TUESDAY: Holland actually underwent microfracture surgery, reports Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News. That procedure comes with a longer rehabilitation time, says Fraley, who notes that Scott Feldman did not return to action until July 22, 2011 after undergoing the surgery in November of 2010.
The club anticipates that Holland will be out until the All-Star break, Fraley notes.
FRIDAY: Rangers starter Derek Holland is out until midseason after a left knee injury that took place Tuesday, according to a team release. Holland suffered the injury in a fall at home, and he had arthroscopic surgery today to fix torn cartilage.
The effect the injury will have on the Rangers' offseason planning is unclear. The Rangers are, however, still unlikely to acquire any of the remaining top pitching options, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan writes (also via Twitter). Instead, they will try to acquire more depth. That likely means the Rangers are still unlikely to be big players for Masahiro Tanaka.
With Holland out, the Rangers still figure to have Yu Darvish, Martin Perez and Matt Harrison in their rotation. If the Rangers don't add anyone else, Alexi Ogando, Colby Lewis, Nick Tepesch, Robbie Ross, Michael Kirkman and Tanner Scheppers could all be candidates for the final two spots.
Ouch
Wouldn’t be surprised if they start calling up the Rays about Price
That was my first thought too. Still some pretty solid free agent pitchers out there but this team is built to compete now.
Yeah I think they will for sure go after a SP, but it just depends if they wanna sacrifice dollars or prospects
I’d look at one of these pitchers and try to find one for a one year deal 6-12 million a year type of guy to come in and be a #4 or 5 guy.
I doubt that very much.
I’m not aware of what the front office’s policy is on things, would they rather spend money on FA than trade their prospects?
Far and away spend money, they’ve said it themselves.
I get that, but what about the depth they have in the middle infield? They have Andrus and Profar at MLB level and a couple more not far away
They have Odor and Sardinas in the infield not far away but people are rating Odor as a prospect near the Profar level or will be soon enough. They’ve said they have no interest in trading him but you would assume they would have to with Elvis and Profar being so young.
They definitely have the prospects to trade if they wanted to and they’d probably put Moreland in a Price deal because the Rays have been interesting for a while on him. I just don’t think Texas would want to pay the price to get him, personally.
After just signing Loney, I see no reason why the Rays would have any interest in Moreland.
Especially when both are lefty bats.
Don’t think they have the prospects. Rays always demand near MLB guys, and since Profar’s not available I don’t think rangers have enough.
Rangers have plenty of talent to trade for Price or any other player they want! Why don’t they resign Garza that they traded for last year? They liked him Enuff to give up guys last year & now they don’t ? What about Paul Malholm? I think he would be a good fit for them also! Plenty of other mid level guys that they could get for a reasonable price!
Nope. Rangers farm is decent but mostly lower level. Lots of guys have graduated now and they’ve been picking pretty low in recent years. Short of decimating the farm, loads of teams can outbid them. Don’t think Maholm would sign knowing he’s out soon as Holland comes back. Tough situation. No easy answer.
While Texas has a good farm I doubt they can get any player they want.
Do you comb for Rangers posts just to find some way to take a shot at the team?
And unload even more prospects, which they don’t quite have this time, for another pitcher who isn’t certain to stay long term? Might as well re-sign Garza and at least have something to show long term for that trade.
wow no bueno for texas.
That hurts. Wonder if they have any capability of signing a pitcher for 12 mill a year? That may be able to get Jimenez right now contrary to him saying he is seeking 14 a year
Texas didn’t kneed that to happen…
heh. funny.
Should they send tanaka right over?
Yikes, bad news.
I find it hard to believe that this wouldn’t affect their offseason plans. I would think they would be quite likely to be looking for some kind of stopgap solution (even if it’s internal).
Would you look at that? Just look at it…
Profar would have to be part of Price deal.
Or Sardinas or Odor since there is no way the Rangers are going to now trade their everyday second baseman. And after seeing the overpay that the Royals did for Shields, there is no team that is going to give their number one prospect for any pitcher, not even Price.
Unless Price goes to the Mariners, Profar and couple others to the Rays, Taijuan Walker or James Paxton as a fourth starting pitcher and a player to the Rangers in a three team trade.
The Rays would keep Walker or Paxton much higher return then Profar.
What first round draft pick would the Mariners can select to replace Walker as a top pitching prospect just like an impact freshman replacing a junior (early NFL Draft) or senior that was also an impact player like Rodon?
Well that’s devastating…
Our #2 starter goes down for half the season, Matt Harrison is barely recovered from his season ending injury and the same situation with Ogando.
I’d be interested in finding a decent #4/#5 pitcher on a one year deal, I doubt they go after Tanaka any more/less after this news.
