2024 Texas Rangers

I was hearing they wanted Leiter, Porter and Duran. Maybe another one.

HI know we won the series, but it looks like we want that Cole Ragans trade back. Chapman did some good things but man...

 

With the money we have spent on injured starters, I wonder if they're hoping to effort their way to being close by august.

Maybe I'm wrong, but it if we sign Monty, and DeG, Scherzer, Mahle all come back late summer, what do we even do with all the starters?

 

Yeah. I just think they don't want to go over the tax threshold. Plus, if Monty wants seven years then that would be insane. We have a lot of money wrapped up in injured/aging starters. I reckon the owner is blinking.

 

7 years is a no-go. Right now the Rangers are looking at the last wild card again at best.

 

Agree. If Montgomery and Boras would agree to a short-term contract with opt-outs (both player and club), I'd seriously consider it. But a 7-year, big-$ contract is out of the question.

I'll disagree on that one. Other teams will face potential injuries, also - and the Rangers offense (arguably the best in the AL) is good enough to overcome some of the impact. Yeh, they may have to win some 12-11 ballgames, but a W is a W. We'll also need to see what the Rangers get from the three starting pitchers who come back mid-season - if two of them are effective, the Rangers would be well-positioned for a late-season hot streak.

 

Agree the Rangers Offense will have to carry the team until August. A big order for any team.
However, the issue is, and if I am counting correctly, the new Balanced Schedule for 2024. That means 13 games against division foes, but in the Rangers case, that means 10 of the 13 games against both Houston and Seattle occur before the All-Star Break. Barring injuries, by 01 August Houston should have the Division locked up, and Seattle will probably be more than 4 games ahead of the Rangers.
The Rangers have a tough road ahead of them.

 

Even without Montgomery, I see this as a potential 91-94 win team and that will put them right in the hunt for the AL West and if not a division winner as at least one of the three WC's. I don't see Baltimore and TB repeating the years they had last year as the Yankees will be better and both will see a slight regression anyway from their overperformance last year. Similarly I don't see Toronto being as good. Minnesota may end up with less wins than a team that doesn't make the playoffs but they get to win a mediocre AL Central.

Right now I would have following

AL East Baltimore
AL Central Minnesota
AL West Houston

WC 1 Texas
WC 2 New York Yankees
WC 3 Seattle

 

Leiter pitched with the "A" team yesterday in split squad action finishing with 3 innings and 1 earned run given up. He continues to get a long look and at this pace looks like a viable bullpen option for both middle relief and long reliever. Between him, Yates, and Robertson this bullpen has options to bridge from the starters to Sborz/LeClerc and Leiter certainly could fill a Martin Perez-type role eating up innings and it's hard to see him being any worse than Perez was, and perhaps even a little better.

Meanwhile, I am really seeing a chance that Carter and Langford are both day-one starters, particularly with lingering injuries to other starters. I have seen several articles suggesting Langford might have been activated by the Rangers for games 6 and 7 of the WS had those games happened and he remains on fire in Arizona. The lineup is going to have to score a lot of runs and adding his bat is just another weapon in Bochy's arsenal.

Opening day is now just 11 days away.

 

Leiter's hurdle is he doesn't have to be on the 40-man roster until December. To be on the Opening Day roster, another player must go off it. However, if Bradford is promoted to starter, that leave a long relief hole in the BP. Rangers have a decision to make.

 

Good observation. The Rangers rotation will definitely be a step behind both the Astros and the Mariners for the first half of the season - and could catch up mid-season when pitchers start coming back from surgeries (assuming they can be effective when they return). Until then the offense is going to have to score a bunch to keep the Rangers in contact in the standings - there are probably going to be some 11-9 type scores.

 

I have to admit I haven't paid much attention to Houston during spring training and wasn't aware that they had pitching woes beyond Verlander for their starting rotation too.

Snell to Houston rumors abound

Seattle may be the ultimate beneficiary here.

 

Snell to Giants, 2 years 62 million.

Snell agrees to 2-year, $62M deal with Giants (source)

Montgomery is still out there.

 

Wow, that is a lot of money per year.

 

Rangers have signed Michael Lorenzen who is long relief and spot starter option. The complete radio silence on Montgomery is very strange. He clearly wants a long term deal and just as clearly no one wants to give it to him. The money spent on Lorenzen means there is even less money for any kind of bridge deal with Monty so it appears the Rangers truly have moved on.

