Kuzul

The Texas Rangers have made a number of transactions this offseason, with moves affecting players on the roster both positively and negatively. In addition to players being affected by these moves, the organization as a whole will also be seeing positive and negative effects of some of their decisions this offseason.

Here is a look at some of the winners and losers of the Rangers’ offseason thus far.

Winner: Second Baseman, Jurickson Profar

There may not be a bigger winner of the Rangers’ offseason than Jurickson Profar. The highly touted prospect saw spotty playing time last season due to the excess of middle infielders the team had last season. 

With shortstop Elvis Andrus and second baseman Ian Kinsler getting the majority of the playing time last season, Profar found himself getting occasional playing time. Profar finished the season with a .234 batting average and a .308 on-base percentage, and played in only 85 games in 2013. 

Now Profar will be given the opportunity to prove his worth as the team’s everyday second baseman. Texas dealt Ian Kinsler to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for first baseman Prince Fielder and $30 million. 

Everyday playing time should go a long way in benefiting Profar, who will now have a chance to get himself into a regular rhythm and hopefully put a gigantic boost in his stats in 2014.

Loser: First Baseman, Mitch Moreland

While Jurickson Profar saw significant benefits in the Ian Kinsler and Prince Fielder trade, first basman Mitch Moreland may have seen a drastic loss.

After struggling mightily in the second half of last season, Moreland may find himself being relegated to a bench role in 2014. While he finished the season with a career high in homers (23) and RBI (60), his .232 average was the lowest he has posted in his brief career.

He’s currently listed as the team’s designated hitter on the depth chart, but that could still change before Opening Day. As a lefty, Moreland may find himself inserted to strictly hit right-handed pitchers, at least that’s the logical thinking. Unfortunately for Moreland, he only hit .227 off righties last season, while hitting .241 off lefties.

With neither of his averages being impressive, Moreland looks to be an expendable player at this point and may see his stock with the team drop even lower if he struggles in spring training. 

Winner: Starting Pitcher, Martin Perez

Martin Perez did more than enough to impress the Rangers in 2013 with his performance on the mound. Texas rewarded the lefty with a four-year contract extension this offseason worth $12.5 million.

After some speculation that Texas may look to acquire a left-handed pitcher via trade or free agency this offseason, Texas showed its faith in Perez by rewarding him with the deal, solidifying himself in the rotation for 2014 and beyond.

Perez appeared in 20 games for Texas last season, posting a 10-6 record with a 3.62 ERA. He will be the second lefty in the Rangers’ rotation behind veteran Derek Holland. Provided that Perez can continue to build on his 2013 season, Texas likely won’t look to pursue another left-handed starter any time soon.

Loser: Rangers and Contract with Shin-Soo Choo

Signing Shin-Soo Choo was easily the biggest free-agent acquisition the Rangers have made this offseason. While Choo is a great player who should provide a nice boost to Texas’ lineup, it’s difficult to think that he’ll be able to produce throughout the length of his deal. 

Choo’s deal is a seven-year contract worth $130 million, which will result in him making over $20 million or more starting in 2016. At 31-years old, Choo will be 39 when his contract expires, which will lead to Texas paying out a large sum of money to a player well past his prime.

It’s a nice signing for now, but as Choo’s contract begins to creep into the fourth or fifth year of the deal, Texas may be regretting their commitment to him. Only time will tell what Choo’s value will be years from now, but he’ll have to do a great job at defying age in order to make this deal completely worth it.

All stats and info courtesy of MLB.com, Baseball-Reference.com, MLBTradeRumors.com, NBCSports.com and DallasNews.com.

Follow Zachary on Twitter at @ZacharyKrueger

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

As I said in my previous piece, it’s seeming more and more as though the place for the Texas Rangers to find the final quality starter they need is the trade market rather than free agency. 

The Cincinnati Reds‘ Homer Bailey might be another realistic trade option for the Rangers.

According to this October 14 article by Robb Hoff of Yahoo! Sports, a Rangers-Reds trade for Bailey might be “best for both teams.”

Much has changed on the Rangers’ side of things since October 14. At the time Hoff wrote this piece, he suggested that the Rangers could acquire Bailey in exchange for second baseman Jurickson Profar and center fielder Leonys Martin. This was, of course, well before Texas traded incumbent leadoff man Ian Kinsler to the Detroit Tigers and hauled in feared slugger Prince Fielder. 