Hard to sign someone good if they know they’ll lose their spot in a couple months. Capuano/Maholm types are probably not interested.
On the bright side, on a 1 year deal if they pitched well they would either stay in the rotation or be traded most likely.
Red Sox may trade Peavy or Dempster if the price is right, especially if they resign Drew. Both only have 1 year left on their deals. No idea what they would want though.
Word is that it was a freak injury at his home. That’s a bad break. I’ll see them sign a guy like Capuano or Garcia if they’re sticking to just some depth. They’ll have Darvish and Harrison with Ogando, Perez, the depth starter they sign and I’m assuming one of their minor league prospects to compete for the rotation.
Opens up more time to work on his weather forecasting.
Offseason injuries are awful.. Rangers shouldn’t panic and sign a big name to make up for the lost half season of Holland.
Actually, this isn’t awful.
The Rangers have tons of depth, and one of their guys will step up.
Wish we still had Justin Grimm.
What depth?
Not much, Nick Tepesch is about it. They still needed starting pitching depth BEFORE this injury.
Ahh, forgot about Colby Lewis, he is on a minor league deal and hopefully does some things and get’s right.
They have bullpen guys they can convert but I don’t think they will want to because it would be a temporary thing and wouldn’t want to groom them to start and then put them back in the bullpen.
Darvish, Harrison, Tepesch, Ogando, Kirkman, Perez, Ross and Font can all start–they have starting experience. If he’s ready, they can also put Colby Lewis in there.
That’s …not inspiring
Rangers need better quality depth than that.
You mean depth of bodies. But those bodies don’t equate to enviable quality depth that can absorb a loss of this magnitude.
Well No one is saying that is easy to replace a number two starter, but Tepesch and Scheppers could start, or Ogando.
Just because they are currently in the bullpen doesn’t mean they can’t start effectively.
Darvish and Perez and Colby Lewis will be okay.
Remember, we got to two World Series by just drubbing the other team.
We can do it again until July.
Drubbing? As in outslugging? When was the last time the Rangers didn’t have an offense that can out slug opposing teams. The Rangers got to 2 World Series in a row because they just happened to win the ALDS and ALCS in both seasons. The playoffs are a crapshoot. What got them to the playoffs though was the fact that for the first time I don’t now how long, the Rangers finally have developed good pitching that can bring them long-term success. That’s the key for them. More than most teams, they HAVE to have good pitching. Losing Holland is a big blow. I never said guys like Tepesch and Scheppers couldn’t start. It’s just a big IF. And big IF’s are what they are. And because Holland is out for half the season, the IF’s on the Rangers’ pitching staff are greater. And this is exactly why they should’ve made moves to improve their staff already. Rangers fans argued with me about that one the other day too, thinking they were fine, and look what happened. The Rangers need to make some moves.
I take your point, believe me, but who we gonna get?
No teams is going to deal a number 2 or 3.
The FA pitchers available are expensive and back end rotation guys anyway.
Even early on, we had overpriced guys, or damaged guys like Tim Hudson.
If we want a 1 or 2, the FA market isn’t going to supply it, and none is available without pillaging our farm system.
I appreciate that you wanted to do something sooner but no one is on the market except Price and Chris Sale( I think he signed an extension, though) or perhaps Jeff Samardzia.
Too expensive.
I think we have to go to the Show in the jeans we’re wearin’.
Bad luck for the rangers
Just trade for Clayton Kershaw
Wow. The Dallas Morning News predicted a career best season for Holland this year…and hours later, this news. The Rangers are going to have to reconsider Tanaka if they weren’t already talking to him. I still don’t think they’ll try for a Price trade though since they still have depth. I can hardly wait to find out how Holland got hurt.
This hurts. Texas had a questionable rotation to begin with, granted one with a lot of upside. That division will be tough.
Darvish, Holland, Harrison, Ogando, and Perez is a questionable rotation?
Yea. Darvish and Holland are very good. Harrison pitched twice last year and Ogando and Perez didn’t pitch full seasons. That could be a very good rotation, but I wouldn’t call it a reliably good one.
Agreed. That could be good but it’s really dicey for a WS quality team.
Now this is where we look closer at the Rangers’ pitching depth.
It’ll be tough. I imagine they’ll add another starter to the mix before Spring Training and maybe another during the season depending on how things will unfold, but they need a lot of guys to step up.
I still wouldn’t trade rotations with the angels….even without Holland. Darvish, Perez, Harrison and ogando will be fine. Harrison should feel better this year than he has in the past few years. Ogando can pitch well as a starter, he just can’t do it for a full season. Moving him to the pen when holland gets back will help him stay strong for the last half. Colby, Tepesh, Ross and others could also step up in spring training. This is not a disaster. There is no reason to overpay for a 4/5 starter or trade the farm.
