Kenny Lofton agrees
The Rangers have agreed to a one-year deal with Kenny Lofton…They just need to get the obligatory physical out of the way. But they finally have their center fielder in hand. Now back to Monday Morning Manager and Mark McGwire.
The Rangers have agreed to a one-year deal with Kenny Lofton…They just need to get the obligatory physical out of the way. But they finally have their center fielder in hand. Now back to Monday Morning Manager and Mark McGwire.
T.R. Sullivan
Toby
Good job JD! I love the idea of Lofton running in CF for a year until we sign Hunter or Wells next offseason. Next move: Woo Mulder on Tuesday, sign Gagne, hope that Zito accepts our contract offer, make a trade with Atlanta for Hudson for Akinori Otsuka. There is still a lot of offseason left for the Rangers. It’s an exciting time of year and not time to start panic mode and all the talk about Hicks not spending and JD not making quick moves. Stay optimistic and keep your heads up because like Washington says, “We will win next season.”
I’ve given “Cheap Tom” and “Little Jon” a lot of grief this off season but I may have been wrong…sign Zito, and one other of Mulder, Gagne or Lieber and I will bow before you guys…oh and buy some tickets this year because I WILL BELIEVE!
I heard J.D. has installed a revolving door in the Center Field wall to help usher in more short term solutions at that position.
Matthews, Pierre, Roberts, Drew, Payton, Edmonds, and Preston Wilson are/were available this year and we signed Lofton.
Skyranch, what makes you guys think Daniels can do any better next year?
Great one year option, as long as we are commited to getting Vernon Wells in here next year.
One year of Loften, then 5 years of Wells. I really like that plan a lot better than paying $50M for Gary Matthews Jr.
Eanton
Well Matthews shouldn’t have been an option (ridiculously overpriced) and I would bet that Matthews and Lofton would put up similar numbers next season. Roberts, Pierre and Wilson are worse than Lofton. Drew and Edmonds were never really available. So considering all the available talent on the market for CF (read, hardly anything) that Lofton is a fine stop gap for the upcoming season.
Matthews was way overpriced and why wouldnt I be optimistic about Wells or Hunter when they have come out and said that they want to play for Washington? A 1 year contract for Lofton makes my point. Like Justin said Edmonds was unavailable, and would you really want $16 million tied up in Drew with all his baggage? Wilson… are you kidding me?
This is a good deal, I bet we do not have to sit an wait for a homerun to get a run in, we can now play some small ball, steal beases!! manufacture some runs!!
I think it is a good signing for a year. Now for next year I think we have a strong chance for Vernon Wells or Tori Hunter or both.
Vernon Wells is from Arlington and has openly stated that he wants to play for the Rangers. He is Mike Youngs best friend, and could be a very good tool in keeping Mike Young a Ranger for the next five or six years (at least). If Wells chooses to go elsewhere, Torii Hunter lives in the DFW area, and openly admits that he loves coming to Texas to play the Rangers in our beautiful ballpark. Although Wells is three years younger than Hunter, having either would be fine with me. And, as much as I love GMJ, both blow GMJ and his ridiculous $50 million contract out of the water.
Lofton is a great choice. Well done, JD!
Darryl Hamilton
Damon Buford
Tom Goodwin
Ruben Mateo
Chad Curtis
Gabe Kapler
Ruben Rivera
Carl Everett
Ryan Christenson
Doug Glanville
Laynce Nix
Gary Matthews Jr.
Kenny Lofton
Sure, we’ll get a solution next year…
Kenny Lofton…..hmmm, let’s see. The only thing I can see is he is a known and productive commodity signed as a stop-gap measure until we supposedly make a run at Vernon Wells or Tori Hunter. I can accept this logic. I’d have rather kept GMJ, but he fled with greed after one year of success, which he earned-with alot of hard work, sweat and Rudy’s nudging-though if some owner is mentally-tinged enough to pay that much for him, how many of us just might leave and take a paltry $50 million?….I’m curious, though, when GMJ left, he mentioned that there is a Ranger star who “secretly wants to play in California”. I say find him out and trade his BUTT right now and get a top notch pitcher BEFORE we have to overpay for someone who doesn’t want to be here. Or could it be sour grapes from GMJ?
At any rate, Lofton might make us bunt, move runners over, and introduce speed to the lineup. This can’t be a bad thing. IF we can actually sign Zito, we are set up nicely for keeping our nucleus together, and attaining Hunter, Andrew Jones or Vernon Wells next year. I’m not as pessimistic as I was 8-9 days ago. Still, work must be done on our pitching. I’m also very unhappy with keeping human windmill Brad Wilkerson and an unknown such as Nelson Cruz on our outfield corners, as Wilkerson will strike out in Dave Kingman-like regularity and Nelson Cruz is way-too raw to count on him to put up numbers. PLEASE get Zito, even if you overpay Tom. With GMJ, DeRO, Lee, Kip Wells, Eaton and Barajas gone and extra money floating around, how about ponying-up, even if you have to over-pay…heck, you’ve saved enough money this off-season. Give the fans, the players and the new manager, some more tangible reason to hope for big things this season.
interesting list eanton
what stands out to me is that at 39, Lofton is better han any of them< I also tink he will put up better numbers than Matthews.