Now that the Rangers have opened up a full-time spot for Profar after Kinsler’s departure, I don’t see him in a potential deal for Bailey at all. Quite frankly, I don’t see Martin in it either.

But the Rangers’ need for another starter is still front and center, even after adding Fielder and leadoff man extraordinaire Shin-Soo Choo.

Let’s take a look at what acquiring Bailey could mean for the Rangers’ rotation, as well as what it might take to land him from the Reds.

Bailey, 27, will be a free agent after the 2014 season. He’s pitched in Cincinnati for the entirety of his seven-year career. He had a solid 2012 season and an excellent 2013 season with the Reds, a year in which he threw two no-hitters. This season, he’ll make just north of $9 million in his final year of team control, according to Hoff.

Last season, he went 11-12 with a 3.49 ERA in 209 innings. Ignore the wins and losses. In my mind, that is nearly a meaningless stat for a pitcher. It’s largely a measure of how good an offense is. Earned run average and opponents’ batting average are the two most revealing stats for how effective an individual pitcher is. In addition to his 3.49 ERA, right-handed hitters only hit .205 off Bailey in 2013, while lefties hit .264. 

He allowed 181 hits in those innings, while striking out 199 and walking just 54. Bailey’s top two attributes are his durability and control, while featuring above-average velocity. He’s made 65 starts in the last two seasons, and has only walked 106 in 417 innings. That is elite control. 

Bailey also has an impressive 3.46 strikeout to walk ratio over the last two seasons. That will translate perfectly to the AL.

The one noticeable flaw with Bailey is his susceptibility to giving up home runs. But, pitching in Great American Ballpark, one of the NL’s premier launching pads, he’s only allowed 46 long balls in those 417 innings over the last two seasons. That’s actually a solid rate. 

Bailey has a four seam fastball and a wicked two seam fastball in the 94 to 97 mph range, accompanied by a slider with sharp tilt and sweeping break. He’s also got a big curveball and a sneaky splitter. Both his stuff and velocity are above average. He’s one of those guys that is just tough to hit, and could give the opposing lineup fits any given night.

How does he fit in the Rangers’ rotation?

He could immediately step into the No. 4 spot behind Matt Harrison to help break up the order of lefties. Martin Perez is an ideal No. 5 starter right now, considering his age. He would be more comfortable as the No. 5 starter. 

Bailey is a horse, who eats innings and doesn’t get hurt. I believe he has the stuff and velocity to succeed in the AL after spending his entire career in the NL. He wouldn’t be another Ryan Dempster cross-league failure. Dempster hit 89 mph on his fastball. Bailey routinely hits 95 to 96 with sharp movement. Plus velocity counts for a lot. 

Two more things about Bailey. One, he’s a native of LaGrange, Texas. I’m willing to bet that he definitely has interest in pitching in his home state. Hoff even reports that Bailey never seemed too excited to pitch in Cincinnati and that he and the Reds didn’t seem too eager or optimistic about signing him to an extension. 

Secondly, Bailey is a guy that could likely be locked up long term for a reasonable price—somewhere in the Matt Harrison range of six years, $57 million. That should be a ceiling value for Bailey though. I can see him commanding around or right at $10 million per year, if he were to pitch well for the Rangers this season. 

But what would Bailey cost the Rangers?

As Hoff reported, Cincinnati and Bailey likely weren’t on the best terms. He believes that the Reds would have no problem shipping off Bailey, as Tony Cingrani and Aroldis Chapman could be ready to join Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos and Mike Leake in their rotation. 

But it would obviously be in the Reds’ best interest to trade Bailey now and get something in return, rather than just play him out till 2015 when he’s a free agent and could decline Cincinnati’s qualifying offer.

Hoff suggested, before the Rangers carried out their offseason business, that Texas give up Profar and Martin.

“No way,” is what Texas GM Jon Daniels should be saying to that proposal. Bailey is talented, but that is too much to let go for a guy who has only had two solid years as a full-time, 32-start starter. 

The thing to keep in mind here, is that Bailey won’t require a huge package. Therefore, Daniels has even more depth and lateral room to put together a smaller package that appeals to Cincinnati. The smaller the deal needs to be, the more options Daniels has.

How about this deal:

Texas trades Luke Jackson and Luis Sardinas, while taking on Bailey’s full 2014 salary, and gets Bailey.

That’s just one possibility, but it’s a fair deal in my mind. Remember, Texas would only be getting Bailey for one season, so he shouldn’t be able to command too much from the Rangers. This is a move that shouldn’t cost the Rangers any current starter in the rotation. 

The Reds get two high-end prospects as well as salary relief in return. Jackson could be in their bullpen by the end of next season or the start of 2015. Sardinas provides infield depth. The added bonus for them, is that Bailey’s departure potentially leaves a door open for Chapman in the rotation. 

Texas gets a good pitcher for 2014 to add to an already great rotation. Daniels can easily slap a qualifying offer on Bailey after the season, and at least get a first round draft pick if he signs elsewhere. But I really believe Bailey will have interest in an extension with the Rangers, especially if they win the World Series in 2014.

He is a Texas boy after all. 

With Bailey in the mix, here is what the Rangers’ rotation would look like next season.

Yu Darvish

Derek Holland

Matt Harrison

Homer Bailey

Martin Perez

I would love to have Bailey in Texas’ rotation. That’s a nice balance of righties and lefties, with heat all around. It’s also a group that is very controlled, yet aggressive. Each of these guys tend to attack hitters without fear, and all of them have quality stuff.

This rotation would slide in just behind Detroit’s as the second-best in the AL. 

If you’re still a bit skeptical, check out those above highlights from Bailey’s July 2 no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants. 

I think this would be a very realistic possibility for a deal. Daniels, like he should with all other options, should take a good look at this. 

What do you think of this possible deal? Would you want Bailey in the Rangers’ rotation?

*All stats and contract info courtesy of baseball-reference.com 

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The Oakland A’s have several position players whose performances will decisively dictate the overall success of the team in 2014.

One of those key players is first baseman Brandon Moss. In 2013, Moss played a full season for the first time in his career, and he performed exceptionally. He blasted 30 home runs, drove in 87 runs and slugged .522, the latter of which was good for sixth in the American League.

Those totals came one year after Moss compiled a .954 OPS with 21 home runs in only 265 at-bats in 2012. In total, Moss hit 51 home runs in 711 at-bats between 2012 and 2013.

Moss’ breakout year in 2013 came during a season in which the A’s ranked third in the majors in home runs. However, the high total is a bit misleading.

Yoenis Cespedes hit 26 home runs, but he performed so poorly in every other hitting category (.294 OBP, 137 strikeouts) that his relatively high homer total didn’t mean a whole lot.

Josh Donaldson also added 24 home runs, but his role was clearly not that of a slugger. He was a fantastic middle-of-the-lineup hitter, but the A’s certainly didn’t expect him to hit home runs with regularity when he stepped to the plate. His .384 OBP, 93 RBI and 89 runs showed his true value: driving in runs when given the opportunity and getting on base. (He hit .336 with runners in scoring position.)

In short, Moss was the Athletics‘ de facto power hitter in 2013. And they’ll be looking for him to play that same role in 2014.

History has shown that successful teams almost always have a true slugger in the lineup. In fact, since 2000, only the 2012 and 2010 World Series-winning San Francisco Giants have lacked a 30-home run hitter among title-winning teams.

In each of those years, the Giants featured exceptional pitching, even for World Series-winning standards. Also, their World Series counterparts each year featured teams with 30-plus home run hitters. The trend speaks for itself.

Clearly, the absence of a reliable power bat on a team means they will have trouble going far in the playoffs.

That’s not to say that if Brandon Moss hits, say, 27 home runs, the A’s automatically can’t win the World Series. There is no “golden rule” that a team must have a 30-home run hitter to win the title. But it certainly makes it easier to have a hitter who can drive in runs in a hurry, and when scoring is at a premium in the postseason, that ability becomes especially valuable. As the late, great Earl Weaver once said, “The key to winning baseball games is pitching, fundamentals, and three run homers.”

Furthermore, a power-hitting bat forces pitchers to sometimes pitch around that hitter, creating more RBI opportunities for other batters. For example, on the 2013 Red Sox, Dustin Pedroia saw many additional good pitches to hit because teams were wary of walking him in front of David Ortiz’s power bat. Also, when teams pitched around Ortiz, that gave Mike Napoli, Daniel Nava and all the other succeeding hitters additional RBI opportunities.

The bottom line is that almost all successful teams have at least one big power hitter. Most even have two. For the A’s, Cespedes has shown he isn’t necessarily a reliable threat at the plate. That means Brandon Moss will have to step up this year. Again.

