The Rangers, having reinstated Ian Kinsler and Kason Gabbard to the roster in the last few days (transferring them from the 60-day disabled list), now have 37 players on the 40-man roster.  Today is the deadline to supplement it with minor leaguers eligible for next month's Rule 5 Draft.

In the 2009 Bound Edition, which comes out in about two weeks, I predict that Texas will add infielder Jose Vallejo, outfielder John Mayberry Jr., and righthanders Pedro Strop and John Bannister to the roster today.  But in 10 years of handicapping the annual 40-man roster conundrum, I've never had a more difficult time making this prediction.  It's not going to be easy any more, not with the progress the organization has made in building prospect depth.

Vallejo is a lock.  Nobody else is, for various reasons that I've already discussed in this space (and lay out in more detail in the book).  It wouldn't surprise me if Omar Poveda or Willie Eyre were to get a roster nod.  But there's not room for six additions -- and there's not even room for four.

So it wouldn't surprise me if one or two of the group including Gabbard, Luis Mendoza, Kameron Loe, and Wes Littleton -- the latter two of whom are out of options -- could find their own roster spots in jeopardy today.  All four could be outrighted if they clear waivers, but Mendoza could refuse an outright and take free agency since he's been outrighted before.

We'll know soon enough, and I'll hit you with a flash when the moves are reported.

Boston's trade of Coco Crisp to Kansas City for Ramon Ramirez should make a Red Sox trade with Texas more likely.  Understand that I'm not suggesting a Boston-Texas trade *will* go down, but it would seem that the odds are now better.  

The reason is that Ramirez joins a set-up crew that includes Manny Delcarmen and Hideki Okajima, both of whom are proven in high-leverage relief situations.  That either relegates Justin Masterson to a middle relief role, which may be inadequate in terms of his value to the club, or increases his trade availability, or makes him a rotation candidate (as he was groomed to be on the farm).  

The problem with the third possibility is that Boston has Daisuke Matsuzaka under contract through 2012, Josh Beckett under contract through 2010 (assuming the club option is picked up), and Jon Lester under control through 2012, plus Tim Wakefield on a year-to-year option, and the Sox are rumored to be in on A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe as well.  Masterson may or may not figure in, but if his big league candidacy is now as a starter, then if he's not someone Boston wants to trade, Clay Buchholz and Michael Bowden ought to become a bit more available.

That doesn't mean the Red Sox would trade any of those young pitchers for less than they would have a week ago.  But the trade for Ramirez ought to make one of those pitchers more likely to be moved, even if just slightly.

Ian Browne of MLB.com adds that the trade of Crisp has Boston looking for a fourth outfielder, preferably one who hits right-handed and can handle center field.  I doubt Texas would be interested in expanding a deal with Boston to include Marlon Byrd, but he sure would seem to fit what the Sox seek.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia has arrived in the Dominican Winter League and has played three straight nights for Escogido (the last two behind the plate), hitting .400/.500/.800 in 10 at-bats.  He homered, doubled, and walked two nights ago.

Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated suggests new Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu could bring Mark Connor aboard as his pitching coach.  Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports notes that Rick Peterson, who coached in the White Sox system when Wakamatsu was a player, could be a fit.

Newsday's Kat O'Brien writes that Texas is one of at least half a dozen teams that has expressed interest in Lowe.

According to Baseball America, Texas released 38-year-old righthander Yukinaga Maeda, who went 5-3, 4.55 in middle relief with Oklahoma this season.

The White Sox claimed righthander Kelvin Jimenez off waivers from Toronto, which had claimed the 28-year-old off waivers from St. Louis earlier this month.

Oakland named Marcus Jensen manager of its Arizona League entry.

