Texas Rangers Notes: Are Kerry Wood and Matt Garza Untouchable?

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With the first day of July upon us, there are just a few weeks left before the most exciting time in Major League Baseball.

The trade deadline.

It's the day where all of us baseball fans monitor Twitter and every other piece of social media we can get our hands on to keep track of what our teams are going to do and what trades they will make.

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For the Texas Rangers, the one name who continues to come up is San Diego Padres' closer Heath Bell and set up man Mike Adams.

If you listened to Thursday's podcast, Dan McLellan of CBS Sports talked about what it would take for any team to be able to make a deal the Padres would agree to.

A player in Triple-A who has a chance to crack the 40-man roster and a player who can hit for average and has "big league pop." Not only that but a minor league pitcher or two who are in the development stages in the minor leagues but are only a year or two away from being Major League pitchers.

The Rangers could possibly entice San Diego with a package of players that starts with the likes of David Murphy or Craig Gentry and then go through their minor league pitchers to see who might be a fit. Without having to give up someone like Tanner Scheppers.

If that's too expensive for the Rangers' blood, they will have to move on to other players who might be available. We've talked about guys like Pittsburgh Pirates' closer Joel Hanrahan, Oakland A's reliever Grant Balfour.

Another name I've brought up in the past is Chicago Cubs' reliever Kerry Wood as well as starter, Matt Garza.

Before Ranger fans get excited about either of these players, Clark Addison of CubHub.net says not so fast.

"No way he gets moved," Addison said. "He signed a deal at about a quarter of what he could have made on the open market so he can return to the Cubs where he will likely reap a lifetime of personal services revenue. He's not just another athlete in Chicago, he is special. Being a Cub fan favorite affords a guy lots of opportunity after retirement from playing."

Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun Times echoed those thoughts in his column on Friday morning after Kerry Wood met with the media and talked about the trade rumors swirling around.

"I know the [trade] talks are going to come," Wood said. "I’ve already been hearing it. So we can address it now. I doubt it. We’re committed here. We’ve got a [charity bowling] event in September. I don’t see it happening."

"Obviously, Sarah and I will talk about it, and we have a little bit," Kerry went on to say. "But it would have to be ideal for both, something that is definitely going to help the organization down the road and something that’s going to fit for us, which right now is here. So it would be tough."

So while Wood himself isn't ruling out a deal is possible, the way he worded his response would make anyone think he wouldn't be willing to waive his full no-trade clause unless it was the absolute right situation and gave him a chance at a World Series championship.

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As for young right hander Matt Garza, Addison says while it might be more likely a deal could be struck at the deadline, he still doesn't think it's likely.

"The comment I kept hearing from [Jim] Hendry and [Tom] Ricketts when he became a Cub is that he would be under club control for several more years," Addison said. "I think Garza is viewed as something to build around." 

Don't take this as there is absolutely no chance that the Rangers could make a serious play for one of both of these players. But with Wood holding a no trade clause, and Garza still having another four to five good years in front of him, maybe we should call this for what it is.


Check out Clark Addison at Blog.CubHub.net and follow him on Twitter: @ClarkAddison

Texas Rangers: Mets' Reliever Francisco Rodriguez Could be Cheap to Acquire

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One of the names on the list of possible trades the Texas Rangers can pursue is New York Mets reliever, Francisco Rodriguez, who is with his team in Arlington for the next three days.

I spoke to a Mets source today who told me Rodriguez is going to be more or less a salary dump for the team. He has a $17.5 million vesting option for next season which, the source told me, the Mets will probably need to pick up most or all of that option in order to move him.

As far as what he would cost in return I was told probably nothing more than a mid-level prospect or two.

Rodriguez is still a good reliever and if he can get control of his fastball back, could become a solid reliever in the Rangers' bullpen if he's the guy they want.

Texas Rangers: Is Chris Davis Still on the San Diego Padres' Radar?

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The Texas Rangers are going to be buyers at the deadline especially where their bullpen is concerned. While we've talked about who they could possibly go after what we haven't talked about is who the Rangers might have to give up to make a deal.

Heath Bell seems to be the one player a lot of Ranger fans have their eye on as the guy who could bolster their bullpen and help them down the stretch towards the playoffs.

With that in mind, I talked to a source with knowledge of the San Diego Padres and what it might take to land Bell in a deal.



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"Nobody [in the Padres lineup] scares anyone," the source told me. "They have plenty of young guys now, they need a young player who has been around for a couple of years."

