Here's the latest from the reigning American League champions and their divisional rivals…
- After the news broke earlier today that Neftali Feliz would remain the Rangers' closer this season, Nolan Ryan said the team is aiming to have Feliz join the rotation for the 2012 season. "I think if we weren't in such a need for him as a closer, he would be starting for us this year," Ryan said in a radio interview on ESPN 103.3 FM's Galloway and Company (and reported on by Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com). "I think what it means is that we have a year to find somebody within our system or through trade or a free agent acquisition to come in and take that role [as closer]."
- Jon Daniels and Michael Young have met twice this spring to "clear the air," tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Daniels expressed regret over not communicating better with Young, and also regretted that the veteran infielder received "undeserved criticism" for his trade request, reports T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Daniels doesn't think Young will be dealt before Opening Day but "he hasn't ruled out anything."
- The Angels fired scouting director Eddie Bane last fall, a decision that ESPN's Keith Law criticized in an e-mail to Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Law thought Bane's firing "smacked of internal politics, and furthered Tony Reagins' reputation in the game as a difficult person to work for and someone who only values opinions that match his own."
- The Mariners have been adamant that they have no intention of trading Felix Hernandez, and Scott Miller of CBSSports.com commends the M's for their stance.
Don’t get the Feliz thing. I’m sorry, but serviceable closers are a heck of a lot easier to find than starters with elite stuff. I’m a Brewer fan, and in the last few years, they have picked Danny Kolb, Derrick Turnbow, Solomon Torres, and John Axford off the scrap heap and got decent seasons from each.
If it were me, I would rather see 180 innings of Feliz than 60.
no. closers are a rare breed of reliever trained in the black jungle arts of war. they are irreplaceable pitching ninjas and the most valuable part of any team
albert pujols wishes he were a closer. and so do the cardinals
Rangers with Feliz closing #Winning
Of course I’d normally agree, but considering it’s a challenge to find a Rangers’ reliever that does not have a double-digit ERA this spring, it’s sort of hard to blame them.
They had a servicable won named Francisco and they traded him from a position of weakness to acquire a player where they already had some depth.
All Frankie is going to do is help Toronto’s depth on the DL. Give me Mike Napoli.
100 percent agree with you. I think it’s a waste of his talent to only pitch him in a 1/3 of the innings he could potentially pitch as a starter.
“The Mariners have been adamant that they have no intention of trading Felix Hernandez, and Scott Miller of CBSSports commends the M’s for their stance.”
Anything else they can say about him other than he is not getting traded? I’m referring to the media and all, not the Mariners, since that’s what they are probably asked every day of the year.
I think the media keeps asking because they, like me, have a hard to believing that the M’s won’t consider it. Face it. They are HORRIBLE. The M’s are, at minimum, 2-3 years away from being a contender. Not listening to offers for the single biggest trade chip in baseball is just absurd.
If Jack Z really wants to kick his rebuild into high gear, he trades Felix to the Yankees for a massive package that includes Montero, Banuelos, plus, plus, plus……
If Jack Z trades Felix, he would pretty much get a choice of any four players in any organization in baseball, plus filler.
And how many years away would the M’s be with those Yankee prospects? At least 2-3 years away and without Felix. This way the M’s are 2 to 3 years away and will stll have Felix. The King is going nowhere.
The M’s aren’t going to be 100 L bad this year. They aren’t carrying Jr. as a #4 hitter for the first 2 months of the season. Smoak, Saunders, Moore and Ackley will be productive this year. Felix will lead a rotation with Bedard, Pineda, Vargas and Fister. The bullpen has some major holes but the M’s have some prospects that they’ve got in trade the last 2 years that will help out a lot.
This isn’t the Cleveland Indians of the Pittsburg Pirates were talking about here. This is a franchise capable of spending $100 million on payroll. This is an organization that is finally getting out from under the job that Bill Bavasi did.
Zduriencik is building up the minors and in 2 to 3 years, the M’s will not only be ready to compete, they will have one of the stronger minor league systems to feed the org with cheap young players so they can afford to buy a few top FA’s as well.
The Mariners are going to be punishing the Yankees behind Felix in 2 to 3 years. In 2 to 3 years the Yankees will be feeling the weight of the contracts of ARod, Texiera and CC. Why would Felix want to go to that hole?