Oklahoma City RedHawks manager Bobby Jones is the inaugural winner of the Mike Coolbaugh Award, which is given to an individual in minor league baseball that "has shown an outstanding baseball work ethic, knowledge of the game, and skill in mentoring young players."  Coolbaugh passed away in July 2007 when struck by a line drive while coaching first base for the Tulsa Drillers.  Jones -- who managed Coolbaugh in Tulsa in 1996 -- will be presented with the award at the December 8-11 Winter Meetings.

The high bid on the Guitar Hero guitar controller signed by C.J. Wilson is at $425, and bidding closes at 5 p.m. on Friday.  Email me if you wish to bid.  Go here to check on the bid status: http://forum.newbergreport.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6830

Stay tuned for news on the Rangers' roster changes later today.

You can read more from Jamey Newberg at www.NewbergReport.com.

Nothing official yet, but (1) word out of Seattle is that the Mariners will name former Rangers bench coach Don Wakamatsu as their new manager, and (2) word out of Kansas City is that the Royals have obtained outfielder Coco Crisp from Boston for reliever Ramon Ramirez, a set-up type (and former Rangers farmhand) that I was hoping we could land. 

 

Back in August, I'd proposed this deal with the Royals: (a) Jarrod Saltalamacchia, (b) Matt Harrison or Eric Hurley, (c) John Mayberry Jr. or Nelson Cruz, (d) Joaquin Arias, and (e) Zach Phillips (or Carlos Pimentel or Miguel De Los Santos or Geuris Grullon or Julio Santana or Matt Nevarez, whichever lower-level minor league pitcher our bunkmates in Surprise preferred) for Zack Greinke and Ramirez, who probably figures in now as a seventh-inning man in Boston.

 

It will be interesting to see what the Sox do with Justin Masterson.

 

Congrats to Wakamatsu, a really good dude.

 

The high bid on the Guitar Hero guitar controller signed by C.J. Wilson is now $425.  Email me if you wish to bid.  Go here to check on the bid status: http://forum.newbergreport.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6830

 

And I forgot to mention that, as always, we will collect new, unwrapped toys at the December 10 Book Release Party in conjunction with the Rangers' Toys for Tots Drive.

 

The deadline to add internal non-roster players to the 40-man roster is tomorrow.  We'll catch up then, if not sooner.

 

Jamey

 

 

 

 

If you're frustrated when you see trades reported that don't involve Texas, and other teams rumored to have floated landmark free agent contract offers, or when you see quotes from Jon Daniels or Nolan Ryan suggesting that the Rangers aren't going to get involved with the top tier of free agents and that the plan is to let things settle down before jumping squarely into the mix, consider that, at this time last year, Texas was still two and a half weeks away from its first big league move of the off-season.

Freddy Guzman to Detroit for Chris Shelton.

Last winter's activity:

Dec. 5:  Guzman for Shelton
Dec. 12: Tug Hulett for Ben Broussard
Dec. 21: Edinson Volquez and Danny Ray Herrera for Josh Hamilton
Jan. 3: Milton Bradley signs
Jan. 11: Eddie Guardado signs
Jan. 14: Kaz Fukumori signs
Jan. 25: Jason Jennings signs

Patience is prescribed.  Last year's Hamilton trade, which Daniels has said survived countless discussions and dozens of versions, took time.  Bradley (an opportunistic strike when it looked like he was on the verge of re-signing with San Diego) and Guardado would have cost more earlier in the winter.  

Given where the Rangers have set their budget, waiting for the market to play out is necessary, not only because demands will come down in many situations but also because the passage of time will create opportunities that may not be there right now.

It's a great time of year for a serious baseball fan, having an off-season ticket to the always fascinating hot stove game, but for most teams it's more like an NBA game than anything else.  Plenty can happen at any given time, but the fourth quarter is when the real action stands to take place.

In the meantime, mark your calendars for the evening of Wednesday, December 10, which is when the Newberg Report Book Release Party will be, with guests Jeff Zimmerman and Derek Holland (plus a third surprise guest, which I may or may not reveal in advance).  I've got a bead on the location, and should have that nailed down in the next two days.

