The Rangers are one of three teams to win 90-plus games in each of the past three seasons (the Yankees and Rays are the others) but they’ll be spectators for the remainder of postseason following a loss to the Orioles in Friday night’s Wild Card play-in game. Here’s the latest from Texas…
- It wouldn’t shock baseball people if the Rangers walk away from Josh Hamilton altogether this offseason, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes. The assumption around MLB is that the Rangers know Hamilton better than anyone else, so potential suitors will be carefully monitoring Texas’ bids. However, the Rangers intend to sit back and let other teams make the first move.
- It might be time for the Red Sox to use Jacoby Ellsbury as a trade chip for rotation help, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald writes. GM Ben Cherington is expected to consider a multiyear extension for the center fielder, but agent Scott Boras figures to seek a deal in the $160MM range. The Rangers could find themselves in the market for a center fielder this offseason, so Lauber wonders if they'd make Derek Holland available in a deal for Ellsbury.
- One MLB executive said there’s “zero” chance the Red Sox sign Ellsbury to a contract extension before he reaches free agency at the end of the 2013 season, Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com reported last month. Ellsbury has one more season of arbitration eligibility after earning $8.05MM in 2012.
ellsbury + prospects for Elvis Andrus? (Assuming Hamilton signs elsewhere and Andrus becomes available because of Jurisckson).
Ellsbury for either Andrus or Holland are interesting proposals. The only turn off for the Rangers would be having to deal with Boras. Holland is expendable because the Rangers think he might have peaked already.
Andrus is also a Boras guy
but he’s not at the end of his contract.
Andrus is free after 14 though, coincidentally the same time Jeter becomes a free agent at the ripe age of 40, rangers don’t want no part in that bidding war when you got profar you can replace him with. Id rather trade Elvis for a Justin Upton who is under control until 2017 instead of one year of Ellsbury
Only problem with that is Arizona isn’t going to trade Upton for someone who hits free agency after 2014.
I doubt this. Andrus yes Holland no. He hasn’t peaked. He will get better
That would actually be quite the interesting trade. I think Andrus would bring alot of much needed club house personality to the Red Sox too.
That could be a “win, win” deal for both teams.
People overvalue Andrus a bit His defense is good but 21 steals and 10 caught stealing is pretty awful. He hits around .275 with no power. Plus hes a free agent after 2014 so he and Boras will want a hefty raise. Not sure why the Sox would have to be the ones to throw in a prospect.
SS is the position Boston is loaded at also.. Like every single level from AAA down. Last position they would trade Ells for is a SS.
Even if Bogaerts is moved to 3b/LF, they have Lin, Vinicio, Marrero and can use Iglesias,Ciriaco, even keep Aviles around until one is ready.
Texas is a bad trade partner for Ellsbury period if they move him. Holland, being a lefty is asking for potential trouble at Fenway. Too risky. Nationals (if Rizzo doesn’t sign Upton) fit better.
I greatly admire Ellsbury. I think he’d be a great fit for center field in Yankees Stadium, but a contract for $160MM would have to be for 10 years.
He will be 30 as a free agent. 10 years is way too long. Boras is probably looking 8 year 160M
He had one year of 30 hr power, every other year he has minimal power. He needs more years of healthyness to prove he deserves that money.
I’ll pass. I understand the allure. He’s been inconsistent in Boston, but being a lefty in Yankees Stadium, he could actually sustain 30HR seasons regularly. But he’s just way too injury prone to offer that much money/years to.
I don’t agree with Yankee fans often, but I do here. I really like Ells, but he’s a $10MM/year player who thinks he’s a $20MM/year player. The good news for Boston is that, since this is his contract year, he will probably have a “good” year before he walks after 2013. I would much rather take a chance on Hamilton (although again, not at the $23-25MM/year some suggest) for, say, 5 years than pursue Ellsbury.
$160MM? Seriously?
No way he gets that. Jackie bradley jr hello and welcome to the bigs.
Olney makes a good point that too many outside of the Rangers look at Josh’s gaudy numbers and think the Rangers would be crazy to let him go. I think the Rangers and their fanbase are prepared to let Josh go for the insane mega-deal he is likely to get from somebody out there. His right-handed bat and numbers would be missed, but the perennial problems would not. The Rangers are unlucky in that they don’t have a genuine power bat ready to replace Josh–Profar hits well, but he won’t ding 40+ HRs a season.
i doubt josh hamilton batting right-handed would be missed at all.