Keep telling yourself that. Perez is inexperienced and Harrison is coming off 2 back surgeries. Ogando has never found consistency. The Rangers have been lucky with the health of their rotations over the last few years, but now reality is settling in. If the a Rangers do in fact sign Jerome Williams then that should tell us just how badly exposed the Rangers’ lack of depth really is.
Ogando was an all star as a starter a couple years ago. Perez, although inexperienced showed a marked improvement last year and is an age when pitchers get better. The argument
Could be made that Harrison should be better now than before the surgeries because he had been pitching with discomfort for years. The rangers only need to find a serviceable # 5 starter. Someone who can pitch into the 6th and keep them in it. They don’t need an ace. Colby, Ross, Tepesh and others can fill the role until the break.
Last year Angels fans said the same thing when we lost Harrison.
Very much so. Darvish is an ace no question and has the ability to carry the Rangers’ rotation into October. Holland is a good #2 behind him. But Harrison has had major injury concerns now, Ogando is as unpredictable as any 4th starter, and Perez is inexperienced. Who knows though? Harrison could bounce back. Ogando could find himself. Perez could be a sleeper. But those are major IF’s that fall right in line with the IF’s surrounding the A’s, Angels, and Mariners. And there’s the Astros. This is where expectations in baseball meets reality, and is why I don’t put any team on a pedestal. Don’t think that just because your team might look so great to you on paper that they are immune to injury and struggles. My Angels went into 2012 with a far better rotation that that (on paper), and came out with 2 pitchers with nagging injuries (Wilson, Haren), and one with his career-worst season (Santana). And the division winner was the team that almost everyone wrote off as a horrible team, possibly the worst in MLB, in Spring Training. The AL West will likely be a 5-team game of rugby.
Every rotation has ifs. How many rotations have 5 starters where you know 100% what you’re going to get?
2012 Reds.
The 2014 twins?
2012-2014 A’s
1971 Orioles! Lol
That’s the point.
Until you listed it out, I didn’t realize just HOW questionable that rotation is.
Goodbye World Series. 🙁
Yup
Verlander and now Holland. Methinks before next offseason, I need to invent and market my “pitcher’s bubble” for teams to pay an exorbitant amount of money for…
LOL. Not just pitchers though, V-Mart hurt himself in the offseason 2 years ago
Good point! My market already expands!
It amazes me how I never manage to injure myself, yet these players with multi million dollar contracts always get hurt doing the most simplist things.
I think it stands out because we’re always gonna hear about it on here or some other media outlet. Most freak injuries like this among common people occur in their own homes.
To be honest, we never really know how they injure themselves. If they were doing a dangerous activity that is a violation of their contract, or if drugs/alcohol were involved, we would not hear of it (unless it was in public and there were witnesses or police reports filed)
I’ll die laughing if they try to roll with Kirkland in the rotation.
I would die crying. There are 4-5 guys that will get the nod before him. Colby, Tepesh,Ross , scheppers , font, ect.
The Rangers do like to convert outfielders into pitchers, but I, myself, would die laughing if they rolled out with a 79 year old Willie.
Or maybe I missed the part of the Kinsler-Fielder trade where the Rangers picked up Johnnie and decided he was capable of jumping 5 levels (from Low-A to MLB) after a relatively pedestrian pro debut…
Good grief you confused me there for a while. Kirkman, of course, is what I meant. I shall blame autocorrect.
Luis Sardinas for Joe Kelly perhaps?
One of the better commenter trade suggestions.
I don’t know that the Rangers would have much interest in Kelly. He’d just be another name to throw into a competition for the 5th spot or a decent reliever.
With this injury, I can’t see them sitting on the sidelines without signing one of: Tanaka, Santana, Ubaldo, Garza
OR
trading for Price or Samardjiza
Price will cost them Profar and more
Samardjiza will cost them Alfaro and more
Tough blow for the Rangers.
Three team trade between Rangers, Mariners (to acquire Soto for catching & Moreland for first base help in order of trading Smoak for pitching), and Reds or Brewers would benefit those teams.
I don’t think they match-up well for Shark as they don’t have the top level pitching prospects the Cubs are looking for (especially after they just traded CJ Edwards to the Cubs for Garza at the deadline).
After the injuries to Starting Pitchers last year and now this… qualifies for the phrase ‘snake bit’! Good grief! Derek is young and I know he will work his hardest to get well soon!