Lofton in CF for one year? I like it. I like the chances of getting Wells, Hunter or Andruw Jones a lot. Lofton is a proven leadoff hitter and has a track record of a winner. .299 career hitter, top 20 SB all time (I think) even with his age his speed will make the pitchers and defense nervous enough that he’ll create more holes for Young to punch a single through the gaps. Unlike the list above he is proven. Matthews was not. He’s not our longterm answer everyone knows that but he does make us instantly better. Good defense up the middle (Young, Kinsler, Lofton) is an attractive thing for certain potential FA pitchers like Zito and Mulder. Plus we have Blalock and 2 time Gold Glove winner Teixiera at 1st…Come on Zito..you know you want it come and get it. Mulder, come join your friend on a team that is heading in the right directions! JD and Mr. Hicks, keep going! We will win this year and it starts right now in the offseason!
I would have brought fredy up he has good #s & good so to bb ratio. Put your money into pitching. but No 6 year contracts.
great job on kenny lofton!
i would like to throw a name of a pitcher out their for consideration,jamey wright.
great ground ball out to fly outs,would be a great fit for our ball park
This signing has Hart’s name all over it. Who the H##L is in charge out there? Speed and Defense is what is needed out in CF. While Lofton has the speed his defense is suspect. What is the philosophy in Arlington? Are we going with young players are or we going with the old guys?
Lofton in CF for one year makes sense. How many left handed bats does that give us? How many right handed SP does the A’s and Angels have? All!?! Gagne as Closer, Aki as set up….Rangers will win lots of 7 inning games. Or is Aki now trade material for RH bat? Go JD go.
To Dwid’s comments: “his defense is suspect” WHAT? The guy has 4 GOLD GLOVES! That many do not come from anyone with suspect defensive skills! We are on the right track…let’s hope for Zito then move on!
I feel some very large changes are coming on for our beloved Rangers. Say hello to Barry zito this year and Vernon Wells next year. But be prepared because its gonna cost us Mark Texeira. I think the rangers should trade him now before they let him go for nothing. What’s better a gold glove caliber first baseman whose position could be filled by jason botts or possibly Hank Blalock. Or a gold glove caliber Center fielder in vernon wells whose position hasnt been filled in texas EVER!!! But to go back to a previous comment, Ruben Mateo would be a star if not for a freak accident that set him back.
Here’s another list.
Richard Hidalgo
Hideki Irabu
John Rocker
Dave Burba
Andres Galarraga
Ken Caminiti
Kenny Lofton
Eric Gagne
One teams trash is the Rangers one-year contract treasure.
You know Babe Ruth signed a one year contract with the Braves in 1935, they finished 38-115.
But then again, Babe Ruth was just a one year solution until the Braves could sign Vernon Wells. Oh jeez, I crack myself up…
like most of the guys have already said, I think its a good move to get Lofton to cover CF for the Rangers for one season in hopes we can get Wells or Hunter after that. But what I just can’t figure out is why our general management wouldn’t have taken early measures to make sure that we aren’t going into the new season with Brad Wilkerson figuring to get signficant playing time. Lets face it, this guy was a B-U-S-T!!! What’s it gonna take for us to rid ourselves of this chump? For him to hit .215 rather than .226 or whatever he managed to finish with? Sure he will drive a few out of the park, but he never advances runners and we all know the alarming rate he will strike out. I sure would prefer to have Kevin Mench out in left instead. Well, we sure better land Zito or else JD & Tom’s got some ‘splainin to do.
disgruntled brad wilkerson hater.
Give Wilerson a break. He needed surgery before last season but played through the pain to try to help his new club. Sure last year every time he strolled to the plate I bit my finger nails, but this is a new year. He had the surgery. He’s been giving it his best effort in rehabing. We all no he’s got a cannon of an arm which is extremely accurate. You never know. Maybe he’ll pull a GMJ year this year.
Yes, Wilkerson looked off at the first of the year but there was a time when (maybe the 2nd month of the season?)I started seeing him hammer everything-solid contact-feeling very comfortable. Being heathly as well as his 2nd look at things I look for him to be the dark horse in ’07.
What about signing Armas Jr.? ……Hendrixson?
