Trade Partner Target: Texas Rangers

by Hac Man on Jun 10, 2008 5:18 PM PDT Comment 26 comments

Trading seems to be on everyone's brain way too much, so I apologize in advance if this diary treads some well-worn ground. I was very happy with the recent draft and if more than a few baseball writers consider Buster Posey a "sure thing" and the most ready prospect, then we didn't do too shabbily.

In looking at the 2009 and beyond plans for the Giants, and trying to pick up more hitting, Texas seems to stand out as a good trade partner from a player suitability perspective. Texas needs pitching, which the Giants have in spades. Moreover, they have star players at several spots (Michael Young, Josh Hamilton, etc.) which may be blocking some prospects that could be unblocked coming here (Ok, Hamilton is a star, but isn't blocking anyone that we can use, given he plays CF).

I don't know too much about the Texas farm system, only that they have been stockpiling prospects recently (taking Smoak who was quite popular amongst the McCoven). German Duran is their top 2nd base prospect. Is it feasible that we might be able to get him and some other prospects by dangling some pitching their way?

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lets trade posey for smoak.

by zeisenbe on Jun 10, 2008 5:34 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

That was the first thing I thought of. Of course, we have to wait a year now.

Your 2011 SF Giants: the 2008 Augusta Greenjackets!

by Lyle on Jun 11, 2008 5:32 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

can you trade a PTBNL for a PTBNL?

by tyrannoman on Jun 11, 2008 7:43 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

John Sickels Rangers Top 20 dated November 24, 2007.

1. Taylor Teagarden, C, Grade B+ (would be a Grade A- if not for injury history)
2. Eric Hurley, RHP, Grade B+
3. Elvis Andrus, SS, Grade B+
4. Chris Davis, 3B, Grade B+
5. Matt Harrison, LHP, Grade B+
6. Michael Main, RHP, Grade B
7. John Mayberry Jr, OF, Grade B
8. Kasey Kiker, LHP, Grade B
9. Max Ramirez, C, Grade B
10. German Duran, 2B, Grade B
11. Omar Poveda, RHP, Grade B
12. Neftali Feliz, RHP, Grade B-
13. Blake Beavan, RHP, Grade B-
14. Brandon Boggs, OF, Grade C+
15. Johnny Whittleman, 3B, Grade C+
16. Julio Borbon, OF, Grade C+
17. Tommy Hunter, RHP, Grade C+
18. Armando Galarraga, RHP, Grade C+
19. Neil Ramirez, RHP, Grade C+
20. Brennan Garr, RHP, Grade C+

If SF does not sign catcher Gerald Posey the Rangers should be given a courtesy call. The Rangers have a couple of infielders which could interest the Giants who are short on talented infield replacements in the near future.

by wilriv21 on Jun 10, 2008 5:36 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Elvis Andrus

Googling him, he seems like someone who the Giants might be able to use (Bocock and Burriss notwithstanding).

by Hac Man on Jun 10, 2008 5:42 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

except

hes like 18 years old

waiting for 2011....

by Osama91w9 on Jun 10, 2008 6:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Andrus Would Cost Way Too Much

Baseball America ranked Andrus as the Rangers #1 Prospect for 2008 and the #19 prospect in baseball’s top 100. Villalona was ranked #33 in the top 100.

Plus he was the key piece in the Mark Teixeira trade with the Braves last year.

by Cainer on Jun 10, 2008 8:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m not really a huge fan of any of the Rangers prospects to be honest. And if you look up some of these guys you will see they are performing poorly. Texas has a really poor track record with developing their highly touted prospects. They basically gave up on Volquez, and now he’s the best pitcher in baseball as a rookie.

Chris Davis for instance while he has displayed good power, he struck out 150 times last year in close to 500 AB’s at 2 levels. And he doesn’t walk.

Teagarden is performing horribly thus far, at least as far as hitting is concerned this year at AA, and AAA.

Eric Hurley isn’t doing very well in the PCL either.

Andrus can’t be that good if the Braves traded him. They don’t trade people who are good. Remember Damian Moss? Or Wilson Betemit? Saltamacchia hasn’t been all he was hyped up to be either.

Max Ramirez has had a great year, but there are questions as to his position.

German Duran is another guy who has struggled this year.

by Hobbes2d on Jun 10, 2008 5:50 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

i guess i was looking more at their needs

seeing as they need pitching so badly (as bad as Hurley is doing, I think they had to call him up after they got rid of Sir Sidney), that they might be willing to part with some hitting.

This was something I found on Andrus, which makes him sound pretty good:

The scoop: Minor league authority Baseball America will also make Andrus their No. 1 Rangers’ prospect when its rankings are revealed next month. Andrus makes a pretty clear case for this ranking. From some casual conversations, the people I’ve spoken with suggest he should _ not could _ be at least the major league equal of Edgar Renteria. In other words: He should be an above average shortstop. The high side of any shortstop comparison is always Derek Jeter, who just happens to be Andrus’ favorite player. And there are some similarities there too. But Renteria is a good place to start comparing these guys. Renteria played most of the season at age 18 in High A in 1993. He hit .253 with no homers, 36 RBIs, a .307 OBP and a .599 OPS. Andrus, who was 18 for almost all of last season, compares favorably in every category.

then again, his current stats in AA look pretty bad: .268/.322/.316

by Hac Man on Jun 10, 2008 6:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Those are some lofty expectations

Renteria is a 5 time All-Star, and hit over .300 as a 20 year old rookie. Andrus just now reached AA this year at 19, and seems to be struggling. Which is forgivable given his age. I just think he is an overrated prospect.

by Hobbes2d on Jun 10, 2008 6:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

and they didn't so much give up on Volquez as give in so they could get Hamilton

I read somewhere else that the Rangers tried to offer 15 other combinations to the Reds that didn’t involve Volquez, and when the Reds didn’t budge, they gave in so they could get the Natural.

by Hac Man on Jun 10, 2008 6:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well that will tell you just how stupid Jon Daniels is...

