The Rangers Are In First Place!

[UNT90]

Last night's game was a freaking beating. Reminded me of Ranger games from the early 00s. 3 1/2 hours long, no pitching from either team, no clutch hitting from the Rangers, and a loss to a bad (although recently hot) Cleveland team. I know these nights happen during a season, but what a buzz kill to end the July 4th weekend.

[UNTLifer]

Hopefully the win last night has them back on track. I do have a question, is Hamilton's hitting streak still intact or did he break it a few games back? I lost track of it and haven't heard it discussed lately.

[UNT90]

Broke it about 3 or 5 games ago with an 0fer.

[MEANGREENMAN!]

Hopefully the win last night has them back on track. I do have a question, is Hamilton's hitting streak still intact or did he break it a few games back? I lost track of it and haven't heard it discussed lately.

He is only 3 games from breaking Al Oliver's record for the Rangers' longest home hitting streak though.

[Censored by Laurie]

Justin Smoak, Blake Beavan, Wilmer Font, Jurickson Profar and the corpse of Rich Harden for Cliff Lee, Russell Branyan and a bullpen arm.

Discuss

[Green Mean]

Justin Smoak, Blake Beavan, Wilmer Font, Jurickson Profar and the corpse of Rich Harden for Cliff Lee, Russell Branyan and a bullpen arm.

Discuss

I realize Lee may be a rent a player but I would only give that much up if there was potential in signing him long term. The guy is a beast and he will be awesome for atleast 4-5 more seasons.

[UNT90]

Justin Smoak, Blake Beavan, Wilmer Font, Jurickson Profar and the corpse of Rich Harden for Cliff Lee, Russell Branyan and a bullpen arm.

Discuss

Yes, as long as Lee is signed to an extention as a part of the trade, otherwise, no.

[Censored by Laurie]

Yes, as long as Lee is signed to an extention as a part of the trade, otherwise, no.

Texas has stepped up its efforts to acquire Lee, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Spin: Seattle has apparently expressed interest in Chris Davis and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, but the deal will likely require the inclusion of a pitching prospect from Texas as well.

Off my fantasy baseball site. Seems the Rangers maybe getting off the hook in terms of position players, but I've got to think that a deal not including Smoak though would have to include either Holland, Perez or Scheppers.

So new hypothetical: Chris Davis, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Derek Holland, Wilmer Font and the corpse of Rich Harden for Lee and Branyan and a bullpen arm. Still a go?

[UNT90]

Off my fantasy baseball site. Seems the Rangers maybe getting off the hook in terms of position players, but I've got to think that a deal not including Smoak though would have to include either Holland, Perez or Scheppers.

So new hypothetical: Chris Davis, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Derek Holland, Wilmer Font and the corpse of Rich Harden for Lee and Branyan and a bullpen arm. Still a go?

That would be a go. I would not let go of Holland right now.

[Censored by Laurie]

That would be a go. I would not let go of Holland right now.

Why would Seattle make that move, though. In my first hypothetical Smoak was the centerpiece and you can put the B+, A- pitchers around him...if its Davis and Salty that means one of the top 3 pitchers has to go as well, IMO.

If you get 4 years with Lee I wouldn't hesitate dealing one, maybe two of the top 3 pitchers.

[UNT90]

Why would Seattle make that move, though. In my first hypothetical Smoak was the centerpiece and you can put the B+, A- pitchers around him...if its Davis and Salty that means one of the top 3 pitchers has to go as well, IMO.

If you get 4 years with Lee I wouldn't hesitate dealing one, maybe two of the top 3 pitchers.

I was assuming that you wanted to let Holland go without a signed deal for Lee.

I would actually be willing to rent Lee if all it cost was Salty, Davis, and Font (which Seattle won't do). With a 4 year extension, I wouldn't be against giving up Holland, but would you rather give up Holland or Scheppers in that deal? I may be more inclined to let Scheppers go instead of Holland.

I really don't think anything happens with the ownership so f'd up.

[MEANGREENMAN!]

The Rangers cannot stand pat and win the World Series. The division, yes, but not the main prize. Lee puts the Rangers into the picture as legitimate title contenders and we are going to let a love affair with prospects stop that? Yes, Smoak has enormous upside, but is he going to be that much better than stretch run Chris Davis (much different from early season CD)? Is having a starter who you can count on to give your team 9 strong innings at the drop of a hat much better than staring wistfully at Justin Smoak's BABIP looking toward the future? I don't care that Lee is a rental player. If you rent him for half a year, make a strong push to the playoffs, maybe you win maybe you don't, then you take your two picks when Lee signs with the Yankees and try again next year. And if it requires Smoak and ticking timebomb Tanner Scheppers (along with other lower level prospects) then so be it. 2010 is what JD told us to look forward to for about 3 years now. Let's not let winning later stop us from winning now.

[UNT90]

The Rangers cannot stand pat and win the World Series. The division, yes, but not the main prize. Lee puts the Rangers into the picture as legitimate title contenders and we are going to let a love affair with prospects stop that? Yes, Smoak has enormous upside, but is he going to be that much better than stretch run Chris Davis (much different from early season CD)? Is having a starter who you can count on to give your team 9 strong innings at the drop of a hat much better than staring wistfully at Justin Smoak's BABIP looking toward the future? I don't care that Lee is a rental player. If you rent him for half a year, make a strong push to the playoffs, maybe you win maybe you don't, then you take your two picks when Lee signs with the Yankees and try again next year. And if it requires Smoak and ticking timebomb Tanner Scheppers (along with other lower level prospects) then so be it. 2010 is what JD told us to look forward to for about 3 years now. Let's not let winning later stop us from winning now.