And do yourself a favor and follow friends Joey Matschulat, Jason Parks, and John Vittas over to this morning's launch of Baseball Time in Arlington -- www.bbtia.com -- a relocation of their similarly named blog at MVN.  I've read their work long enough to know you won't be disappointed.  Give Jason's Michael Main interview (now posted) a read, and you'll have a greater appreciation of the 19-year-old righthander.  Guaranteed.  Main is going to be a big part of things in Arlington.  

Soon enough.

Just draw on some of that patience.

You can read more from Jamey Newberg at www.NewbergReport.com.

THE 2009 BOUND EDITION OF THE NEWBERG REPORT

 

 

Reminder - if you pay for your 2009 Bound Edition by November 15 (this Saturday), the price is reduced from $25 to $23.

 

Also, if you buy at least two 2009 books, you get a free copy of any previous year's edition (your choice).

 

And a gift set of all ten Bound Editions is available for $125, which is a $35 discount.

 

To order, you can pay by credit card at www.PayPal.com, sending payment to the gjsneaker@sbcglobal.net account.  That should take about 30 seconds, or even less if you use this shortcut: http://tinyurl.com/6ndb8m

 

Or you can send payment by check or money order to:

 

Jamey Newberg

Vincent & Moyé, P.C.

2001 Bryan Street, Suite 2000

Dallas, TX 75201

 

For a teaser, here is one of the 72 position-by-position prospect features that appears in the front of the book, in conjunction with my ranking of the top 72 prospects in the Rangers system:

 

 

Michael Main, RHP

 

After making what amounted to three rehab appearances in Surprise as he was coming back from a ribcage injury that cost him half the season, righthander Michael Main was assigned in early July to Clinton, where he logged 45.1 innings for the year.  

 

To give you some perspective, Roy Halladay had a heavier workload (49.2 innings) in April alone.  C.C. Sabathia worked more innings in both July (47.2) and August (48.1). 

 

Sidney Ponson racked up more innings in May (46.1) for Texas than Main did as a LumberKing.

 

Main didn't pitch a lot in 2008, but what he did with his 10 Midwest League starts was remarkable.  At age 19, pitching against significantly older competition, he posted a 2.58 ERA, never allowing more than three earned runs, and he set 50 hitters down on strikes in those 45.1 innings, issuing only 13 walks. 

 

But it's what the stat pages don't show that has the Rangers as excited as they are about the Florida native.  Aside from the mid-90s fastball and sharp curve, the consistency, and the athleticism that made him a top center field prospect in some clubs' eyes, Main earns raves for his makeup, his tenacity, and his coachability.  Following the season, Rangers Minor League Pitching Coordinator Rick Adair told Mike Hindman of the Dallas Morning News, regarding Main: "Mentally he's easily the most polished guy out of high school I've ever been around.  The only comparison I can think of is [Adam] Wainwright when I had him."

 

Wainwright came out of high school in 2000.

 

Tim Hudson logged 268 minor league innings (24-10, 3.22) before he reached the big leagues at age 23.  Bret Saberhagen needed only 187 innings on the farm (16-7, 2.55) before getting to Kansas City at age 20.  They're probably the two pitchers to whom Main (5-4, 2.91 over 86.2 pro innings) is most often compared.  Does Main need 100 more innings before arriving in the big leagues with a pro workload similar to Saberhagen's?  Probably.  But maybe not.

 

Main is a man who, along with fellow high school righthander Neil Ramirez, the Rangers drafted as compensation for the loss of Gary Matthews Jr.  As lopsided as that exchange looks right now, just wait until we look back at it in another year.

 

 

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Jamey  

 

 

You can read more from Jamey Newberg at www.NewbergReport.com.

