So tonight I went to hear TIm Kirkjian speak here at the University of Maryland. For those of you who don't know who he is, Tim is an ESPN analyst and baseball expert. He came tonight and gave a Q&A session for about an hour and let me just say, the man is amazing. He is the smartest, funniest and most down-to-earth sports personalities I have ever encountered. He can spit out stats like no one I have seen and he knows more about the beautiful game of baseball than anyone I have ever met.
Of course, among the questions was the inevitable, "Where is Cliff Lee going to be next year?" to which he said. "Cliff Lee will be a Yankee in a few weeks." Not what I wanted to hear.
Anyways, I only bring this up because my Uncle brought to my attention the idea of converting Neftali Feliz to starter this offseason, especially if Lee does indeed sign elsewhere. It wouldn't be a terrible idea but I don't know how much I would want to see that happen. Feliz was a shut-down closer this year and if we take him out of that spot we're giving that closer spot back to Franky Francisco.
We also can't forget that Feliz does his best work with his back against the wall. The majority of the runs he gave up this year were with a lead bigger than 3 and nest to no pressure surrounding the situation. That does not give me a lot of confidence in his abilities to be a starting pitcher, especially with only one usable pitch. Not to sound cliche but if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
There is also the possibility of bringing in Zack Greinke to join this rotation. Is it going to happen? Not very likely considering he has a no trade clause but he has said he does NOT want to join a big market club, the Yankees, Red Sox and the like, and that he would like to join a contender. What better situation is there for him than right here (in spirit) than in Texas. He would join a blossoming baseball town and immediately be part of a contender.
That was one of the things I never really understood about the Lee situation. All the Yankee fans here at UMD keep saying that Lee will sign with them because he wants to win. Why would someone leave a team that went to the World Series for a team they beat en route to it? Now, if Lee wants more money, he will absolutely join the Evil Empire but if he wants to win, there is no reason to believe he will leave. Let us also not forget that the Rangers are now under new management and have the money to throw at Cliff Lee to entice him to stay.
If Lee stays I think we can still pursue Greinke because it would be through a trade. According to The Newberg Report, and I'm paraphrasing here, the Royals are looking for 3 top-flight prospects in a deal for Greinke and the Rangers are one of the few teams able to meet that request. I hate to watch us trade away a good portion of our highly-ranked farm system but if it means getting another former Cy Young Award winner, count me in.
I know it's a long show but think about this rotation: Cliff Lee, Zack Greinke, CJ Wilson, Colby Lewis and Derek Holland/Tommy Hunter.
As we saw in the World Series, pitching wins championships. I don't know about you but I like what I see right there.
I would expect Wash and Ryan to agree to leave Felix in the bullpin, further I expect Lee to remain in Texas. If not, perhaps Greinke comes to Texas, but I worry about his mental health. Rangers will not sit still regardless. Good blog and opinion. Keep up the excellent work. - Abba
ReplyDeleteIt seems that the NY/Boston bias is alive and well in the national sports scene. Virtually no one expects the Rangers to hold on to Lee. But they were the same who expected Lee to sign with NY in July. I'm not certain they are aware that Texas signed a huge TV contract this summer, or even that Greenberg/Ryan aren't Tom Hicks and his lack of money.
ReplyDeleteMy money is on Lee staying with Texas. I think adding Greinke is less likely, even if they don't keep Lee. To me, the key to the 2011 season is the continued emergence of C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis (as well as Derek Holland). I fear that Greinke will cost them too much in talent (possibly even losing Holland) and am not sure it's worth the price.