Luckily, a power outage won’t necessarily spell doom for the A’s. They have a solid rotation that is capable of dominating teams when the offense goes stagnant.

Yet, that rotation doesn’t quite stack up to that of the title-winning Giants. It is filled with question marks, including the performance of free-agent signee Scott Kazmir. There’s no telling whether the left-hander will have a year akin to his 2013 performance, when he was a respectable 10-9 with a 4.04 ERA, or to his time with the Angels, when he had a 5.31 ERA in 188 innings.

The lack of a dominant rotation and the historical precedent that title-winning teams almost always have power hitters means the A’s need Moss to step up this year. If his last two seasons are any indication, he should be more than up to the challenge.

All statistics courtesy of baseball-reference.com.

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The Texas Rangers are looking to put the 2013 season completely in their rear view as they gear up for 2014.

Last year was filled with both good and bad memories, from a near-perfect game to a trade that didn’t pan out. The team also made history during a July series with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Texas didn’t get a chance at a playoff run, but it was still a fun season to watch.

We are going to look at some of the most memorable events from this past season, whether we want to remember it forever or erase it from memory.

What are the most memorable events for you from 2013?

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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I am a firm believer that the Texas Rangers‘ 2014 offense is set for Opening Day. That means the club should turn away from making any further significant signings to upgrade the offense. 

Instead, the Rangers should be very pleased with the lineup they will field next season. There is a nice mix of high-paid star talent and value guys who outplay their contracts.

One of those high-value guys for the Rangers is Mitch Moreland, who figures to be Texas’ designated hitter. But Moreland is especially valuable to the Rangers.

For one, he is a dirt-cheap 20 and 60 hitter, who represents a legitimate power threat in the lineup. Secondly, he is an above-average defensive first baseman. His presence on the team provides manager Ron Washington with some options to fill the DH spot. If Wash wants to field a particularly strong defensive infield, he can pencil in Moreland at first while Prince Fielder is the DH. 

Meanwhile, I’ve heard many Rangers fans say that they’d like Jon Daniels to pursue Kendrys Morales and make him the full-time DH in the Texas lineup. If Morales were signed, it’s very likely that Moreland would be put on the trade block.

Texas should keep Moreland. Above all, his overall abilities help to balance the payroll. 

Let’s do a quick comparison of Moreland and Morales, and what each player brings to the club. 

Mitch Moreland

He’s almost two full years younger than Morales. The 28-year-old’s biggest plus to the team is his affordability—his extremely economic power and production. Granted, last year he really struggled at the plate average-wise. He posted career lows in both batting average at .232 and OBP at .299. That is an alarming number. 

But those were career lows that one would assume can really only improve. Especially with the patience and on-base skills of Shin-Soo Choo and Fielder, who will work to wear out the opposing pitcher by the middle innings. As a result, Moreland will usually be hitting against a pitcher who is slightly more worn down than he was facing the Rangers last season.

Again, the batting average and OBP can’t get any worse. Still, though, he hit 23 homers and 60 RBI in 2013, which was a bargain for just over $500,000 last season.

After the Rangers spent a combined $268 million on Fielder and Choo, it can easily be argued that Moreland‘s value to the team has increased because he is so cheap.

Defensively, Moreland is superior to Morales. He is a better athlete and has better range. He showed that on several occasions last season. He complements Fielder’s liabilities on defense beautifully. Still, I expect Moreland will DH around 90 percent of the time.

He’s arbitration-eligible in 2014, and he should definitely make less than Morales per year. Unless he makes $10 million in arbitration—he shouldn’t get even close to that—he’s an overall better value, all things considered, than Morales.

Kendrys Morales

Yes, Morales is a better contact hitter than Moreland. He’s also a switch-hitter. But their power ability is close to even. Signing the 30-year-old would be expensive in both cash and by surrendering a first-round pick—to the division rival Seattle Mariners. I don’t think that’s a wise option, considering Seattle seems like it’s poised to make at least one more major move this offseason. 

Last season, he hit .277 with 23 homers and 80 RBI with the Mariners. It’s true that his batting average was 45 points higher, while his OBP was 37 points higher.

But think about this: If Moreland is the DH the vast majority of the time, does he need to have superior on-base skills? It would be nice, but I think just the additions of Choo and Fielder will help trickle down a better OBP through the lineup.

As long as Moreland is hitting a home run here and there, and can drive in between 55 and 65 runs, that is completely acceptable. 