According to Jack Etkin of the Rocky Mountain News, the Rangers have signed righthander a 23-year-old shortstop-turned-reliever Pedro Strop -- maybe as much as a month and a half ago -- after Colorado snuck him off the 40-man roster to make room for Todd Helton to return to the active roster for what ended up being two pinch-hit at-bats, before the 35-year-old was shut down again and then operated on for a bulging disk in his lower back.  

The Rockies designated Strop -- who had June surgery for a stress fracture in his right elbow -- for assignment on September 12.  The rules say that, during the season (other than with 10 or fewer days left on the schedule), a team has only two choices when designating an injured player for assignment: if he's not claimed on waivers, the team must trade or release him.  An injured player can't be outrighted during the season.  

Not a smart move by Colorado, who released Strop on September 19, presumably thinking of it as nothing but a paperwork move, with the intention of turning around and re-signing the reliever to a minor league contract.  On September 23, he became a free agent, and Etkin reports that Strop was "immediately" signed by the Rangers, who were "relentless," according to the Dominican's former agent.  

Led by assistant general manager Thad Levine, who was with the Rockies when they signed Strop as a 17-year-old and who left for the Rangers right at the time that Colorado had decided to transition Strop to the mound, Texas swarmed right in -- reminiscent of the club's opportunistic signing of outfielder-turned-reliever Warner Madrigal last November -- and signed Strop to a minor league contract (so no impact on the 40-man roster, unlike Madrigal) for a reported $90,000.

Strop (pronounced "strope") is expected to be sidelined until sometime after the beginning of spring training.

In his first four pro seasons (2002 through 2005), Strop hit .212 with no power or speed and more than a strikeout per game, and never got out of Low Class A.  Colorado moved him to the mound, and the results were instantly eye-opening.  In 13 innings for Casper of the rookie-level Pioneer League in 2006, Strop brandished a mid-90s fastball with late life, a plus slider, and a nasty splitter, giving him (as Baseball America described it) "three swing-and-miss pitches."  In those 13 innings, he scattered nine hits (.188 opponents' average) and two walks, striking out 22 and giving up only three runs (2.08 ERA).  In a final-month promotion to Low A Asheville, he posted a 4.73 ERA but held opponents to 10 hits (.213 average) and five walks in 13.1 innings, fanning 13.

The Rockies left him off the 40-man roster that fall but not without holding their breath, according to some accounts.  He ended up undrafted via Rule 5, however.

In 2007, assigned to High A Modesto, Strop went 5-2, 4.28 as the Nuts' closer, saving seven games in nine attempts.  Over 54.2 innings, he allowed 43 hits (.215 opponents' average) and walked 28 unintentionally, setting an astonishing 75 hitters down on strikes and maintaining a positive 1.25 groundout-to-flyout rate.  His splits were relatively even, as he held right-handed hitters to a .224/.316/.362 line and lefties to a .202/.323/.321 line.

The Rockies took no chances last winter, adding him to the 40-man roster this time to shield him from Rule 5 exposure.  In the spring he was assigned to AA Tulsa, having been ranked over the winter by BA ("along with Manny Corpas and Casey Weathers, he gives the Rockies three strong closer options for the future") as Colorado's number nine prospect and a candidate to reach the big leagues during the season.  But two weeks into April, after seven appearances (three saves in four tries, two runs [2.57 ERA] on six hits [.231 opponents' average] and four walks in seven innings, with seven strikeouts), he was diagnosed with the stress fracture in his elbow and didn't return.

While it won't happen early in 2009, Strop has a chance to eventually factor in here.  

More good work by your baseball operations department.

Jamey

(* Trade Rumor Offerings To Chew On For Fun, Even Yuks)

 

Not to be confused with journeyman righthander Todd Coffey, the TROT COFFEY is a mailing list-only update on what the media has unearthed at various busy times of year, such as the July and August trade deadlines, the GM Meetings, and the Winter Meetings:

 

A little Saturday morning COFFEY, which I need myself more than usual since I arrived at a conclusion 45 minutes ago that only a parent of eight- and four-year-olds can conceivably arrive at, that whoever wrote the "High School Musical" song "We're All in This Together" seems to have thieved parts of the melody from the theme song to "Full House" (yes, it's in syndication, and suddenly a stopdown for my daughter), a disturbing conclusion to be sure, disturbing primarily in that the analysis even took place in my decaying brain.  Gimme some baseball.