Right-hander Lorenzen agrees to 1-year deal with Rangers (source)

 

Looks like Lorenzen will be the fifth starter and Bradford will be in the long relief/spot starter role.

Rangers sign Lorenzen, move deGrom to 60 day i.l.

Leiter pitched three innings yesterday, including an inning where he struck out the side but he also gave up 2 runs in the ninth to take the loss. On 105.3 the Fan yesterday here locally they had Chris Young on and he appeared to suggest Leiter would not be on the opening day roster but would likely be seen in Arlington at some point this year. Meanwhile, to no one's surprise, Langford will be on the opening day roster.

Langford has made Opening Day roster, per Bochy

 

Some good news as the Rangers play their Surprise finale this afternoon as Corey Seager got the start at short and was 2 for 2 at the plate before being replaced in the fourth inning. A couple of home games with the Red Sox on Monday and Tuesday will finish out spring training as we head to the season opener Thursday with the Cubs.

 

Good news from yesterday at both short and third as Josh Jung joined Corey Seager in making his first appearance of the spring in the Surprise finale and Jung went 1-2 in his 2 at bats. Jung and Seager were both question marks for the season opener and both are back and will be in the lineup for Thursday’s opener.

 

Final spring insider:

 

Montgomery to Arizona. At least we wont see him with the Astros, Yankees or another AL team.

Montgomery to D-Backs, per reports

 

but maybe they'll prevent LA from winning the NL ... again!

 

Barring injuries - I doubt it. LAD are loaded and pissed.

 

Montgomery: $25 MM to pitch for 1 year per DMN.

 

I wonder if that $25M/one year deal was on the table before they signed Lorenzen. I know about the luxury tax issues, but it sure seems a billionaire can scrounge up the money somehow.

 

I don't think the Rangers ever considered anything over 15M for Montgomery even on a one year deal. When you take a step back, absent the incredible run Monty had last fall he has not shown that he is an ace or even a strong second starter over a sustained period and at 25M a year you need to be getting an ace or a strong two and so I understand (even if I don't agree with) the Rangers thinking here. Add in that they got Lorenzen for a bargain basement price and he may put up same stats Monty does this year and you really understand why the Rangers went a different path.

All of that said, the Rangers better really hope Lorenzen does eat up innings as a starter and that Scherzer is back in June/July healthy and able to hold down the third starter role (I have Eovaldi and Gray at the one and two holes) and Mahle and DeGrom have strong Augusts and Septembers or the decision on Montgomery may really sting in a few months.

The Rangers have a 91+ win lineup but the same cant be said of their starting rotation.....yet. If the bullpen improves over last year (which shouldn't be hard as they blew more saves then they had, an incredible stat for a world series winning team) and the lineup scores runs then the starting rotation should be good enough to keep Texas in this all season and if the trio of Scherzer, DeGrom and Mahle make contributions down the stretch no one will care that they let Monty go.

I also want to throw this out there, if Eovaldi has a big year again, then they will need to break the bank to keep him next off season and some of this could be thinking ahead to next years payroll too.

 

They are loaded, but that's been true for years. They fizzle and drop out as soon as the post-season arrives, unless there's a global pandemic preventing fans or true away games from happening.

 

And one who just hit the Jackpot by his team winning the World Series. That said, $25M plus the luxury tax for one year is too much for Montgomery based on the totality of his body of work.

 

Lorenzen will start on the 10-day IL as he continues his ramp-up for the season. This was not unexpected so no reason for any panic there. That means the Rangers starting rotation at least for the first ten games will be Eovaldi, Gray, Heaney, Dunning, and Bradford. Look for Lorenzen to slot in to Bradford's place after the first set of games perhaps even by the scheduled second start for the five-hole.

Lorenzen, Hernandez to the i.l., Barrero outrighted

Go down into the comments for the above-linked article and you get the rosters for the Rangers and their minor-league affiliates. Leiter will start in Round Rock and is not on the 40-man roster.

The season opener is tonight against the Cubs.

 

T 5th

Rangers 1
Cubbies 1

Astros lost to Yankees today 5-4!

GO RANGERS!!

 

Garcia monster solo HR ties it 2-2 in the 6th but Cubs threatening T7th...

Sborz shuts the door - stretch time!!