OBVIOUSLY, since he’s a lefty.
ya.. thats the joke
Neither would Saltalamacchia and he attempts it.. Shame he hits 5x better LH, including 23 of his 25HR.
Hamilton is a left handed batter.
I thought he was a right handed reliever
Why would the Red Sox re-sign Ellsbury after they sign Hamilton? 🙂
In all seriousness, the Red Sox could use a power bat to go with Ortiz and they have tons of salary room, so maybe they would take a chance on him.
Have you not heard the endless banter about how the sox need to spend wisely? that would be leaps in the wrong direction…
I think Ellsbury HAS to have a 150+ game season next year or he won’t get much more than a one year deal to prove his health. After the Carl Crawford debacle, I can see GM’s becoming very nervous about giving 9 figure deals to CF’ers with injury history’s
He has to, and if he wants a $150M+ contract he better be showing 30 hr power again. I didn’t feel he could repeat that season, and if he doesn’t do it next year and goes back to his old self it probably drops him down to $15M range.
And that may also affect the offers that Josh Hamilton gets this year—although in his case, he could be a DH down the line at some point.
So who does everyone think will actually be in on Hamilton aside from Texas? The usual suspects are pretty set in their Outfields(aside from Philly , and will they want to give ANOTHER big contract to a guy with an injury history?) the mid market teams like Atlanta and Pittsburgh can’t really afford him…… Couldn’t Texas end up in the drivers seat? (especailly considering there are a lot of cheaper OF options this offseason available either as free agents or trade?)
I think there will be interest, I just don’t know how many teams will want to offer $150M+ contracts.
Boston makes sense, I guess. No one has said this, but I sort of expect Atlanta to be in on Hamilton, since Bourn is a FA and Hamilton is from the south. I really don’t know what Atlanta’s money situation is at the moment, though. He may have to settle for a 5 year, $25 mil a year deal because of the baggage and the injuries and the fizzling out at times.
Braves will have around $25-$28 mill (after paying arb eligible guys and picking up options) maybe a tad more if payroll goes up 5% (to match attendance increase) they could offer him 6 years $120 mill, but that would probably be their limit (I’m a Braves fan and going after big stars with big contracts for that many years hasn’t been standard procedure since Maddux)
Texas IS in the driver’s seat….it’s a win-win for us…let him walk and we win (more money to spend on someone else); keep him for a low risk 3-4 year deal (loaded with incentives) with an option year (along with stipulations outlining how the contract can be voided if he falls off the wagon so to speak). All we need to do is wait….look at last year….we didn’t want CJ and thank God the Angels took the bait.
Just thinking about how Holladay and Bay were free agents a few years ago. Both were rated highly, and now what a difference the Cards have a solid player while the Mets with Bay, well that’s another story. I think both Ellsbury and Hamilton are risky at best. As a GM if you make a mistake with either one you are fired.
If the Sox trade Ellsbury, I want Andrus. I don’t want Holland. But at that point, you get nothing of value in terms of pitching.
I rather ask about Profar
Andrus is a proven commodity and he is under 25.
You can always ask if you don ‘t mind getting laughed at, Rangers are not going to trade Profar for 1 year of injury prone Ellsbury. Ellsbury for Andrus more compatible if Sox add a prospect or 2 and no I’m not a Rangers fan
Honestly, the best trade scenario with that would be sending Andrus and Holland over to the sox for Ells, Aviles, Chris Carpenter and a B prospect like Linares or Celestino…maybe Vitek?
Read our lips!!! Profar ain’t going anywhere except to the Ballpark in Arlington
Ells, I love you, and love to see you roaming the outfield and swiping bases when you’re healthy, but you just aren’t a $20MM/year player right now.
Does Ells thinks he is Matt Kemp?
That’s a ridiculous contract for Ells if he indeed gets it.
This coming from a Dodgers fan…I doubt the Dodgers will do the Red Sox another favor down the road.
I don’t think the rangers would part with Holland for just Ellsbury.A cost controlled LHP who possibly could eat innings is not someone you trade with health problems. How about we do Young and Andrus? We will see more trades that include a bad contract with a hard cap coming in the next 2 years. So we would absorb the 16 million for Young and use him as 1B/Util player and will also plug in Andrus.
Also on another side note, I think it is time for the Rangers to go get a King Felix type pitcher and yes I mean a top 5 pitcher. They showed in the playoff game they don’t have a proven stopper. They have the farm system to basically get anyone so prove it and go show your fans you mean it.
They should offer something like Olt Perez Grimm and Buckell and see where the stand, because a rotation of Harrison, Lewis, Darvish, Holland and ….. would easily not get past a Verlander or Sabathia in 2 games. They could use Olt to move Seager to 2B and Ackley to CF.