In virtually every topic on T.R.’s blog that interests me, I’ve called for a quick dumping of Brad Wilkerson. Excuse me please, but does a sore shoulder cause one to take strike three with less than two outs and a man on third? NO! He has a huge hole in his swing. It comes down to batting eye, judgement, hand-eye coordination, and TALENT! We got #@RI#(U’ed on the Soriano trade and no shoulder surgery can help his batting eye, hand-eye coordination and judgement. Personally, I wish him well, I hope his surgery goes well, and I hope he lands in Kansas City with Gil Meche. I think it fitting somehow. Meanwhile, I hope Kenny Lofton can find the fountain of youth, because he’ll have to cover alot of ground with Catalatto/Wilkerson and Nelson Cruz on both sides of him. Please ndlbum, Wilkerson threw out a couple of runners, yes, but a cannon???? Please, spare me. Let’s dump Brad, and see if someone would be foolish enough to give us quality in return. THEN I could feel better about the horrendous Soriano trade–IF someone is foolish enough that is.
I see where Toronto has offered Vernon Wells a 7 year contract worth 126M. Sorta hard to turn down, since he’ll make 5.6 this year. That is 18M per year. It also supercedes the contract given to A. Soriano. So, if V. Wells plays in Texas next year it will probably be in a Blue Jays uniform. Time will tell. The Rangers are not in the same league with others, when it comes to signing “their own” to long term contracts. We’ll see what happens to Teixeria and Young. I suspect they too will be history. So, if you are a V. Well’s fan, he’ll be here May 4th, 5th and 6th.
True…I would personally except 18M a year instead of waiting to test the market. Even if Vernon Wells doesn’t sign Torii Hunter has expressed intrest in playing in Texas near his home. We all know Minnesota won’t offer him any type of a contract extension that will be anywhere close of what Hicks will give him if he really wants him. We’ll all just have to wait and see.
Wells would be a fool to take that offer. $18 per will be his starting price if he gets on the open market next year. All the blue jays are doing is posturing for next winter so they can be the good guys and say to their fans, “Hey we tried, he obviously is too greedy and hates Canada”
Lofton’s contract is a good deal for this year. I would expect Wells to sign with toronto because of their offer. If he doesn’t accept the offer however, I imagine Toronto will most likely look to shop him. If you were the rangers would you give up some1 to get Wells this year, then you have to put Lofton in left, throw Wilkerson to the wolves, Little Cat DHs, and Cruz in right. I think it is a mistake to give some1 up for a 1 year player. We’ll see
Mr. eanton, what is your affiliate? I wish you could be a little more negative and put together another meaningless list. If not for a freak accident Ruben Mateo would be in center field right now and would probably be the best in the game, find an MLB scout and ask him. That accident has caused chaos in CF and actually the revolving door hasn’t hurt the team. Lofton will be an on-field coach for Cruz, that could be more valuable than anything. If 18 mil is Wells’ starting point, then give me a list of teams that will give him 8 yrs and say 160-180 mil. If Zito goes Mets it will be for the spotlight not the $, at least he will be in the NL.
To Ranger fan: I think Lofton’s gold gloves were in the last century! He is 40 years old and for some reason can’t stay with one team. Playing for god knows how many teams should be a red flag! Looks like Wells just went off the table for 7 years, 126 million. So that leaves Hunter, here’s betting that he ends up somewhere else.
40 years old is not that old for someone who takes care of himself. Come on. I bet you thought Nolan Ryan was too old when he played for Texas too huh? 32 SB from a 39 year old means he can still set the table and cover plenty of ground in CF as a 40 year old. I’ll even go so far as to say his HR totals will increase in Texas as well with the right field porch! compare that to Matthews 10 SB and him coming out of being the projected 4th OF last year I’ll take our chances with Lofton this year. It was a small investment for a pitcher who still makes catchers nervous and who WILL NOT be a problem for us defensively. Yes it looks like Wells will sign the extension with Toronto…there will still be plenty of options for us next year. Stop being a grinch. We have a team that hitters love to play for we’ll get someone next year. Here’s a thought out of nowhere for our CF future: BJ Upton. With his 3b future in question in Tampa now that they signed Iwamura, their OF is stuffed full, SS and 2b are not options that makes him expendable to them for (theoretically of course)cheap. What do you think about that thought T.R.? I think an Edinson Volquez could be enough to pull that off and would help us out in the future a great deal.
Mr.Grinch says he loves Nolan. As a matter of fact had lunch with him the other day at his favorite FT. Worth restaurant, Del Friscos. I am not against Lofton, what i am against is Ranger Managements continual patchwork and lies. Develop players, commit to one philosophy and then have the patience to carry out your philosophy. In essence show some leadership. We are not going to do anything here until these things happen. Go Ranger Fan and go Rangers.
Mr.Grinch says he loves Nolan. As a matter of fact had lunch with him the other day at his favorite FT. Worth restaurant, Del Friscos. I am not against Lofton, what i am against is Ranger Managements continual patchwork and lies. Develop players, commit to one philosophy and then have the patience to carry out your philosophy. In essence show some leadership. We are not going to do anything here until these things happen. Go Ranger Fan and go Rangers.