Rangers can go on a trade route by acquiring outfielder Ackley & pitcher Blake Beaven or Brandon Maurer, and Nick Franklin to replace Kinsler from the Seattle Mariners for catcher Geovanny Soto & Mitch Moreland if both GMs can swing the deal. Also, trade Franklin to the Padres or Brewers for pitching like Gallardo after making a move w/ the Mariners. What players do you think will it take for the Rangers to acquire in that trade?
Why would they want Franklin. The whole reason they traded Kinsler was to open a spot for Profar.
The reason the Rangers traded Kinsler is because they already has his replacement.
Now I just realized about Rangers getting Fielder. He is the reason making Moreland expendable. Franklin coming over from the Mariners w/ Maurer, Beaven, or Erasmo Ramirez might not be a bad trade for both teams as Nick can be sent to a team looking for infield help for pitching like Homer Bailey or Gallardo.
Sorry John, I just can’t see that happening. Blake’s not much of an upgradd over what they already have, and I highly doubt Franklin or Ackley’s leaving Seattle without some impact player coming back (like Price etc.)
Instead of Beaven, Erasmo Ramirez or James Paxton & Ackley (then gets shipped to the Yankees in a three team trade) for Mitch Moreland a low level prospect for depth. Moreland can replace Smoak at first base by dealing him to a team w/ lots of bullpen depth and needs a first baseman.
Bummer for Texas. Worst mistake they could make is over compensating for this bad news. They have enough depth to limp through half the season with those guys sliding into the #5 slot. It’s not ideal but it’s not the end of the world either.
Agreed.
Let’s see what they do now out of any desperation they have to make sure they can win now. Maybe some fans will finally learn how the game really works in times like this and shut up about the Angels. This kind of thing is exactly what leads to making desperate moves that can sometimes hang over a team’s head. It’s just part of the reality of the game.
Tough break. These freak injuries are the worst.
You guys want to trade for Jon Danks?
We’ll give you Brandon McCarthy…oh wait…
I think the Red Sox might be calling to offer Dempster. Especially if they resign Drew.
I was thinking the same thing!!!
Would the Rangers be interested in a guy like Kyle Kendrick? Not sure RAJ would trade him (I mean, he’s got all those wins…), but I’m just interested to see how other teams/fans view him.
I wonder if this gives the Mariners and Angles a bit more motivation to land Tanaka. This is a big hit for the Rangers. Could be a 4 team race in the West if the Mariners land Tanaka. Astros have to stop laying over for Oakland and Texas though. I wish we could send the Astros back to the NL.
half the season. 81 games. 81*(1/5)= 16.2 games missed by our #2 starter. It will hurt, but hopefully it only translates to 3-4 more losses in that stretch which isn’t terribly severe.
That is too much of a drop off.
Holland projected to be a 3 win player next year by both Oliver and Steamer. Ogando (as an example) with 200 innings is right around 1.5 to 2 wins. The difference between a half season of Ogando and Holland is most likely 1 win with an outside shot at 2 less wins.
You know a dark horse could be the Blue Jays, have recently signed 2 Japanese players and have not done anything big yet this year. Their owner is Rogers Communications and there is no shortage of money considering they paid 6 billion for hockey broadcast rights in Canada recently. If ownership wants Tanaka money is probably something most teams cannot compete with them on. Again, depends if ownership wants Tanaka…
It’s interesting to me because for years they were tight with the money, all the while we heard how much Rogers had. Then they break the bank last offseason with disastrous results. Plus they trade prospects for Dickey, with fairly disastrous results. Now I gotta think AA has lost his mojo with ownership, and curious where they go from here.
Knowing Daniels Tanaka or garza will be a Ranger by this time next week
I hope not. As a rangers fan
What I don’t understand is…. How do well conditioned athletes hurt themselves falling at home, shoveling snow, sneezing… So on. That stuff happens to every day people like me and nothing happens!
You’re lucky then. Most injuries of this type occur in the privacy of one’s own home.
I have been away for the news and the computer all day come home to the Holland story, what a shock.
Gone all day came in to the Holland story, bummer.
Are there any Rangers fans on the site?
Yep
I’d sign Maholm and trade him at the deadline upon a good performance
go old school (20 years ago) and go with a 4 man rotation for a while. Only the strong survive baby!
Microfracture is no walk in the orthopedic park. Stick with cats, Derek.
Darvish
Harrison
Perez
Ogando
Ross
My 5, I don’t think Tepesch is really cut out for it
That’s suddenly a depleted rotation on paper.
Hope he gets well soon (but feel free to take your time). I really respect the Rangers and their ability to play tough. As a Halos fan, I know we’ve had a really tough time in our division the last few seasons. Can’t say that I’ll miss having to face Holland.