I have been reading so many writers, so-called experts, random fans, social media posts and more urging the Rangers to have a fire sale and blow up this team.
For all of those folks, I have one question. Have you lost your minds?
This team is nowhere close to last years, that is a fact. This team is nowhere close to as good as the Astros are now, that too is a fact. So what can or should the team do?
If you are going to analyze things, first start with the fact that the bullpen has cost the team 11 wins, and probably 6 of those due to Sam Dyson who is designated for assignment. Add 11 wins to their current record and the Rangers would only be 2-3 games out of first place. If they fix the bullpen for the second half of the season this is a competitive club again.
Injuries have been significant, with the biggest being the loss of Adrian Beltre. Now that he is back you can immediately see the glaring hole at the 5 and 6 spots in the batting order. Roughned Odor and Mike Napoli have lost their edge the same way that Dyson did. They can get it back, but they have to be removed from those spots in the batting order. Odor and Napoli batting in the 5/6 spots have become a massive liability for the team to drive in runs, or extend an inning. Sure they may get the big home run once in a while, but they have no ability to do the little things that create success. Odor and Gallo are in the same boat, neither one recognizes the entire left side of the field when batting. That is coaching period!
Tweak those things and this team is at least 13-14 games better than they are now, and running with the Astros. Although they are not good enough now to beat them it is a long season and things can change quickly.
Trades need to be carefully considered because how many times over the years have the Rangers made trades only to see that player blossom somewhere else.
Which brings me to Yu Darvish. All of the folks out there demanding he be traded need to lay off the hard stuff. What the heck do you think you are going to get that is better than an Ace Pitcher? How many decades has this team labored trying to find any pitching at all and you folks want to trade him for what? A bunch of never have been’s and never will be’s?
This is not a situation like Mark Texiera where he had a year left on his contract and the Braves thought they could sign him long-term. The Rangers knew he wanted to go, and he wanted the cash. Darvish by all accounts wants to stay in Texas but it is going to cost. The 1-2 punch of Hamels and Darvish is what you need to build this team around. How about just playing better defense when they pitch, that would add at least another win or two.
What the Rangers are suffering from too is a bloated salary because of Prince Fielder, and Shin-Soo Choo. They are paying too much for Andrew Cashner and Mike Napoli, and it now appears that signing Roughned Odor could have been a mistake. That is no reason to shy away from signing Yu.
Good grief, he is the only pitcher since Nolan Ryan who has the potential to throw a perfect game on any given night. He can completely dominate another team. I would suggest he needs better coaches, and that might be a huge problem with the entire pitching staff.
Last year I lamented the loss of Mike Maddux, and this year I cry in complete desperation to get him back.
If Daniels wants to make a trade, then go get Michael Conforto from the Mets who they are playing tonight. He has years left with options, and can play anywhere in the outfield. He could easily be your 3-5-6 spot hitter in this lineup, as a bat with some power, and can hit for a little consistency. In fact his .308 batting average would lead this team.
Daniels built this team around 1-year contracts to give him room to maneuver down the road. That was smart, and frankly there was no reason to expect Choo to miss 70% of his time, Fielder’s career to end, Napoli to be a complete bust, and Odor to lose his mind. There was no reason to expect Sam Dyson to blow up either.
Is that coaching? It might be, is it something else, who knows, but it is clear that since Neflali Feliz’s meltdown in-game 6 of the series, the closer role has been a problem except when the team had Joe Nathan for a few years.
Blow up this team, are you kidding me, you people have lost your minds. They are a couple of players and better coaching away from turning this whole thing around, and not just for this season for a long time. If anything fire the pitching and hitting coaches and then sign Darvish long-term and this could be an Atlanta Braves team for the next half decade. Good Grief!
