The Rangers Have Big Shoes To Fill

In the past couple of weeks the Rangers have lost a an all-star center fielder, an all-star left fielder, a solid starting pitcher, and one of the best utility men in the league.

1. Center Field:
I feel like the Rangers should have made a better effort in re-signing Gary Matthews Jr. before he was signed by the Angels. He hit .313 with 79 RBI, and cruised the outfield like non-other. Playing at Ameriquest Field in Arlington, it is essential to have a gold-glove centerfielder with the deep alleys. It will be hard to find someone who could replace Matthews. Brad Wilkerson may be the only answer for the time being. Coming to Texas in the blockbuster deal for Alfonso Soriano, Brad has been a huge disappointment. He hit .222 but was bothered by a nagging shoulder injury that plagued him the entire season. I actually have this feeling that he may have a big season next year because of its his last year in the contract. He played in center when he was with the Nationals and it looks like he will now rome the deep alleys at Ameriquest Field in Arlington.

Prediction: the Rangers get Jay Payton. Would be a perfect fit with newly hired Ron Washington as manager. He is a great defensive player with the ability to chase balls in center field. Batter .296 and had 59 rbi and is a solid bat at the end of the order.

2. Mr. Do it All:
Mark DeRosa was by far the biggest loss for the Rangers. It makes me mad that the Rangers let him go. The fact that he went to Chicago for pocket change puzzles me. His contract was almost the same as Frank Catalanotto and he is by far a greater player. The only benefit of Frank Catalanotto is that he is a proven lead-off hitter and will fill the spot left by Matthews. The Rangers should have kept DeRosa and should have traded Blalock. Blalock hit .266 with 16 home runs and 89 RBIs last season. I personally think Blalock sucks. Defensively, he had the 10th-best fielding percentage and was average at best. I don't think Blalock will come close to another .276 with 32 home runs and 110 RBI season, like he had in 2004. If the Rangers did re-sign DeRosa, they could to ship Blalock out of Texas. The Rangers could have received beneficial starting pitching in return. The Brewers need a third baseman and owe Ben Sheets $21 million over the next two seasons. He has won just 16 games over the past two seasons. This could have been a great risk that could have been taken. Sheets can be one of the top tier pitchers in the league. Starting pitching is hard to come by.

Prediction: They use minor leaguers to fill spots

3. Left Field:
I expected that left fielder Carlos Lee would leave due to the fact that the Rangers needed to spend money on pitching instead of a big bat. The Houston Astros, the NL's worst-hitting team, signed outfielder Carlos Lee and made a big splash that will undoubtedly help their team.

Perdiction: As far as it looks, Nelson Cruz and newly signed Frank Catalanotto will have to fill the void in left field.

4. Starting Rotation:
Adam Eaton was just signed by the Phillies, but never impacted the Rangers. Eaton underwent surgery in last April to repair the tendon in the middle finger of his right hand, and returned to post a 7-4 record with a 5.12 ERA in 13 starts for Texas. Eaton will not be missed.

One pitcher that SHOULDN”T be re-signed by the Rangers is Vicente Padilla. He had a very solid year last year and did prove he could pitch in the Texas heat. But all of this came under his contract year. I am sure if the Rangers re-sign him he will return to his terrible form. The year that Padilla was an all-star with the Phillies was also his contract year. He has the ability to be a great pitcher, but he lacks the will.

The Rangers still have a long winter ahead and they have many spots to fill. All I can say is GET BARRY ZITO!