Morales is older, more injury-prone and a weaker defensive player than Moreland. He isn’t athletic and would be another slow body in the middle of the order hitting behind Fielder and hamstring-hobbling Adrian Beltre.

Remember most of the Rangers’ speed is at the top and bottom of the lineup. Moreland isn’t fast, but he can move well for being a fairly big guy. 

Put it this way: With the offense Texas already has, which might be the best in baseball, is just 20 more RBI worth the additional money and draft pick Morales would cost? I don’t think so.

Having another switch-hitter along with Jurickson Profar is a great advantage, but at what cost? Keep in mind that signing Morales means a Rangers’ first-round pick going to Seattle. I don’t like the sound of that. 

One thing is guaranteed here. Moreland, as long as he is making less than $2 to $3 million per year, will always be outperforming his contract. It’s no guarantee that Morales will outperform or even live up to what he could be paid this offseason. 

Like signing Masahiro Tanaka, this is a question of a need versus a desire. Moreland is sufficient for the role he’ll play this season. Morales, if signed, would likely be the full-time DH like Moreland. I expect Morales will command between $12 and $15 million per year for two to three years. Also keep in mind that Scott Boras is his agent. You know Boras will find a way to squeeze more money out of whichever club signs him. There’s no debating that. 

No, Texas should stand pat with what it currently has offensively. It would be a better option, if anything, to sign Jeff Baker and DH him against lefties. Moreland and Baker combined would likely cost less than Morales, while the Rangers would keep their draft pick.

All stats provided by ESPN.com.

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Make no mistake about it, the Texas Rangers have a top lineup for the upcoming 2014 MLB season, but they should still pursue a designated hitter in Kendrys Morales.

The DH spot is regularly used by manager Ron Washington to give an everyday starter some time off from playing the field. And going into the 2014 season, the Rangers are planning to use a platoon at the offensive position, per columnist Drew Davison of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram in his late December article:

Daniels said the plan is to go with a platoon at designated hitter, with Mitch Moreland facing right-handers and Michael Choice or another right-handed bat against lefties. A caveat to that, Daniels said, is when manager Ron Washington uses the DH slot to give regulars a “mini” break.

Recently acquired outfielder Michael Choice has plenty of room to grow. Twenty-eight-year-old first baseman Mitch Moreland is yet to establish himself as an everyday starter. In fact, the Rangers trading for a first baseman this offseason, in Prince Fielder, exemplifies this.

Bringing in a player to fill the DH role for the Rangers wouldn’t be a bad idea either. Yes, there was the failed Lance Berkman experiment in 2013, but he was much older than the prospective Morales. Notably, Boston Red Sox power hitter David Ortiz has made a career out of the position.

Enter the switch-hitting Morales.

In November, Morales turned down the Seattle Mariners‘ qualifying offer of $14.1 million for one year, per baseball insider Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. And per Jon Morosi of Fox Sports, a team would have to surrender a draft pick by signing Morales.

In his Dec. 19 article, he highlighted that Morales could potentially be a good fit, but that the Rangers were looking elsewhere at the time:

Morales appears to be a good fit for the Rangers (DH), Athletics (DH/first base), Pirates (first base), or even Brewers (first base), but each of those teams would need to give up a first-round draft pick. And those clubs seem to have other priorities at the moment.

Two days after Morosi‘s article, Shin-Soo Choo agreed to a deal with the Rangers. And more than a week later, Morales is still available.

As the days continue to grow for Morales, who doesn’t have a new home yet, the price could drop on a new contract. He’s 30 years old and is primarily a DH. That certainly won’t make a team’s mouth water. But he has power and is a switch-hitter, which means that the Rangers wouldn’t constantly worry about playing the matchup.

That’s salivating.

Not having a guaranteed spot in the lineup could work one of two ways when platooning players. Either one player steps up or both players struggle without having a chance to get in a groove all season.

Morales could be the replacement in the lineup to former Rangers slugger Nelson Cruz. He could also find success in Texas much like Mike Napoli did, a once-tenured Los Angeles Angels player just like Morales was. Napoli hit for a batting average of .320 and 30 home runs in his first year in Arlington.

Could Morales replicate that? See if the embedded video reminds you of Napoli‘s high-flying home runs.

Morales spent six seasons with the Angels and hit 34 home runs in 2009. And in 2010, he had 11 home runs through 51 games before breaking his leg in a game-winning celebration. Morales bounced back by hitting 22 home runs in 2012 and 23 home runs with the Mariners in 2013. He also had a batting average over .270 in both of those years.

The bat is there. So what about Moreland and Choice?

As stated before, Choice is a great prospect who can make an impact in a year or so. But Moreland is excellent trade bait to lure in a starting or relief pitcher. The Pittsburgh Pirates, per Heyman on Twitter, and the Tampa Bay Rays, per staff writer Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times in a November article, believe that Moreland could be a good fit for their respective teams.

If there is one thing to be learned from this offseason, it’s that Daniels is putting the Rangers in a position to be a contender for a long time. Morales should be the next target that can help them further compete, especially in October 2014. 

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A few Texas Rangers fans have brought up the idea of another alternative starting pitcher to Masahiro Tanaka. I’ve already mentioned Ubaldo Jimenez as a possibility, although it’s somewhat difficult to see the club signing him since he has a compensatory draft pick attached to him.

Let’s go back over international waters and take a look at Korean-born starter Suk-Min Yoon. There has been no word concerning the Rangers’ interest in Yoon, but he is no doubt one of the better pitching prospects outside of Tanaka. 

Matt Sullivan over at MLB Daily Dish has much more detail on Yoon.

Additionally, Steve Sypa of Amazin‘ Avenue, the New York Mets‘ blog on SB Nation, has a full breakdown on Yoon. Here is some of what he had to say about the potential Korean star:

Yoon is on the small side, standing at an even six feet and weighing 180 pounds. He throws in the mid-90s, though, and complements his fastball with a hard, biting slider and a change-up that MLB scouts describe as above average. Though a starter, he has only thrown what we would consider an entire season’s work (~175+ IP) once, in 2011. As best I can gather, the average starter in the KBO throws around 150 to 180 innings, making 25 to 30 starts, per season, often supplementing those starts with relief outings here and there.

Here are some of Yoon‘s highlights from the KBO.

As you can see there, Yoon doesn’t have Tanaka‘s world-class, two-foot-breaking splitter, or an equally dazzling Yu Darvish slider and slow curve. Yoon‘s pitches seem to have a late, sharp break rather than an early, sweeping break. Late movement is tough to hit, no matter how you slice it. 

He does appear to have the making of a James Shields changeup.

Sullivan has reason to believe that Yoon could follow in the footsteps of fellow Korean Hyun-Jin Ryu, who went 14-8 with a 3.00 ERA in 192 innings last season as the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ No. 3 starter.

Ryu‘s single greatest attribute in his rookie season was his control. He posted a 3.14 strikeout to walk ratio.

Sypa points out that Korean players have a history of succeeding in their home leagues but struggling when they jump up to the majors. Obviously, Ryu, at least in his first year with the Dodgers, and the newest Ranger Shin-Soo Choo, are two glaring exceptions. 

As Sullivan and Sypa note, Yoon is a couple years older (27) than Tanaka. He has had a dramatically different role with his team, the Kia Tigers, in the Korean Baseball Organization. Over his nine-year career in Korea, he has moved back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen.

Sullivan says that this has saved a lot of mileage on his arm, compared to the remarkably heavy workloads of Tanaka and fellow Japanese star Yu Darvish before he signed with the Rangers.

Here are Yoon‘s career stats, courtesy of this report from Global Sporting Integration, with a hat tip to myKBO.net. 

2005: 3-4, 4.29 ERA, 53 G, 84 IP, 49 K, 1.476 WHIP
2006: 5-6, 2.28 ERA, 63 G, 94.2 IP, 75 K, 1.141 WHIP
2007: 7-18, 3.78 ERA, 28 G, 162 IP, 104 K, 1.358 WHIP
2008: 14-5, 2.33 ERA, 24 G, 154.2 IP, 119 K, 1.054 WHIP
2009: 9-4, 3.46 ERA, 27 G, 199.2 IP, 117 K, 1.287 WHIP
2010: 6-3, 3.83 ERA, 23 G, 101 IP, 94 K, 1.297 WHIP
2011: 17-5, 2.45 ERA, 27 G, 172.2 IP, 178 K, 1.048 WHIP
2012: 9-8, 3.12 ERA, 28 G, 153 IP, 137 K, 1.000 WHIP
2013: 3-6, 4.00 ERA, 30 G, 87.2 IP, 76 K, 1.357 WHIP

Career: 73-59, 3.19 ERA, 303 G, 1129 IP, 949 K, 1.198 WHIP

2011 was Yoon‘s best year, and he was the MVP of the KBO that season. He then proceeded to hire Scott Boras as his agent. 

