The subject of Michael Young’s defense is a hot topic in Ranger land. Young may potentially be one of the worst defensive shortstops in the game, as his range is beginning to decline (Jeter may still be worse) and it could be argued that moving Young to third base, of which the Rangers have no prospects of note, could benefit both him and the club in the short and long term.
Here’s the key issue that people are ignoring.
Who are you going to replace him with?
What a lot of people, Adam J. Morris of Lone Star Ball in particular, have overlooked is that there aren’t all that many quality shortstops growing on trees. And while the Rangers do have a potential franchise shortstop to move Young over to third base eventually in Elvis Andrus, Andrus is hardly a lock to make the majors next season, and looks like he’ll require at least another year of development before the experiment can be done.
In reality, there should be no rush. However, because the topic is starting to crop up on message boards, let’s delve into it, shall we?
- Joaquin Arias (Oklahoma) - Arias would seem to be the obvious choice, seeing that he’s already in the organization and would give the team and opportunity to see if he really can hack it at the major league level or not. Arias has speed and would be capable at short, but he doesn’t offer much long term upside, not enough to justify moving Young from the position at least. It’s too bad, because he could wind up being a short of Jack Wilson type shortstop, if given the chance.
- Jack Wilson (Pittsburgh) - Speaking of Wilson, I suppose Jack Wilson (who is an adequate defensive shortstop), could be had, but I’m not sure what sort of package could be put together for the Pirates to bite on. At least, not a reasonable one. Shooter and I should do a mutual post to see how we could improve both teams through wheeling and dealing.
- Adam Everett (Minnesota) -Everett is a supurb defensive shortstop, but isn’t a great hitter. How the hell would this justify moving Young? Next!
- Felipe Lopez (Nationals) - An interesting reclamation project, Lopez could rebound to his Cincinatti status in Arlington, but he hasn’t played shortstop regularly in years.
- Ramon Vasquez (Rangers) - Borat can play shortstop, but he’s isn’t this great of a hitter. Honestly, I’d be shopping him furiously now if I were Jon Daniels.
- J.J. Hardy (Brewers) - There a lot of rumor that the Brewers will shop J.J. Hardy this off-season in order to clear a spot for their own top prospect, Alcides Escobar, who is a better defensive shortstop than Hardy. Hardy is attractive in that he has several years of club control left and that he’s an exxcellent defensive shortstop. However, the problem is that the price will be very prohibative on Hardy. The Brewers will want multiple prospects in return, which could be counterproductive to the Rangers. If the Rangers could acquire Hardy for a package of, say Jose Vallejo, Manuel Pina, Omar Poveda and another prospect, I’d be for it, as Vellejo is a decent second base prospect that’s blocked by Kinsler, Pina is another catcher in a system rich with them, Poveda is looking like a solid pitching prospect, plus maybe a lesser prospect. Anything greater than that I’d be unwilling to consider. The thing that pisses me off about Hardy is just how streaky of a hitter he is. Come to think of it, wouldn’t the Brewers be best off calling up Escobar, moving Hardy to second base, and putting Rickie Weeks in center. I think Weeks could be an excellent centerfielder. Ah well, that’s not my call.
Hot Shots
Yankees Interested In Laird - The Yankees are reportedly looking at Gerald Laird to help out their catching situation, one that they’ve long overlooked. It’s safe to say that Jorge Posada has been taken for granted by the Yankees for much of his career and only now is his value finally being…well, valued. Texas would move Laird for a pitcher, of which the Yankees have long been reluctant to do. I wouldn’t target any of the Yankees’ big three pitching prospects, though in my opinion Laird for Ian Kennedy straight up is fair (Kennedy isn’t an elite prospect and has been way overvalued because of his organization.) An arm I would target would be Delin Betances, a live arm in the Yankees system who has had injury issues in the past, but is still something solid.
Something That Should Be Pursued - I’d really try and get something done with Boston in terms of a pitching prospect close to the majors. The Rangers and Red Sox match up well for a potential swap of Max Ramirez or Jarrod Saltalamacchia, as Boston needs a young catcher, and they’ve got nothing on the way.
The Hell? - Apparently, the Braves shot down the Mike Gonzalez for a Texas outfielder rumor, saying that the only way they would have traded Gonzalez was for Josh Hamilton? That’s insanity.
Hank Blalock Now Coveted By Dodgers, Giants, And Twins - Three teams are now in on Hank Blalock, who seems to be back and ready to contribute. The Dodgers are particularly interested, and could be willing to give up something nice. I’d ask them for Andy LaRoche and something else, straight up. The Twins are another potential fit, but they seem reluctant to trade any of their pitching depth, which is what the Rangers want. The Giants are interesting, in that they have several needs right now, but their only real collateral is in their young starters. If I were the Rangers, i’d make a play for Matt Cain. I’d offer them Blalock, Nelson Cruz, Joaquin Arias, Jose Vallejo, Poveda, and possibly another prospect for Cain, plus one of the Giants’ bad contracts in return. I don’t know, they may pass on that.
