported that the sides aren't nearing a deal, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says there "appears to be some hope" about a potential agreement. Here's the latest on the talks between Scott Boras and Beltre's suitors."

I have said from the beginning that I thought Beltre would sign with the Angels, but the Angels have such a grudge with Boras that I'm not sure if they can get past it. I'm a big believer that if Beltre gets a big contract his numbers will fall, but if he went to the Rangers it would probably give him the best shot to keep his numbers up. That lineup is just too damn good.

Brandon Webb Goes To Rangers

To be honest, I don't really know what to expect from Brandon Webb. He hasn't pitched in a couple of years and is coming off major shoulder injuries. When he did pitch he was in the Cy Young race constantly even winning it in 2006. But that was then.

The Rangers hand though was forced after they lost out on Cliff Lee and Zack Grienke. Webb will be joined in the Rangers' rotation by left-hander C.J. Wilson, who won 15 games, and Colby Lewis. Tommy Hunter and Derek Holland are leading candidates for additional rotation spots

I'm in an AL Fantasy league and most likely will be staying far away from him.

Rangers Turn Focus To Pavano

"Pavano's market may have grown by one, maybe two, in the aftermath of the signing of Cliff Lee in Philadelphia Monday night, with the Rangers being the most likely of the Lee losers to express interest in the veteran. Joel Sherman tweets that an AL executive believes the Rangers will bid on Pavano now that they have lost out on Lee (ESPN)."

Pavano, other then when he is pitching for the Yankees, has been very good. The Twins certainly want him back, but after the Rangers lost out of Lee I bet they go out and will overpay for Pavano. They need another starter, and Pavano is by far the best free agent available, unless of course the Rangers can go out and pull off a trade for Grienke.

The Rangers are also rumored to be in the hunt for Beltre, and could be looking to move Michael Young. They are looking into Chien-Ming Wang as well.