If I was Jon Daniels for an Off Season

If I was Jon Daniels for an Off Season

          Despite being the best team in baseball the past three years the Texas Rangers have zero banners waving to show for it. The juggernauts in May that we were used to seeing, looked nothing like the sluggish self-entitled Rangers of September. Now the Rangers are at a cross roads, and have to make a decision on one of the greatest, most polarizing athletes of our generation. Most people will forever remember Hamilton for this and not this.  If it was up to most people Josh Hamilton would be tarred and feathered out of the metroplex after game 163, but thankfully they do not get to make the decision. Most sport fans prefer to focus on the negative and let their emotions cloud what really is occurring. The Rangers face the toughest off season in franchise history, but the window still is not closed. This team still has the assets to make deep playoff runs and have the money to keep the dream alive. If I was sitting in Jon Daniels' chair overlooking the Ball Park in Arlington this is what I would do.

Free Agents:

Mike Adams RP

Ryan Dempster SP

Scott Feldman SP/RP

Josh Hamilton OF

Mark Lowe RP

Mike Napoli C/1B/DH

Roy Oswalt SP/RP

Yoshinori TateyamaRP

2012-2013 Rangers Off Season Plan

Decision #1 What to do with Josh Hamilton?

          The Texas Rangers have not faced a dilemma this difficult since Cliff Lee (we all know how that went). Hamilton is 31 years old and is looking for a deal around 7 years 175 million. He has averaged 130 games a year in his 5 years wearing a T on his hat. Every year Hamilton misses time due to running into a wall, consuming too much caffeine, or goes through severe down turns by swinging at every pitch down and away in the zone. Based on his current routine streaks of time on the DL and past drug abuse where one can see his body breaking down more. The last thing one should do is give Hamilton 7 years. I would offer Hamilton three years 65 million with bonuses that could make the deal be worth 75 million. He would probably say no, but there is no way he will make as much money per year anywhere else. By getting Hamilton for 3 years you lose the risk of him shutting down when he is 38 and get the prime of one of the greatest players of the league. Despite his peaks and troughs Hamilton still had a OBP of .354, hit 43 home runs and 128 RBIs while amassing a WAR of 4.4. Whoever sign Hamilton will be getting at least 2 more years of production like this. Hamilton could very likely end up in a situation like Prince Fielder where he keeps his options open and does not sign until he gets the contract he wants by waiting until the end of January. Josh Hamilton could very well handcuff the Rangers if they wait for his decision and could lose out on some great players if sit by the phone and wait.

Decision #2 Where to fill the void?

If Hamilton leaves (which will probably happen) the Rangers have a sink hole in the outfield that needs to be filled, but his absence does come with a huge amount of flexibility. The rumors of late have been trading Andrus for one of the Upton brothers, sign Grienke, or Adam LaRoche. Each of one of these options can make up for the loss of Hamilton's 4.4 WAR. Craig Gentry was great last year in his limited playing time and Texas could roll out a very good platoon outfield of Leonys Martin, David Murphy, Craig Gentry and Nelson Cruz. However, I would sign Angel Pagan from the San Fransisco Giants. I would offer him a four year deal for 40 million. There is some risk with him after his output dropped after his break out year in 2010, but he picked it up in 2012 with the World Series Champion Giants. However, he batted .288/.338/.440 with a wOBA of .334 and 4.8 WAR. Also from what I have seen he has great range and glove and plays extremely hard every game and could bring some fire back to the Rangers (which I doubt they need after the way the season ended).

           Not only would I sign Pagan, but I would sign Grienke as well for 7 years 115 million. The Rangers would go from struggling to keep a number one ace pitcher to having two of them for the next 6 years. A rotation of Grienke, Darvish, Ogando, Harrison, and Holland and with the Colbra and Feliz coming back during the year this would be the top of baseball for the 2013 season. The starters on this team have shown to be an unselfish bunch as well by moving from the bullpen to the starting rotation and vice versa.

Decision #3: What to do with the Infield

First 4 Full years

Player A, Ages 21-24: 14 HR/341 Runs/197 RBI/123 SB/.286 AVG/.349OBP/13.9 WAR/UZR 28

Player B, Ages 23-27: 5HR/201 Runs/113 RBI/35 SB/.250AVG .388OBP/8.6 WAR/UZR NA

          Player A is the best young short stop in baseball, Elvis Andrus and player B is hall of fame short stop Omar Visquel (I took his first 4 full years, in 1990 he played only 81 Games). I understand baseball has changed immensely since 1990, but my point his Andrus still has yet to reach his ceiling and could make a huge leap like Visquel did in 1999. There is no reason to break the best defensive left side of baseball with Andrus and Beltre for one of the Upton brothers or an unknown outfielder.  Both of the Uptons are streaky unreliable players who would only be worth the trade if the jet stream in Texas could amplify their game. Now Texas' infield is crowded with Profar, Andrus, Young and Kinsler. If there is one of the group to trade it would be Ian Kinsler. If it was not for Michael Young (who is probably untradeable) they could use Olt and Profar as utility guys and get them ABs by being creative. 

              It's a difficult spot to be in with so much talent and not enough positions. I would bat Michael Young  in the line up only in the bottom half against Lefties. I would put Profar at second, Andrus at SS and keep the almighty Beltre at third, but I would move Kinsler to an OF spot. This is only hypothetical and I am basing this solely on Kinsler has the speed to play corner outfield but I do not know much about his arm since he plays 2B or if he would even switch. 

         Now what to do with Mike Napoli. I agree with the Rangers not giving Nap-O-Li a 13 million qualifying. I would give him a 3 year 18 million contract since the catching market is thin and Soto is not an everyday starting catcher. A line up that in order that would go Andrus, Profar, Pagan, Beltre, Cruz, Kinsler, Napoli, Moreland, Young/Olt and Murphy/Gentry to come off the bench against lefties would be unstoppable. 

The Bullpen:

          Now this is the area that I am most worried about with this team. Despite this fact, the bull pen can be rebuilt cheaply and craftily. Adams will likely walk because a team will give him a big deal even though nobody should give big money to relief pitchers. Koji needs to be resigned as the set up man after shutting everyone down at the end of the year. Feldman, Lowe, Dempster, and Oswalt all will be gone even though they will not be missed. With Ogando in the rotation and Adams and company gone there are spots to be filled. Now two more spots would be given to Grimm and Martin Perez. I would sign a fringe starter, like Feldman, who had a high BABIP last year to pitch in the bull pen to be let loose after watching Tommy Hunter throw 100 coming out of the pen. Then I would sign lefty killer LaTroy Hawkins and veteran Kyle Farnsworth to shore up the pen. This bull pen would take some time to get in the pieces in place and would probably need some help at the trade deadline, but the money would be better spent on Grienke and Pagan than Jonathan Broxton.

          The past 3 years have had some incredible highs and the lowest of lows for any time I have ever seen during my time on Earth. There has been some great moments like beating the Yankees to clinch the pennant in 2010, Adrian Beltre's 3 home runs in one game to clinch the ALDS against the Rays and Derek Holland's performance in game 4. These great joys have been scarred like the craters on Venus after the heartbreaks in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Despite the gut wrenching losses it is still much better than the mediocrity and terrible teams from 1998-2009. The team still has it's title window open, players who know how to win and the resources to do so. The organization as a whole has some difficult choices, but there is no ownership I would trust more to make them. I, like everyone else should, have faith that one day a World Series Champions banner will hang over The Ball Park in Arlington for us to bask in it's glow. As the weather keeps getting colder the stove gets warmer.