To early for magic numbers and playoff tickets?

Posted by Dan in Texas

Maybe, but who cares? Congratulations to the Texas Rangers who beat the Twins Ace to finish the first half of the season tied for first place with Anaheim, er Los Angles, uh, Californ- I mean... whatever- the Angels.

I think Magic numbers are fun, thought you might like to know:

The Texas Rangers Magic Number: 75

*Magic number denotes the amount of either wins by the leader or losses by the closest opponent in the division combined. Any combination of wins and opponent losses equaling the magic number will win the division. i.e. 38 wins by the Rangers and 37 losses by the Angels would place the Rangers in first on October 1st with a record of:

Rangers 83-79
Angels 82-80

NOTE TO READERS- Sorry I have been missing in action the past month or two, I have been currently engaged with my new site, Lonestar Mets. The other Ghost will do most of the posting but I will drop in just to say hello from time to time.

Before I go any further, I would like to say, "Happy Birthday, Lee Stevens!" You were a favorite of the Ghosts of 96.

The Rangers find themselves in a precarious position on July 10th. The Rangers have Adam Eaton coming back shortly to fortify the starting staff and Millwood on the way. What the Rangers do have is ample supply of young arms that should hold up in the hot July, August and September to come. A veteran presence wouldn’t hurt here, especially a front line starter. If the Rangers want to compete in October, they really need to make a move before the deadline. In my opinion the Rangers are holding two valuable chips to deal right now.

No, not perennial trade chip Kevin Mench, I think Mench wont bring back much more than a weak hitting, defensive utility infielder/outfielder. If Jon Daniels feels that’s what the team lacks, fine, pull the trigger.

Now before I start, let me preface that if you heard the sound bite of Daniels on the Ticket stating something to the effect of: “I don’t want to move a valuable chip for a 2 month rental” don’t believe every thing you hear. The Rangers have long been known as a team that says one thing to conceal its intentions. Don’t think that hasn’t changed.

The Rangers have two chips to swap that are in a walk year and, realistically, are at their maximum value right now. Taking a look at the White Sox, Tigers, Red Sox and Yankees the Rangers are going to need another ace if they plan to make a run at the West and have a shot at the best in the AL.

I speak of course of Gary Mathews Jr. and Mark DeRosa.

OBP SLG AVG
DeRosa .384 .494 .332
Mathews .374 .539 .328

If anyone thinks that DeRosa or Mathews will continue to put up those numbers has been sitting in section 301 without a hat for too long. Take a look at his career numbers:


DeRosa .331 .400 .275

Best season? 2002

.339 .429 .297

Since then he has been about a .240 hitter. Will he keep his numbers where they are in 2006? Maybe, and maybe bringing David Clyde to the Majors was a good idea.

On to Gary Mathews Jr., referred to from here on as GMJ. Here is what John Dewan’s assessment of GMJ is from the Fielding Bible.

Gary Matthews Jr. - Matthews picked the ideal time to have his career year, throwing fuel on the fire for contract year believers. He's ranked 8th on defense and has a strong arm. Obviously he's not a true .332 hitter, but the All-Star appearance, The Catch, his defense, and his ability to hit for power make the 32 year-old quite a commodity. He makes less than $2.4 mil this year and will probably become overpaid from here on out.

Let’s take a look at the teams that are rumored to be looking to move pitching:

The Chicago Cubs- The Cubs are sorry. They have an aging Maddox who knows how to pitch and has all the experience in the world. Maddox is the definition a control pitcher so arm problems are not a risk. However the Cubs have stated that Maddox will not be traded anywhere without his consent so a midseason trade to the American League isn’t very likely. If I had to guess where Maddox will go? Philadelphia

The White Sox- The Sox are rumored to have an interest in upgrading their rotation with Jason Schmitt and thus dealing another player elsewhere. That makes Jon Garland, Javier Vazquez and Freddy Garcia available for a price.

The Tigers- Its’ well known that the Tigers are looking to add a power bat. Would they be interested in DeRosa and GMJ? Sure. Who would they make available? The only pitcher is see the Tigers moving is probably Kenny Rogers. I know my counterpart on this sight would love it, but does anyone else think that is a good idea?

The Nationals- The Nats have been shopping Livian Hernandez for months. His numbers this year are far from impressive, despite pitching in a "pitchers park." The buzz around the trading block is the Nats think they can ask a huge price for him. Plus his huge contract expires at the end of next season. Excuse me, I don’t see Hicks raising Beer and Parking prices for Hernandez. I do see Hicks raising Beer and Parking prices for no valid reason, however. (to recoup losses from the NHL strike, University of Texas recruiting “donation” for a quarterback, Hicks still owes Chan Ho Park more money somehow, etc.)

The A’s- Yes, Barry Zito is a free agent after this season and yes Billy Beene would love to get something for him. There is no way in hell he would trade him to the team in competition for the West. I don’t think Zito goes anywhere until November.

The Marlins- Strange things are going on in Miami these days. The Marlins looked content to sell off the talent and start stockpiling youngsters until they reach Las Vegas/San Antonio/Portland. The Marlins are a very good young team. They realistically don’t have a chance to win the east but could make a run at the wild card with the NL in a down year. If the Marlins make the playoffs, all bets are off. However the scuttlebutt is Willis is on the table but I would guess that the Rangers would have to ship out one from category A and one from category B:

A. Danks, Diamond or Volquez

B. Kinsler, Botts or Rheinecker

You don’t think its worth it? Willis is a great pitcher and will probably be an ace for a long time. I would offer the worst of the A list (I don’t know who is best) and Botts. Odds are on member of DVD lives up to the hype. If two of them due the Rangers will be very lucky. All three? Not likely.

Finally, like an old, fatally ill man searching for the fountain of youth, you have the Yankees. As a general rule, anyone the Yankees are willing to trade is either a washed up veteran or an over-hyped rookie. If Cashman calls Jon, don’t answer the phone.

There you have it, anyone that may help is going to be overpriced. I think the best bet is to try and trade DeRosa and GMJ for one of the surplus White Sox starters and hope a change of scenery can get him back on his game. Willis is intriguing and if the Rangers have any doubts about any of the DVD boys, they are never going to be worth more than they are now. If they persue Willis, Botts is a small price to pay. I mean, how times have the Rangers ever really needed another big bat?

Happy All Star Break everybody!