Chris Davis, a name who has come up on more than one occasion, has been mentioned in connection with the Padres. However, a few Padre fans have told me the team would have no need for Davis with Anthony Rizzo up with the Padres and Kyle Blanks returning next season.

"[Davis] would fit the description of a player who's been around for a couple of years but he hasn't put up consecutive solid years yet. He's going to hit a lot of home runs in the PCL and the Southern League. The ball flies there and there isn't big league pitching in either of those leagues."

Maybe that explains the struggles Davis goes through when he makes the transition from Triple-A Round Rock to the Rangers. He's hit five home runs over his last eight games, something that would make anyone stand up and take notice.

However, every time he's had success in the minor leagues, he's called up to the Rangers and just can't find the same kind of rhythm.

Davis hasn't had a real chance to play on an every day basis this season and it makes me wonder if he would have success if he could find a team who would want him as their every day first baseman.

There's no doubt Davis could be dangled in a deal but will it be enough for San Diego to relinquish their closer?

"Only think I could think of is the Padres can say no until they get what they want," said this source. "They don't have to rush to get rid of Bell. With each day that goes by his value skyrockets because the [trade] market is weak for prime pitching."

"The Padres are in the driver's seat for the deadline. There's always one team every year who goes all in and never wins the World Series."

Unless Davis comes up to the big leagues and lights Arlington fire at the plate, he may be staying in a Texas uniform. At least for the immediate future.

Things always change. Stay tuned for the next month and a half because things always get crazy a few weeks prior to the trade deadline.

That's when teams, in desperate need of an impact player, become desperate.

Texas Rangers Notes: Ogando, Kinsler, Cruz, Kazmir

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Alexi Ogando is apparently human after all, at least in the eyes of the New York Yankees.

For the second time in as many starts against them, Ogando was taken apart on Tuesday night in the Bronx in what was his shortest outing of the 2011 season. After a scoreless first inning, Ogando was tagged for six runs in the second inning and was pulled by manager Ron Washington with two outs in the second inning.

Back on April 17th, his third start of the season, Ogando gave up five runs to the Yankees but was able to get through 6 1/3 innings.



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 The last time Ogando gave up five runs or more was back on May 29th at home against the Kansas City Royals.

Another guy who had a tough time last night, and who's been having a tough time most of the season, is second baseman Ian Kinsler.

When he popped out in the 5th inning with runners in scoring position and nobody out, it dropped his batting average with runners in scoring position to an abysmal .196. That average is even worse on the road (.182). Kinsler needs to be a bigger part of this offense or the Rangers will be left relying on Josh Hamilton and Michael Young.

The reason I didn't mention Nelson Cruz among the players the Rangers will rely on is his continued struggles which carried through Tuesday night's game.

After a strikeout in the sixth inning, Cruz lengthened his hitless streak to 14 straight at bats to go along with nine strikeouts.

Another pitcher who had a tough outing was Angels' left hander Scott Kazmir who, during a minor league start against Sacramento, gave up six runs on over an inning and two-thirds. The Angels are probably regretting giving him the $14.5 million contract and will not be able to trade him to a team who's willing to take on that kind of money.

The Texas Rangers will probably look to make a deal for a starter or two and possibly look to strengthen their bullpen at the trade deadline. Kazmir is a guy I thought the Rangers should keep an eye on and if he's released by the Angels, I would at least be willing to take a flyer on him to see if he can at least help you in the bullpen.

Allow pitching coach Mike Maddux to work with him a little bit and see if it's something he can work out whether it's mechanics, focus, or confidence. It's not going to cost the team prospects and it might be worth the risk.

On the downside, I know the Rangers are already taking a flier on one pitcher, Brandon Webb, who isn't having the same kind of success he's had in the past. Adding another might not be the best idea.

But if one of both of these guys can fix their problems and be even 80 to 90 percent of what they were before, it's a win for this ballclub.

Texas Rangers Being Kept Afloat By Bad AL West Division

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If you're the Texas Rangers and you are only give games above .500, there has to be something inside you thanking your lucky stars things aren't much worse.

Through almost mid-June, the Rangers currently sit two games in front of the Seattle Mariners and four and a half games in front of the Los Angeles Angels in the American League's Western Division.

At the start of the 2011 season, though my predictions for this division don't look all that great at this point in the season there is still a lot of time left.



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 The Texas Rangers have dealt with losing Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz to the disabled list and now will be without catcher Mike Napoli who was just put on the 15-day disabled list with a strained oblique.