Especially if their other prospects are supposedly so highly regarded, I can’t believe that there is no other way the Rangers couldn’t have still acquired Hamilton and kept Volquez at the same time. Especially when you consider that the Reds were already locked into Griffey in the OF, and had Bruce and Votto busting down the door to the ML’s. And 13 million committed to Dunn as well.

In my opinion they gave up on Volquez. I love Josh Hamilton, and thought he would have been a great acquisition for the Giants, but with the Rangers supposed depth in pitching and positional prospects, and with their great need for pitching period, they screwed the pooch. As good as Hamilton is, his age and that ballpark make his accomplishments this season inflated. Exhibit 1, Milton Bradley. Who is also having a huge season.

by Hobbes2d on Jun 10, 2008 6:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Further proof at Daniels idiocy...

Milton Bradley’s home splits: .385 avg, 8 2B, 12 HR, 29 RBI .844 SLG %
Milton Bradley’s road splits: .295 avg, 11 2B, 2 HR, 14 RBI, .457 SLG %

Josh Hamilton’s home splits: .349 avg, 8 2B, 11 HR, 43 RBI, .698 SLG
Josh Hamilton’s road splits: .282 avg, 8 2B, 6 HR, 26 RBI, .496 SLG

by Hobbes2d on Jun 10, 2008 6:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

While they were good acquisitions, I think its obvious that you can always find people to be productive in that ballpark, and that trading away someone as talented as Volquez was probably one of the dumbest things anyone could ever do.

by Hobbes2d on Jun 10, 2008 6:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don’t know it doesn’t look so dumb right now, as talented as volquez its hard to argue with what Hamilton has done. Their strength in the minors is their pitching, whats wrong with trading a strength for a need when they are of equal value. You could argue against the trade but maybe the words dumb and idiot are a little strong.

Now you want to see stupid, google sabean.

by zeisenbe on Jun 10, 2008 8:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I still think it looks dumb. Volquez was major league ready, and looked decent last year with Texas, after 2 previous struggles in callups in 05 and 06, years in which he was rushed to the majors.

Whereas most of the Rangers so called “pitching” strength is years away. Hurley is not an ace. In fact he projects as a mid rotation guy, in the Kevin Millwood mode, as BA describes it. Almost all of their other highly touted pitchers are 20 years or younger. And given Texas’ recent track record with their minors, I can’t see how anyone could expect them to develop pitchers. They’re about as inept with pitching as the Giants are with positional players.

by Hobbes2d on Jun 10, 2008 10:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I find it ironic that some people

Say that trading Volquez for Hamilton was a dumb idea (questionable pitching prospect for very talented hitting prospect) but will then turn around and suggest that we trade Cain, Lincecum, or Sanchez (successful ML pitchers) for a talented hitting prospect.

The absolute best we could ever hope to acheive from trading any of the big 3 is a player who is performing like Josh Hamilton. So which is more valuable? Hitter or pitcher?

If you say hitter, then the Rangers did good, right? If pitcher, then they are stupid.

But one cannot say the Rangers are stupid for trading Volquez while at the same time suggest that we trade Matt Cain for Laporta.

Eugeniooooooo!!!!

by FairweatherFan on Jun 11, 2008 6:52 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well I know your speaking in more general terms, since I’ve never advocated such a move. I think for the Rangers specifically though it was indeed a stupid move. They’ve been pitching starved for how long? Basically since they opened the Ballpark in Arlington. Volquez was major league ready, he had mid 90s fastball, with a plus changeup. He performed fairly well in a short ML stint last year for Texas.

Also for Texas, they have no problem with offense, their ballpark essentially makes players far more productive than they would otherwise be. Its similar to what Coors Field and Mile High Stadium did for guys like Galaragga, Walker, Castilla, Bichette etc who were good players outside of those stadiums, but the thin air made them offensive monsters.

So when you lack something so important like pitching, is it really smart to trade your most advanced, and arguably talented pitching prospect for a hitter? And its not like they even got anyone else in the trade, it was 1 for 1.

The Giants on the other hand, if they so chose to trade a pitcher like Sanchez or Cain etc, they have the depth to make such a move. Also their ballpark is conducive to improving a pitcher’s statistics, since it plays so big.

by Hobbes2d on Jun 11, 2008 1:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Damien the Ace Austrailian?

How dare you speak poorly of him!

Of course, the Braves did once trade Jerome Dye for Michael Tucker, straght up.

by tyrannoman on Jun 11, 2008 7:45 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

neifi felix?

did anyone else see the name neftali feliz and immediately think him the illegitimate love child of neifi chicken and pete happy? He should be the last person we should even consider, however he might be a perfect choice for sabes to rekindle his old glory! First there was notgardo, now there’s nayfeliz.

by joebirdie3 on Jun 10, 2008 9:05 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs