Texas Rangers

The Rangers felt they could only sign one of their 2 premier players to long term contracts.  And since All-Star catchers are much more rare than All-Star outfielders, even if they are 2-time MVPs, the Rangers decided to hold on to Ivan Rodriguez and say adios to Juan Gonzales.  The fact that they traded Gonzales wasn't so much of a surprise.  Where he went and how much they got in return was.  The Tigers gave up OF Gabe Kapler, C Bill Haselman, INF Frank Catalanotto, LHP Justin Thompson, LHP Alan Webb and RHP Francisco Cordero.  It's not quite the Herschel Walker trade, but it's pretty close.  Kapler has the makings to be a pretty good outfielder, maybe an occasional All-Star with his power.  Catalanotto is a solid hitter, who doesn't walk a whole lot, but doesn't strike out much either.  Haselman is your basic back-up catcher who has enough pop to start if need be.  Thompson, Webb and Cordero are each decent pitchers, with Cordero being the likely successor to John Wetteland at closer.  It was a major haul for the Rangers, who threw in C Greg Zaun and RHP Danny Patterson to complete the steal,... er, deal.   Even though it'll be a year or two before they reap the full benefit of the trade, the Rangers will be a much better team because of it in the long run.  Accompanying Kapler in the outfield this year are phenom Ruben Mateo in center and Rusty Greer in right.  Greer is a very good all around player and probably the most underrated player in the AL.  He draws walks, he doesn't strike out, he makes good contact, hits for power and is a smart baserunner.  He doesn't steal very much, but that might be more do to the style of play in the AL.  Mateo's minor league numbers point to a player who's similar to Greer, just more of it.  More power and good enough speed to steal 20 bases annually.  The Rangers made another trade this offseason to help the infield.  They sent Lee Stevens to the Expos as part of a three way deal with Toronto and in return received David Segui.  Segui doesn't have a whole lot of pop for a first baseman, but his reputation is more as a solid gloveman.  He is a good contact hitter.  The other corner is still a question mark, as Tom Evans and Mike Lamb will each be given a shot to show what they can do.  They're both similar offensively, with Lamb showing a little more power.  But neither one is a sure producer.  Royce Clayton's offensive game at short is becoming more power/less speed oriented.  Just two years ago, he finished his 5h consecutive year of stealing 20 bases.  Last year, he stole only 8.  He did top 10 home runs for the first time in his career with 14.  He still doesn't walk much and strikes out more than what is expected of a guy with his tools.  Catalanotto will take over at second once he's 100% healthy.  Until then, he'll split time with Luis Alicea, who had been becoming a decent offensive player until last year's dismal showing.  He had been getting on base at around .360-.370 the previous 6 years.  Reigning AL MVP Ivan Rodriguez had a pretty awesome year in 1999.  He hit 35 homers and stole 25 bases, scored 116 runs and drove in 113 while catching 144 games.  He'll be hard pressed to duplicate those numbers even in this era of ridiculously high offense, especially the steals.  But he'll still be the best offensive catcher in the AL for another year.  Raphael Palmeiro, who's almost always forgotten in discussions about the best hitters in baseball, is rather quietly building a Cooperstown resume.  He has a substantial tally in the stats the writers usually look at: 361 homers, 1157 runs, 1227 RBI, .296 batting average.  At 35, he's probably got a couple more years at his current level of production, which will make him a very good bet to top 500 homers and 1500 RBI for his career, putting him in the top 25 all-time in both categories.  For now, Raffy will just have to be content with being the best offensive player in the AL West.  However, until Mateo, Kapler and Catalanotto develop, the Rangers aren't very threatening on offense.   GRADE: 55

Defensively, the Rangers are very good up the middle.  Rodriguez is about as good as it gets at catcher and both Clayton and Alicea are above average middle fielders.  Mateo has shown great range and a bazooka arm in center.  Segui and Greer are also both very good defensive players.  It remains to be seen about how good Catalanotto and Kapler will be, but even if they are both below average, the Rangers have to be considered one of the best 2 or 3 defensive teams in the AL.  GRADE: 65

The Rangers lost #2 starter Aaron Sele to free agency this offseason but replaced his innings with A's/Mets ace and former Ranger Kenny Rogers.  "The Gambler", one of the best ground ball pitchers in the majors, is also one of the best fielders off the mound.  And just as he was last year in his brief stint with the Mets, Rogers will be tough to beat with the solid infield defense behind him.  Rick Helling won only 13 games last year after winning 20 in 1998.  He's a decent pitcher but not nearly as dominating as the Rangers thought he'd be when they selected him in the first round in 1992.  Last year was more in line with realistic expectations than his 1998.  Justin Thompson has battled injury for the past two years and will probably not pitch in Texas until mid-May.  When he's healthy, he's a very effective left-hander.  Darren Oliver has suffered from injury as well, but most of his problems stem from inconsistency.  Like Thompson, he COULD be a very effective lefty.  The last spots in the rotation will be filled by hard-throwing Esteban Loaiza and journeyman Mark Clark.  Loaiza came over from Pittsburgh a couple of years ago for Warren Morris (I just wanted to show that not all of GM Doug Melvin's trades work out for the best).  GRADE: 55

The Texas bullpen is impressive.  Closer John Wetteland has been one of the best closers in baseball for the past 8 years, a remarkable run.  Rarely do closers last more than 5 years and he's done it in grand style: last year was the first since 1990 that he finished with an ERA above 3.  Jeff Zimmerman was picked up out of the Independent Leagues and became the best set-up man in baseball last year.  Tim Crabtree lights up radar guns, hitting 95 routinely and occasionally 97.  Not bad for the guy who's supposed to pitch the 7th inning.  The Tigers will miss Cordero, who also lights up the gun.  Matt Perisho and Mike Venafro are not nearly as intimidating from the left side, but are effective as lefty specialists.  GRADE: 70

GM Doug Melvin had a pretty good offseason.  He's a pretty good horse trader and a solid evaluator of talent.  He's done a pretty good job of holding on to the Rangers best prospects and has a pretty good track record of developing talent.  He's enjoyed moderate success with mid-season trades (Zeile in 1998 for Jose Santos and Dan DeYoung on the plus side, Royce Clayton and Darren Oliver in 1998 for Todd Stottlemyre and Fernando Tatis on the minus side).  Manager Johnny Oates is about average as a manager.  He doesn't have a great deal of patience with younger pitchers, but because of that, they never reach high pitch counts.  He like to sit and wait for things to happen on offense, which is probably the best way to go with this team.  GRADE: 60