But not only have they struggled with injuries but their starters, outside of C.J. Wilson and Alexi Ogando, have struggled as well. Matt Harrison, Derek Holland, and Colby Lewis have brought their share of good starts but, as of late, have brought their struggles along as well.

After eight innings of shutout ball against Tampa Bay, Lewis has given up 15 earned runs over his last two starts (4.2 IP). He gave up nine runs against Detroit (3.1 IP) and six against the Minnesota Twins (1.1 IP) in his very next start.

Matt Harrison, after not giving up a single run in back-to-back starts (14.1 IP) against the Philadelphia Phillies and Kansas City Royals, he's given up six runs over his last two starts (10 IP) against Detroit and Minnesota.

Though Derek Holland was more than impressive against the Cleveland Indians in early June, throwing a complete game shutout, outside of that one start the young right hander has given up 13 earned runs (17 IP) in his previous three starts.


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This team can not keep counting on Wilson and Ogando to right the ship every time it looks like it's going to tip over.

We can blame the pitching staff all we want and the battle some of the starters are going through just to figure things out and get themselves right. But after starting the month of June with a perfect 5-0 record, the Rangers have dropped five of their last seven games including losing back-to-back series against the Tigers and Twins.

Over the next month and a half, the Rangers front office will be collecting names and talking to their scouting department about possible deals they could make at or before the trade deadline at the end of July.

They know they need to focus on pitching, both in the rotation as well as the back end of the bullpen. Owner Nolan Ryan and general manager Jon Daniels both know they are just one or two moves away from running away from the rest of the division.

It's not going to be just any move. It's going to take the right move for this team to be able to put some distance between them and those chasing them in the AL West. If they wait for the Mariners or Angels to make a move, they could be watching as they are the ones who get left in the dust.

As for right now, a bad AL West dvision is keeping them afloat when it should have already drowned them.

Oakland A's Fire Bob Geren, Name Bob Melvin Interim Manager

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Apparently this is the time of year where teams start firing people, at least that's what it looks like.

On Wednesday, the Texas Rangers fired their hitting coach Thad Bosley. A few hours later the Florida Marlins followed suit, firing their hitting coach, John Mallee.

On Thursday morning, the Oakland A's announced they had fired manager Bob Geren after just over four seasons with the team and have named Bob Melvin the interim manager for the remainder of the 2011 season.

Former Major League catcher Rob Bowen, who played for Geren for two seasons (2007-08), told me "[Geren] destroyed a ton of pitchers and doesn't know how to manager a club. Look at all the pitchers who have gone through Tommy John as well as other injuries. [Brett] Anderson will be next."

Evan Grant, a columnist for the Dallas Morning News, made an interesting observation about the fact Geren was hired over current Texas Rangers' manager Ron Washington.

Geren finishes with a 334-376 record while Washington currently sports a 366-345 record with Texas.

2011 MLB Draft: Texas Rangers Select Center Fielder Desmond Henry

The Texas Rangers had used their last two picks on pitchers but they will use their pick at No. 144 on a high school center fielder.



Photo courtesy: Scott Kurtz



CF Desmond Henry (5'10" 150 lbs) - Centennial HS

Henry, a virtual unknown at the time, wowed those in attendance with his speed and bat. He was 6-for-14 with a pair of doubles and, with a little luck, could have done even better. -- Ron Guild, Los Angeles Wave

This kid can really, really really, run. -- Jason Parks, Baseball Prospectus

Henry's combination of speed, hustle and athleticism have been evident .... Through three games played, his slugging percentage of .667 tied three other guys for seventh and his batting average of .444 ranked him 10th overall out of the 220 total players here. -- Victoria Sun, ESPNRise

2011 MLB Draft: Texas Rangers Use Their 4th Round Pick on Right Hander Kyle Castro

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The Texas Rangers used their third round pick on a left handed pitcher, Will Lamb, out of Clemson University but opted to go with a high school pitcher for their fourth round pick.


RHP Kyle Castro (6'4" 190 lbs) - Pleasant Grove HS

Prototypical body; crazy amazing athlete; present stuff is suspect, but the dream is very promising. -- Jason Parks, Baseball Prospectus

Castro is a 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher, who also played defensive back for his high school team.
This season, he went 5-4 with a 3.56 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 55 innings. -- T.R. Sullivan, MLB.com

When he's not pitching, he plays third base and hits in the middle of the order. Teams prefer him on the mound, though, where he sits in the 88-90 mph range, topping out at 92. He throws a curveball that is inconsistent but shows flashes of being an above-average pitch. His mechanics are free and easy because of his athleticism, which along with his competitiveness and lack of a college commitment may push him up draft boards. -- Rick Cabral, BaseballSacramento.com

2011 MLB Draft: Texas Rangers Use 3rd Round Pick on Left Hander Will Lamb

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The third round of the 2011 MLB Draft is underway and the Texas Rangers have made their one and only pick in the third round.

LHP Will Lamb (6'6" 180 lbs) - Clemson University

Will Lamb should be an open-and-shut case for Major League scouts. He is 6-foot-6, left-handed and throws 90 mph.

Lamb is also a first-rate center fielder, so good this season at Clemson that scouts are telling him he's likely to begin his professional career there. -- David Teel, Virginia Daily Press

Lamb threw only 24 2/3 innings this year, with an ERA north of 5, spending more time in centerfield than on the mound. -- Adam Morris, Lonestarball.com

Clean delivery; excellent arm action; long levers; plus FB; promising SL; will improve when focused on pitching. -- Jason Parks, Baseball Prospectus 

2011 MLB Draft: Texas Rangers Draft Kevin Matthews, Zach Cone on Day One

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On Monday night, Major League Baseball opened day one of the 2011 first year player draft and the Texas Rangers would have just two picks on day one.

They went with high school left hander Kevin Matthews, who seems committed to playing baseball at the University of Virginia, and outfielder Zach Cone from the University of Georgia. A pick which seemed to draw more questions and laughs than approval.

LHP Kevin Matthews (5'11" 180 lbs) - Richmond Hills HS

Matthews is a small for a pitcher at 5 feet 10 and 160 pounds, but he can dunk a basketball. His fastball was timed as high as 94 mph this year, but it was usually in the 88-90 mph range.

Comparisons for Matthews range from Rangers' minor-league lefthanders Kasey Kiker and Robbie Ross to former major-league closer Billy Wagner. Matthews may have to move into the bullpen. -- Gerry Fraley, Dallas Morning News

Smaller frame with some present strength. Well paced delivery with clean easy arm circle, accelerates well to the plate, quick arm through release, bit cross bodied, 3/4's release point, repeats mechanics very well.

Steady 88-90 mph fastball gets on hitters quickly, big sweeping mid 70's curveball with very good size/depth, nice sink on change up. Good feel for all his pitches and how to locate. Should dominate left handers at the next level and be immediately successful. -- Perfectgame.org


Richmond Hill [HS] finished the season with an 11-11 record, but Matthews earned All-Greater Savannah honors for the second year in a row by compiling a 4-2 record with a 1.68 ERA. He struck out 94 batters in just 41 2/3 innings. -- Dennis Knight, Savannah Morning News


OF Zach Cone (6'2" 205 lbs) - University of Georgia

Cone looks as good in the uniform as any college position player in this year's draft but the tools have never translated into on-field performance. He has bat speed and upper-body strength, but doesn't keep his head steady and has long had trouble recognizing off-speed stuff.

He's an above-average runner who should be fine in left or right field in pro ball but needs to work on his reads. His spring was also affected after he collided with another Georgia outfielder, Jonathan Taylor, who was left partially paralyzed by the accident. -- ESPN Scouting Report


Cone hit .275 in 2011 for the Bulldogs with four home runs and 12 doubles. He led Georgia in steals with 13 out of 16 attempts.

Cone won Georgia's triple crown in 2010, hitting .363 with 10 home runs and 53 RBIs. -- Travis L. Brown, ESPN


Cone is a righthanded hitter who is considered to be a quality athlete, with good speed and defense in centerfield, but questions about his ability to hit.  Cone has been a sub-.300 hitter at Georgia this year, and his scouting report makes him sound like a more athletic version of another supplemental first rounder the Rangers took out of the SEC, Tennessee centerfielder Julio Borbon. -- Adam Morris, Lone Star Ball

Texas Rangers Should Keep Their Eye on Pitcher Scott Kazmir

The Los Angeles Angels seem to be ready to give up on pitcher Scott Kazmir not only after a brutal 2010 season but after a rough spring training as well.

The problem is, Kazmir still has $25.5 million left on his contract but that doesn't include a $2.5 million buyout. Those numbers alone would scare off just about any team wanting to acquire him. Except, there is one team who could trade contract for contract.