Overall, Yoon has had a solid career in Korea, but he is obviously not on the same level as Tanaka. Those are nice numbers, but the biggest question surrounding Yoon is if he’ll be able to hold his own in a major league rotation for any length of time. But because of that uncertainty, he could be available at a very affordable price.

Sypa projects that Yoon, even with Boras as his agent, would get a contract similar to the three-year, $10.7 million—with a $4.75 million option for a fourth year—that Wei-Yin Chen signed with the Baltimore Orioles in 2011. Considering he has been pitching in the AL East, Chen has done alright with the Orioles over two years for that contract. He has a career 19-18 record with a 4.04 ERA and a career opponents’ batting average of .259.  

So, Yoon seems like the cheapest rotation option available. According to these reports, Yoon is believed to be able to slide into a No. 4 or 5 rotation spot. No. 5 on a good team. But he has experience in the bullpen and could perhaps help out a major league team in that area. 

Again, I’m not advocating for the Rangers to sign Yoon, just throwing out some additional potential options for rotation or pitching depth in general. He is one of those low-risk, at least medium-reward pitchers. 

* All stats, unless otherwise noted, are courtesy of ESPN.com

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You might consider the Oakland Athletics to be winners this offseason. You might say the flurry of moves they made were average. But each move had major implications—some good, some bad—for the individual players involved.

For example, certain guys held on to their role while others lost theirs. One guy in particular made out like a bandit with the money he’ll make, while another essentially lost out on millions.

Then there’s a certain piece of offseason news that affects the fans.

So who comes out of the A’s offseason looking like a winner, and who heads to spring training wishing there was better news? Continue reading to find out.

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2014 is almost here, and that means time for New Year’s resolutions, Texas Rangers style.

After falling short of the 2013 MLB playoffs, the Rangers have had an extremely entertaining offseason. Big splashes, including the trading of Ian Kinsler for Prince Fielder and the signing of Shin-Soo Choo, have made this offseason almost as fun as the regular season.

The Rangers fell short of expectations in 2013. As noted, they missed the playoffs, losing the regular-season tiebreaker to the Tampa Bay Rays. Clearly a huge expectation for the Rangers in 2014 is to make the playoffs, but many want a World Series.

And maybe if general manager Jon Daniels signs Masahiro Tanaka, as the Rangers are a team of interest per ESPN’s Jim Bowden, then winning the World Series could become the only expectation.

With the team at hand now, what are some resolutions to be made so that the Rangers can ultimately reach great expectations?

Get healthy

In 2013, the Rangers had 11 different starting pitchers. The pitching staff was depleted. Starter Matt Harrison lasted only two games after going out for the season with a back injury. He won 18 games in 2012.

Starter Colby Lewis didn’t see any action in 2013. Lewis spent almost a year recovering from a torn flexor tendon but needed hip surgery in August, per Fort-Worth Star Telegram.

Another starter Alexi Ogando started 18 games in 2013. But it was less than what it should have been after heading to the disabled list three separate times.

This is just a portion of the list of Rangers players that need to get and stay healthy in 2014. On the other side of the ball, Adrian Beltre needs to get healthy. Beltre was really slowed down by a hamstring injury he suffered in June against the Royals.

Beltre talked about his injury in a June article by T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.

A lot of guys are playing hurt here. If the pain is something you can control, then you can kind of nurse it a little bit. Pretty sure if it was different, I wouldn’t be able to play. I’m pretty sure all the guys here are doing all the same stuff I’m doing.

So here’s to Mr. Beltre and the rest of the Rangers players with injuries. Get healthy. And to the entire team, stay healthy in 2014.

Win it for Yu

Win it for you? No, win it for Yu! Starting pitcher Yu Darvish that is. Win some games for him. Who knows, maybe he’ll win the Cy Young Award in 2014 if he gets more run support.

Darvish had an ERA of 2.83. He struck out 277 batters, which ranked first in the MLB. But he went 13-9.

What? 13-9?

Yes, Darvish went 13-9 with 277 strike outs and a 2.83 ERA. Of the nine losses, six of them were decided by two runs or less. Of those six, four were 1-0 losses.