Boston is not a good trade partner for Texas this year….they have nothing we want, except possibly (and I mean possibly) Jon Lester…also, Seattle never lets King Felix go…but Rangers do have the assets to go after David Price or someone like him.
Ellsbury for Holland? No thanks. Holland’s ERA is too high.
Holland essentially repeated his performance from 2011 this past year, except for one thing: homers. Actually, he lowered his walks & WHIP, and lowered his BAA, so the argument could be made that he actually had a better year in 2012. But he gave up 10 more homers, and many of them were of the 3 run variety, hence the boost in ERA. Having said that, I’m tired of his nuttiness and coaches having to calm him down just about every game at some point. He seems more interested in being weird and eccentric than being a dependable solid pitcher, so if they can find a trade partner and the guys they get back help improve the team, I’m actually all for trading Holland this winter.
I agree…time to unload Holland
Sorry, but the Rangers don’t want/need Ellsbury….we’d rather have Michael Bourn or Justin Upton…oh, and I’d be happy to unload Holland…but for a decent return.
If the Tigers don’t win it this year, Detroit should consider entering the Hamilton bidding. Like Texas, they have a sober (alcohol-free) clubhouse because of Miguel Cabrera’s incidents and owner Mike Illytch isn’t getting any younger. The environment would be perfect for him. Also, Hamilton in the #2 hole would be unbelievable. Pitchers would have nightmares about facing Austin Jackson, Josh Hamilton, Miguel Cabrera, and Prince Fielder all in a row.
Not to sound like a horrible person but the last thing a club and front office will want is two addicts in the same club house. Yes it might actually work best because they would have each other to count on and help each other through the hard times but at the same time if one goes off the wagon the other might follow. Its a huge risk huge risk reward situation. PLUS Hamilton will more than likely get a contract of at leasy 18 million. It may not be for a long term but he will more than likely get between 17-20 million. To go along with paying Prince Fielder 23+ million a season till 2020, Miggy 20+ million for the next 3 years and then an extension after that commanding 20+ per season again. And not to mention the Verlander extension in 2 years, another 20+ million. Youre talking 80+ million for 4 players to go along with Scherzer, Jackson and fister extensions. This could potentiall be 100 million in 7 players in 2-3 years. In a small market with one of the worst economies in the entire country. Yes they have a billionaire owner, but he is very very old and wont be around too much longer. There is no way the Tigers go after hamilton, unless his market plummets and takes a big pay cut to go there but then if that happens every other mlb team will be after him. The tigers NEED to win it all either this year or next year other wise they more than likely blow it up
So your saying that with the seven stars locked up in the next few years, not to mention some stellar prospects (rondon, castellanos) the tigers must win this year or next year?
As long as Illytch is breathing, don’t expect the Tigers to blow it up, even with Cabrera and Verlander set to walk. He plans to have a perennial contender until he croaks.
You forgot V-Mart
Illytch is going to need to move a lot of “Hot-N-Ready” pizzas to swing that deal.
Sure how about Holland and Andrus for Ells and Aviles. Holland for Ells is not a good trade straight up.
Rangers say no in a heartbeat. While I wouldn’t be surprised to see Andrus on the trade block, he’s going to command a huge price. No way the Rangers give him up for anything less than a clear win in a trade.
You got that right!!!
No one is going to trade for Andrus if it is a clear loss for them that is absurd. If the Rangers are going to trade Andrus they can’t look for a clear win because no team is going to give them that.
Andrus is a proven almost-star, who’s good enough to make the all star team once or twice perhaps. He’s no superstar, but he’s very solid. He plays at a very hitting friendly ballpark, yet has no power, which should be alarming.
He probably holds the biggest value for Texas in a trade to get high quality prospects, perhaps holding onto Andrus a bit into the season to force a few contenders hands.
Rangers should trade for Lincecum while his stock is low.
No way the Rangers would trade away Holland. He’s showing flashes of being a good 2 may 3 pitcher. Lets trade away a guy locked up for 5 years for a guy we own for a year. He won’t resign. BORAS is his agent he will walk no doubt. Trade Andrus and tell him to ditch your agent and resign with us. Maybe not the 10 year deal. Give him a 5 then he could break the bank after that. The rangers aren’t dumb and won’t trade Holland for a 1 year rental.
I don’t get the Ellsbury “value”. Great player to be sure, but injury problems this early in his career take him well out of the $20/yr range.