Insider | Short Hops | Love Letters
Things keep going like this, the Texas Rangers' 2007 lineup will consist of a cardboard cutout of Nolan Ryan, a Jeff Burroughs bobble-head and a pair of Alex Rodriguez's sweaty old spikes. Oh, yes, and Michael Young at shortstop.
The Rangers this winter are the anti-Cubs.
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| The Rangers are set at shortstop with All-Star MVP Michael Young. (Getty Images) |
In Texas, meanwhile, the Rangers right now would get out-shopped by Charlie Brown for a Christmas tree. No team will arrive at the winter meetings in Orlando next week more beleaguered than Texas.
DeRosa signed with the Cubs (three years, $13 million), leaving a hole at third base. Carlos Lee signed with Houston (six years, $100 million), leaving a void in the middle of the lineup. Gary Matthews signed with the Angels (five years, $50 million), leaving a gap in center field and atop the lineup. Adam Eaton agreed to terms with Philadelphia (three years, $24 million) and Kip Wells with St. Louis (one year, $4 million), leaving the Rangers, as usual, short on the mound.
As general manager Jon Daniels notes (groans?), close to 20 percent of the free agents who have changed teams so far this winter started with the Rangers. That's not a good thing. Texas' Alumni Club is growing more rapidly than Notre Dame's vaunted Subway Alums, and the Rangers aren't even BCS-eligible.
"I look at it this way," Daniels says. "There's no doubt we have a lot of work to do. But the people we bring in, we want a sustainable plan. I'm not looking to sign somebody just so we can have an announcement."
No doubt, the Rangers are in a pickle, and Daniels is in a jam.
As we speak, the Rangers' rotation consists of Kevin Millwood and four open spots. The club is trying to bring back Vicente Padilla and has contacted representatives for Barry Zito, Jason Schmidt, Ted Lilly and several other pitchers. They do have a few in-house candidates of their own, such as right-handers Edinson Volquez and Robinson Tejada and lefty John Koronka, but none of those guys has more than nine career victories and not all of them are ready to step in.
"Remember, last year at this time, we didn't have Kevin Millwood, Adam Eaton, Padilla, (Akinori) Otsuka or Lee, either," Daniels says. "And we didn't know we'd get the years out of Matthews and DeRosa that we got.
"It's easy to look on paper and compare and contrast guys we've lost. Believe me, we feel it. But we're not panicking."
The Rangers also are investigating trade possibilities, chiefly with Chicago White Sox general manager Kenny Williams, who still may deal Freddy Garcia (Texas? Seattle? The Los Angeles Dodgers or Angels?) before the bodies all land this winter.