Unless Cliff Lee can clone himself when he gets here, the Rangers are nowhere near a world series birth, much less a championship. Aside from the slim chance that they catch white hot fire in the playoffs, they will be out quick this year (if they make it at all). They need to add 1 ace and 1 semi-ace to have a prayer against the Yanks.

I'm not against adding Lee, but you can't get fleeced in the deal.

[forevereagle]

Unless Cliff Lee can clone himself when he gets here, the Rangers are nowhere near a world series birth, much less a championship. Aside from the slim chance that they catch white hot fire in the playoffs, they will be out quick this year (if they make it at all). They need to add 1 ace and 1 semi-ace to have a prayer against the Yanks.

I'm not against adding Lee, but you can't get fleeced in the deal.

Agreed, let's not get Texiera'd.

[MEANGREENMAN!]

What is there not to like about this team? The bullpen is deep, the defense is solid (save third), the lineup stacks up against any in the league, and our starters have pitched well. The thing this team needs is an ace (and maybe a LOOGY). Compare this staff to the Yankees with Lee in the mix. Lee vs sabathia lee is ahead. Colby vs Hughes probably Hughes, but he is still a young pitcher in a playoff atmosphere. CJ vs who? AJ can't get out of the fourth inning Burnett? This team stacks up well and I think Lee makes them legit.

[UNT90]

What is there not to like about this team? The bullpen is deep, the defense is solid (save third), the lineup stacks up against any in the league, and our starters have pitched well. The thing this team needs is an ace (and maybe a LOOGY). Compare this staff to the Yankees with Lee in the mix. Lee vs sabathia lee is ahead. Colby vs Hughes probably Hughes, but he is still a young pitcher in a playoff atmosphere. CJ vs who? AJ can't get out of the fourth inning Burnett? This team stacks up well and I think Lee makes them legit.

Did you forget about Andy Petite? 12 out of 16 starts have been quality starts with a 2.82 ERA.

Petite-Sabathia-Hughes put the Yanks at least 2 starters ahead of the Rangers (F'n Yanks!!).

If the standings hold true, the Rangers would not see the Yanks until the ALCS. So you would have a 3 man rotation. The Yanks would have Burnett or Vasquez as a backup starter/long reliever.

HUGE advantage Yanks.

Also, since Colby has never been in playoff atmosphere (just like CJ), what makes you think they would be better than Hughes?

I don't like it, but I think 2011 is the first year that the Rangers can have any reasonable expectation of getting to the series, unless they get white hot in the playoffs.

EDIT: If Big Game keeps this up, maybe he should be in the top 3 instead of CJ.

Edited July 9, 2010 by UNT90

[UNT90]

Terrible loss.

Someone needs to tell Ron Washington that it's ok to pinch hit for Molina in the 9th.

Terrible loss.

[Monkeypox]

Terrible loss.

Someone needs to tell Ron Washington that it's ok to pinch hit for Molina in the 9th.

Terrible loss.

Yeah. I hate the Molina trade. Not because we gave up anything great, but because we didn't get anything meaningful in return. Molina at this point in his career is the definition of replacement level. I'm hoping the guy gets crazy hot to finish out the year, but I'm not holding my breath. Great at blocking and calling a game, but his arm isn't the threat it once was and he doesn't have enough pop these days to cover for his ridiculously bad wheels. And honestly, if you're going to make win-now moves, you need to actually upgrade at positions.

[MEANGREENMAN!]

Did you forget about Andy Petite? 12 out of 16 starts have been quality starts with a 2.82 ERA.

Petite-Sabathia-Hughes put the Yanks at least 2 starters ahead of the Rangers (F'n Yanks!!).

If the standings hold true, the Rangers would not see the Yanks until the ALCS. So you would have a 3 man rotation. The Yanks would have Burnett or Vasquez as a backup starter/long reliever.

HUGE advantage Yanks.

Also, since Colby has never been in playoff atmosphere (just like CJ), what makes you think they would be better than Hughes?

I don't like it, but I think 2011 is the first year that the Rangers can have any reasonable expectation of getting to the series, unless they get white hot in the playoffs.

EDIT: If Big Game keeps this up, maybe he should be in the top 3 instead of CJ.

Yes, I got too excited about ripping AJ Burnett and Pettitte slipped my mind. The concern I have about Hughes is not playoff experience, but innings limits. The Yanks are going to skip starts for him along the way to try to keep him fresh which could alter his rhythm. Burnett and Vasquez have a 4.75 and 4.81 ERA respectively hardly making them a part of a HUGE advantage.

The drive behind my post was that the two teams are comparable. I don't think CJ and Colby are markably worse than Pettitte or Hughes and adding Cliff Lee would make it a winnable series.

I love Tommy, but he is really a regular season pitcher. He pounds the zone and doesn't miss enough bats to face a playoff caliber lineup. That being said his curveball is filthy.

Edited July 9, 2010 by MEANGREENMAN!

[forevereagle]

What is there not to like about this team?

The ownership situation.

[MEANGREENMAN!]

The Yankees are very close to a deal for Lee giving up C Jesus Montero, 2B David Adams and another prospect.

[UNT90]

The Yankees are very close to a deal for Lee giving up C Jesus Montero, 2B David Adams and another prospect.

Now THAT would really create a terrible post-season pitching matchup with the fn Yanks.

[MEANGREENMAN!]

Mariners rejected the Yanks offer and the Bombers are walking away. Rangers and Reds are now supposed front runners with the Rangers willing to trade Smoak and the Reds going "all out" to acquire Lee.

[MEANGREENMAN!]

3:57pm: The Rangers will acquire Lee and Mark Lowe for Justin Smoak and three others, according to Sherman (via Twitter). 

Via MLB Trade Rumors

[Green Mean]

This is exciting. I think Lee is a stud. I know he is here for this season in particular but I am just hoping that we are able to sign him long term.