I’ve kinda gone back and forth on this; if they trade him now they could get a haul of players nearly unheard of (assuming they could find someone to actually give them what they would ask for) but how much less would they really get if they wait a couple years? Plus if they trade him now they lose one of the main draws to get people to the park even when they’re losing; without him who knows what their attendance would be.
That is a horrible package for Felix, why can’t Yankee fans get a grip on reality, a dh in Montero and Spring Training aces don’t add up, don’t get me wrong, the two B’s should turn out good but come the “F” on when I say develop them and THEN talk.
Bad teams need good players to stop being bad. They can contend with Felix in those 2-3 years from now to come. I’m sick of every ace being through of as a trade chip. It’s rare that epic deals work out well for both sides anyway. Props to Seattle.
Keith Law loves others’ opinions.
google translate Sarcasm to English Loves=Hates
I’m glad Feliz is staying a closer to limit his innings this year. I’d hate to see him become another hard throwing young pitcher that overdoes it and needs Tommy John surgery like Strasburg or Volquez.
You know Feliz actually pitched 1.1 more innings than Strasburg last year?
Attention national media d-bags. The M’s are NOT going to trade Felix. Get that through your thick impermeable skulls.
So Feliz conditioned this spring to start and now he’s going to close then in 2012 going to start? And he will magically go from his 60+ innings to 200+? Or will there be growing pains and inning limits?
Funny how you hear all about the east coast bias in the media when they’re pointing out the positives, but the second Texas starts to pull a Joba and nobody is criticizing it, all is somehow right in the media world according to some fans.
I don’t agree with the decision, but I would never compare Feliz to Joba.
Feliz keeps himself in shape, has a clean smooth delivery, soaks up coaching like a sponge, is dedicated to becoming a better pitcher and isn’t afraid of midges. Pretty much the exact opposite of every shortcoming that makes Joba a chronic disappointment.
And yet all of those points are completely irrelevant to what I said. Nobody compared Joba to Feliz as a pitcher or an athlete, I compared each respective FO’s decisions regarding the player and the media’s reactions
And yeah, I bet Feliz was drafted like every other athlete for their midge tolerance.
I am surpirsed, AS SOON AS I SAW FELIX’S NAME I instantly expected to see something about the yankees…what a good ole’ refreshing GASP of breath!
Its funny that in a different tread I wrote that the Rangers would keep in as the closer and get a long look at him as a starter next year and what is Nolan Ryan quoted as saying? Common sense here folks, the Rangers have a great closer and they have a decent 1-5.
I think common sense says you’d rather have a great starter and a decent closer, but that’s just me and mathematics talking.
Yeah that is why the Yankees moved Mo after 1996 right? Oh he is still the closer? why is that do you think, that cutter he throws could of easily made him one of the most unhittable starters in the game yet he remained closer, weird, and they won how many world series titles with him?
Rivera was awful as a starter. That’s why the Yankees converted him to a reliever. Rest assured, if he had been capable of starting the Yankees would have preferred 200 innings to the 60-70 he gives them.
Comparing Rivera and Feliz is apples to oranges. Rivera throws one pitch and showed no signs of developing any others. Feliz throws four with two being plus-plus offerings.
And the Yankees won all those WS because they had really good rotations with All-Stars scattered throughout the lineup. Rivera was the icing on the cake that a franchise like the Yankees can afford because they can go out and offer the moon to every free agent arm that comes along.
Every other franchise has to develop pitching from within to stay relevant. And when a potential ace comes along you develop him, bullpen be damned.
The Mariners trade Felix and they might as well sell the Team to Portland because no one would even come close to setting foot in Safeco, it would be remodeled as a skating rink.
John Rhadigan is the worst play-by-play man in baseball. That is all.
No, that’s forever Joe Buck.
Joe Buck never said “Saddle up baseball you’re goin’ for a ride” after a home run.
No but he talks about everything and then sprinkles in whats happening on the actual field, he is dreadful to listen to, and he has a sinister snear when he knows the camera is on him.
Joe Buck is truly awful. But you’ll just have to trust me when I tell you, John Rhadigan makes Joe Buck look like Vin freaking Scully.
That is hard to do, I will believe you when icicles shoot up from the ground with a note saying Hell froze over.