Thursday Newsletter time: Texas Rangers don't have to sign a pitcher when the lockout ends. They can trade for one.
Potential trade targets don't have the experience level of Clayton Kershaw, but they still have more experience than current Rangers starters.
The assumption once the lockout ends is that the Texas Rangers will pursue and money-whip a veteran free agent for their rotation on a short-term deal.
The idea is the pitcher would serve as an effective stopgap until the top prospects in the minors are deemed ready, while also providing valuable knowledge to the young pitchers.
Clayton Kershaw is the pitcher who the Rangers would like to add.
Ignored in all of this is that the Rangers might miss on Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Jon Lester, or anyone else out there with some track record. Jake Arrieta comes to mind as well.
Then what?
There is another way to acquire talent: a trade. The Rangers have the pieces to make that happen.
A deal with Cincinnati for Sonny Gray has been tossed around by local scribes, including at the Newsletter. The right-hander is a veteran, a veteran of the American League West, and would come relatively affordably for the next few seasons.
Gray checks a lot of boxes.
Not all pitchers who might be on the trade market are grizzled veterans. There could be several pitchers available with less experience but more than any projected Rangers starter.
The Oakland A’s have three — left-hander Sean Manaea and righties Chris Bassett and Frankie Montas. The A’s, who have signaled plans for a rebuild, also have first baseman Matt Olson if the Rangers want to go crazy.
MLB Trade Rumors suggested Wednesday that the Milwaukee Brewers might be willing to trade from the bottom of their deep rotation. Righty Adrian Houser and lefty Eric Lauer would come with three years of club control remaining, and both have pitched in pennant races and been in the postseason.
Is that the level of the experience the Rangers are seeking? Probably not.
Would that kind of acquisition accomplish the goal of buying prospects time this season and next, and also put more of a sure thing in the rotation going forward? Yes, it would.
Labor PR battle
Another day has passed without any meetings between the owners and the players, bringing baseball another day closer to the possibility that the lockout leads to the loss of games from the 2022 season.
OK, that was pretty doom-and-gloomy, but the sentiment comes on the heels of an ESPN story that offered little in the way of optimism. Also, there was a tweet from Toronto Sun reporter Rob Longley stating Blue Jays pitchers and catchers were told to not be in a hurry to book their accommodations for spring training.
While there hasn’t been a peep from ownership, key members of the union have started to speak out. They aren’t airing grievances, but they have made it clear what they want and that they did not want to be locked out.
Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien is one of those who have spoken out. A member of the executive board, he was on the Chris Rose Rotation podcast over the holidays and said the players are ready to negotiate.
A skeptic might be thinking that the players are attempting to win the PR battle. The owners usually seem to be ahead in that race as handsomely paid players look greedy asking for more. Never mind that owners are independently wealthy and that owning an MLB team is a hobby or an ego thing.
Should the PR tide shift enough, maybe that would motivate the owners to get their butts in gear.
Then again, people would have to notice that there is still a lockout. As the ESPN story by Jeff Passan noted, baseball is irrelevant right now.
No news is bad news.
ICYMI …
The kids returned to school Wednesday, and while I love them very much, Mama and I needed things to get back to normal. My guess is many of you are in the same boat, yearning for schools to open back up so you could catch up on the Newsletter. Here’s our latest, in case you missed it.
T.R.’s Memoirs: Kenny Rogers’ eventful time with the Rangers (Part I)
The Sunday Read: A moderately conservative wish list for 2022
Middle infielders available: Call 1-555-RANGERS
Doggy video!
I don’t know if these two are fighting or playing, but I really don’t care. This is just great. Enjoy. See you Friday.
Or, they could just go with what they have. Start the season with Gray, Dunning, Hearn, Otto, and Alexy. Allard could start again as well. When it gets time to shutdown 2 or 3 guys then you bring up guys like Arihara, Latz,, King, Rodriguez, Henriquez, Burke and others. Maybe even Cole Winn will prove ready. It isn't as flashy as trading prospects for 2 year rentals, but it gets the job done.
There is also likely to be a few pitchers on the FA market below the level of Kershaw and Arrietta who could be signed.
Trades make for better discussion topics, but they are not necessary.
Now, if they are actually in win-now mode then a lot of trades would be necessary, not just for a starting pitcher or two. If that is the case the more important discussion would be, "why are they in win-now mode?"