Millwood's future.

Kevin Millwood is in the third year of a guaranteed four-year contract with a fifth-year club option in 2010 that vests if any of the following are met:

•  He pitches at least 540 innings in 2007-2009;

•  He pitches at least 360 innings in 2008-2009; or

•  He pitches at least 180 innings in 2009.

Millwood pitched 172.2 innings last year, meaning the first threshold is moot (that is, he can't meet the 2007-2009 number without meeting the 2008-2009 number).

Millwood sits at 108.1 innings right now, averaging about 5.1 innings per start.  Assuming he misses no starts due to whatever today's injury was, he should make about another dozen starts.  At his 2008 rate, that would be another 64 innings, meaning he'd fall short of 180 innings by seven or eight innings, which would nullify the second threshold.  And obviously, if today's injury costs Millwood any time, it makes it even less likely that he gets to 180 innings this year.

In other words, it's starting to look like the only way Millwood can lock in his $12 million 2010 contract will be to exceed 180 innings next season.  It's not inconceivable - he logged 215 innings in his first Rangers season (2006) - but the trend isn't good.

The Rangers have signed two more 2008 draft picks, California high school outfielder Clark Murphy (fifth round) and Arlington Grace Prep Academy righthander Matt Thompson (seventh round).  Murphy had committed to UCLA and Thompson had committed to TCU. 

The Rangers have now signed seven of their first nine picks (the remaining unsigned selections are first-rounder Justin Smoak and second-rounder Robbie Ross) and 22 of their first 26 choices (10^th-rounder Kevin Castner and 19^th-rounder Harold Martinez are the other two holdouts).

I sure like watching Josh Rupe pitch.