If the Rangers got run support for Darvish in six of his nine losses, plus maybe a strong showing by the bullpen in another loss, Darvish would have been a 20-game winner.

So for 2014, score runs in Darvish starts and win it for Yu.

What are some resolutions that you have for the Rangers? Let me know in the comment section below.

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The Texas Rangers must sign Japanese phenom Masahiro Tanaka for the 2014 MLB season.

It’s pretty simple: Pitching wins in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, given the big-bat signings by the Rangers this offseason, ESPN’s Buster Olney has Texas’ potential lineup ranked as “the best in baseball,” via former Rangers outfielder Gape Kapler on Twitter:

The Rangers were unsuccessful in two consecutive World Series appearances.

In 2010, the team’s hitting went cold against the San Francisco Giants‘ lethal rotation.

The Giants have won the World Series twice behind their talented pitching. Starter Tim Lincecum won back-to-back Cy Young Awards before becoming a World Series champion in 2010. He also went 4-1 in the 2010 postseason, but his performance there was outdone by ace Matt Cain.

In the 2010 postseason, Cain went 2-0 without giving up any runs over 21 innings. In the 2012 postseason, he pitched his way to a second World Series title, as did Linceum and starter Ryan Vogelsong.

How many players in the Giants lineups can you even name from the 2010 and 2012 teams?

Pitching was the key.

Sure, the St. Louis Cardinals should have lost in 2011, but starter Chris Carpenter was 4-0 that postseason. He shut down the Rangers in Game 1 and Game 7. Meanwhile, the Rangers lacked a second ace to complement arguably the franchise’s most complete lineup.

Imagine if the Rangers were able to re-sign Cliff Lee going into that season.

C.J. Wilson lost Game 1 of the 2011 World Series. In Game 2, the Rangers got it done and were able to keep the score close, thanks to Colby Lewis and company.

If Texas had a second ace, Game 1 would have been the Rangers’ first win, and Lewis would have won Game 3. Instead, starter Matt Harrison lasted less than four innings in the third game, leaving the Rangers in a 2-1 hole for the series.

The collapse from Game 6 will live forever among Rangers fans from that World Series, but Lee could have saved them earlier in the series.

However, there are some exceptions for a team automatically having a strong postseason with two aces.

The Tigers didn’t get it done with Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. The Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t get it done with Clayton Kershaw and Zach Grienke. Adam Wainwright and the emerging Michael Wacha didn’t get it done either. The list goes on from previous years.

However, all of those teams were still World Series contenders.

The 2013 Rangers pitching staff was plagued with injuries. From Matt Harrison to Alexi Ogando, the staff found its way on the disabled list throughout the year, as the Rangers were never truly a contender.

Rangers players are coming back from injury in 2014 and, according to Roto Champ, even third projected starter Alexi Ogando will be healthy. But is Ogando really a No. 3 on a contending pitching staff? The former outfielder would only be a fifth starter or bullpen reliever on a contender.

Tanaka would add depth and create competition among the other starters to fight for that fifth spot in the rotation. Adding Tanaka strengthens the bullpen, making another current projected Texas starter move to the pen. That should be Ogando.

The most important reason as to why the Rangers need to add an ace is because they only had two starting pitcher from 2013 qualify for the ERA title, Yu Darvish and Derek Holland. They didn’t do much in terms of adding pitchers for 2014 and there’s no guarantee that everyone will stay healthy.

So why not go into a bidding war for a 25-year old phenom while already boasting the projected top lineup for 2014? He’s the best available starter who could instantly make the Rangers pitching staff miles better than if the team were to add any other free agent out there.

Rangers sports writer Jamey Newberg of the Newberg Report says that he would rather extend Darvish than throw money at Tanaka, via Twitter.

Darvish is signed through 2017. He has four more seasons with the Rangers before potentially becoming a free agent. Signing Tanaka, with Darvish and a cast of other Rangers fighting to prove their worth in the rotation, would make for a team that can win now. Let them create the chemistry with the 162-game regular season and get hot come October.

If the Rangers get Tanaka, with that lineup, they might set a record in 2015 for most regular-season wins and then move on to a World Series title. Maybe even a second title in as many years in 2015.

At the end of the day, if the Rangers want to win now, they’ll either sign Tanaka or they’ll trade for another ace. But on this day, Tanaka is the missing piece to the puzzle.

What’s better, having two aces or just one? See the video below.

It’s not complicated. “Two times is awesome.”

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