Rangers Land Gagne

[DSheppard]

sorry, i dont know why i put them in that order i didnt mean hed be closer.

hed be 7th inning of course, setup man if aki gets traded.

although if they trade aki hoping gagne can handle it and then gagne goes down.....

but i certainly wouldnt want to throw littleton into that situation already so hopefully gagne can stay healthy. its only one year, he better >< id hate to see him him struggle this year and rebound next year with another team.

[BritSox]

They were operating from a position of strength. Unless they know something about Otsuka's arm/potential that we don't, they have a solid closer.

What does whether they have a closer got to do with it being a position of strength? There were teams that didn't, and they offered Gagne a lot of money. To outbid them, the Rangers had to offer more money. It's quite simple.

[Matthias]

They were operating from a position of strength. Unless they know something about Otsuka's arm/potential that we don't, they have a solid closer.

What does whether they have a closer got to do with it being a position of strength? There were teams that didn't, and they offered Gagne a lot of money. To outbid them, the Rangers had to offer more money. It's quite simple.

Actually, I think he has a fair point. The Rangers could give Gagne some money, hoping he would succeed. In order to commit to him, other clubs (like the Sox) would need him to.

[slomo007]

It appears as though the Rangers are hoping a strong bullpen can counteract a weak rotation. I like the experiment actually, rather than dropping $100M on a pitcher like Zito.

[decoy562]

I see two scenarios with this one:

1)Gagne gets injured again, Otsuka closes, Texas loses a few million but still has a solid closer.

2)Gagne comes back strong, Otsuka is traded for a need, Texas wins.

Either way, I think they are in a good position.

-Chris

[BritSox]

They were operating from a position of strength. Unless they know something about Otsuka's arm/potential that we don't, they have a solid closer.

What does whether they have a closer got to do with it being a position of strength? There were teams that didn't, and they offered Gagne a lot of money. To outbid them, the Rangers had to offer more money. It's quite simple.

Actually, I think he has a fair point. The Rangers could give Gagne some money, hoping he would succeed. In order to commit to him, other clubs (like the Sox) would need him to.

Still don't see your point here. Do you mean that the Rangers were willing to spend more money, because they didn't need to? Or that they could somehow have gotten him for less than others were willing to spend?

[Matthias]

Still don't see your point here. Do you mean that the Rangers were willing to spend more money, because they didn't need to? Or that they could somehow have gotten him for less than others were willing to spend?

Kind of. It's weird, I know.

But in the Sox case specifically, they're bumping up very close to the salary cap right now. So if they signed Gagne around what he was asking, that would be their closer. Or at least that would have to be the off-season closer move. And if he was just terrible, they've jeoparadized not only their money but also potentially their season.

With the Rangers on the other hand, they have the luxury of having Otsuka there already. So if Gagne looks terrible, it's not a tragedy. They're still ok in that department. And if he does look good, then they have the luxury of being able to trade away one of two very good closers. For probably a really good return.

Basically, the money for Gagne was too rich for anyone who absolutely needed performance to take a flyer on him. But it's an ok gamble if you have a backup plan.

[BritSox]

Right ho. But d18mike's initial post was that the Rangers should have offered him much less guaranteed, and my issue with that was that it wouldn't have gotten it done.

[Lofunzo]

Am I the only person who thinks this isnt that bad of a deal?

Honestly I don't know what to think. If Gagne is healthy it seems like a good deal. If he isn't then they are just flushing money down the toliet. Time will tell.

In their defense, they are paying A-Rod around $9M this season to not play for them. If Gagne's injured, they can pay him $8M to not play for them.

Its a risky decision and considering the Rangers aren't gonna make the playoffs anyways I'm not sure if its worth it

Well, considering the Rangers definitely aren't going to make the playoffs anyway, and we know this before the season begins, why bother with any players at all? Why not run out nine of Hick's pals? Nine Longhorn Cattle?

Well why not spend the money on a player to build upon like a SP

I don't think its a bad trade just not sure if its the right team especially with Akinori

Easier said than done. Top young SP are rarely, if ever, available. Zito is the best available this offseason and even he has big question marks. He's also going to be making a ton of $$.

Sorry. Just saw the min-debate between you and Britsox

[Matthias]

Right ho. But d18mike's initial post was that the Rangers should have offered him much less guaranteed, and my issue with that was that it wouldn't have gotten it done.

Ah. That I agree with.