The Texas Rangers.

It's no secret the Rangers have been trying to find a deal for long time infielder Michael Young but teams haven't been willing to take half of his contract to get the deal done. Something the Rangers have required of any team wanting to get involved.

It wouldn't be a cheap proposition but one the Rangers may need to think about. Right hander Tommy Hunter is going to miss the first six weeks of the season thanks to a groin strain and ace C.J. Wilson departed a spring training game a few days ago with tightness in his hamstring.

On paper, the Rangers' rotation doesn't look like anything that would keep them in the AL West race past the All-Star break, especially not with the changes the Oakland A's and the Angels have made. They're not going to run away with this race.

Kazmir did struggle last season, going 9-15 through 28 starts with a 5.94 ERA. Needless to say, he's not exactly the pitcher the Angels thought they were getting when they acquired him from the Tampa Bay Rays.

I talked to Angels' beat writer, Mike DiGiovanna about Kazmir's situation and he told me, "Kazmir is virtually untradeable because of his contract. If he struggles, they will just release him and eat $14.5 million."

While it may not be the best time to make a deal just yet, this is a pitcher the Rangers should at least inquire about. Maybe there is a deal to be made where they can include Michael Young to not only get his contract off the books but bring in a starter they could be needing in a month or so.

If young pitchers Derek Holland or Matt Harrison begin to struggle, the Rangers don't exactly have a deep minor league system to be able to replace them with two other young pitchers unless you're talking about former Fresno State standout, Tanner Scheppers. But even he isn't ready to contribute to a big league team just yet.

I'm not saying this is a deal the Rangers are even going to approach. All I'm saying is, it's something this team should be diligent about because at 27-years old, he's still someone pitching coach Mike Maddux can do tremendous work with.


Follow Todd Kaufmann @T_Kaufmann on Twitter or find him on Facebook

2011 Major League Baseball Season Predictions: AL West

The 2011 Major League Baseball season is almost here and that means just one thing, it's prediction time. It's time to predict who finishes where and who wins what division.

I'll give record predictions for each team in each division, talk about the players to watch, and maybe some surprises for this season. If you don't agree, great, let me know why and where you think these teams will finish and who your players are to watch.

We'll go division by division starting with the American League's Western Division.

Ready? Let's get it...

AL West:

Texas Rangers  93-69  (2010: 90-72)

Los Angeles Angels  86-76  (2010: 80-82)

Oakland Athletics  84-78  (2010: 81-81)

Seattle Mariners  74-88 (2010: 61-101)

Analysis: The Rangers don't have Cliff Lee but they have one of the more potent offenses in the American League with Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, and newcomer Adrian Beltre.

The Angels have a new addition as well with outfielder Vernon Wells and pitcher Dan Haren, the Angels should definitely make a bigger impact in the division than last season.

The Oakland A's have a young pitching staff and could be a factor after adding a former Rangers' pitcher, Rich Harden, and along with Dallas Braden, Trevor Cahill and Tyson Ross they should be improved from last season. Just not enough to challenge the defending champion Texas Rangers.

The Seattle Mariners have King Felix and Ichiro but not much else. They're going to be rebuilding for awhile.


Players to watch:

Texas Rangers: Adrian Beltre - are they getting the guy who played with the Dodgers and Red Sox or the guy who flopped in Seattle?

Los Angeles Angels: Vernon Wells - He's dealing with a hamstring injury but this is a guy that can provide 20-25 home runs per season. Put that next to Torii Hunter and you have two guys who can cause hitters a lot of problems.

Oakland A's: Hideki Matsui - He's a veteran among what is a very young squad. He showed he still has pop in his bat playing for the Angels last season. If he brings that to Oakland he should be a big factor for the A's to stay in the race in 2011.

Seattle Mariners: Felix Hernandez - Still one of the best young pitchers in the game today, it's just unfortunate that he plays for a team who really isn't that good. Aside from that, he is still a pitcher a lot of teams don't want to face every fifth day. It wouldn't, however, surprise me a bit to see him on the trade block at the deadline.


Follow Todd Kaufmann @T_Kaufmann and you can find him on Facebook

The Texas Rangers and the Season of Expectations

The defending American League Champion Texas Rangers come in to the 2011 season with a new set of expectations that have never before been put before them. They’ve never been expected to do much else than at least be in the AL West race up until the All-Star break.

After that, they were expected to fall apart. Most of the time, they did just that.