 

• One local reporter suggests that Boston, Florida, and Detroit make up the top tier of contenders to trade pitching to the Rangers for a catcher, with Kansas City, San Francisco, the Mets, and Cincinnati as fringe suitors, and the Yankees as a longshot.

 

• The same reporter believes the Rangers prefer the potentially available young pitchers from Boston in this order: Clay Buchholz, Michael Bowden, and Justin Masterson, while the Red Sox prioritize the Texas catchers as follows: Taylor Teagarden, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Gerald Laird.

 

• The same reporter believes the Marlins are interested in Teagarden, Saltalamacchia, and Max Ramirez, but not Laird, and while they are pushing Scott Olsen and Kevin Gregg, Texas will probably try to redirect talks toward Ricky Nolasco or Andrew Miller, either of whom would take more than just a catcher to acquire - the reporter proposes Saltalamacchia or Teagarden plus Neftali Feliz for Nolasco and left-handed reliever Renyel Pinto, which just gave me a stomach ache.

 

• The same reporter points out that Detroit lacks the young pitching Texas would need in a catcher trade, suggesting that perhaps Laird plus a pitching prospect could fetch Jeremy Bonderman, unless Texas would consider Laird for Nate Robertson, the latter of which just gave me a stomach ache.

 

• The same reporter suggests that Cincinnati seemed interested at one point in a Laird for Homer Bailey trade, but the fact that Bailey finished the season hurt might gum that possibility up. 

 

• Cincinnati GM Walt Jocketty has visited with the Rangers regarding their catchers, and if Bailey is available at all, it won't be for a "quick fix" - I'm not sure if the two points are related (John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer)

 

• The Braves are now in on Olsen . . . and I hope they get him (Scott Miller of CBSSports.com)

 

• The Rangers, along with the Angels, Mets, and Tigers, have asked to look at reliever Chad Cordero's medical records . . . the former closer's first choice is to pitch for the Angels (Bill Ladson of MLB.com)

 

• The Mets are shopping relievers Aaron Heilman, Scott Schoeneweis, and Pedro Feliciano, and Texas is interested in at least Heilman (Ken Davidoff of Newsday)

 

• The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that an anonymous baseball source is saying "there's no way Bud [Selig] and the owners are going to let" Mark Cuban buy the Cubs.  "Zero chance," says the source.

 

• There are evidently two external candidates for San Diego's vacated television play-by-play gig - Josh Lewin and Victor Rojas, though both are under contract with the Rangers (Jay Posner of the San Diego Union-Tribune)

 

 

 

 

Some notes:

 

Atlanta named Dom Chiti special assistant to general manager Frank Wren.  Chiti pitched for five seasons in the Braves' minor league system 30 years ago.  Among the other special assistants the Braves employ are Jim Fregosi and Chuck McMichael.

 

Pittsburgh hired Perry Hill to coach first base.  Milwaukee named Brad Fischer third base coach.

 

Texas reportedly hired Mike Maddux without needing a face-to-face meeting. 

 

Davidoff notes that the Mets have dismissed scout (and former Chicago Bulls GM) Jerry Krause, who sat 10 feet away from me at an August or September Rangers game and is a very, very oddly shaped man.

 

According to MLB.com, right-handed reliever Kazuo Fukumori signed a minor league contract to return to the Rangers.

 

According to local reports, Scott Servais said the Rangers will be the sixth organization in baseball to employ a full-time strength and conditioning coach at every minor league level.

 

The Rangers' minor league free agents, according to Baseball America: righthanders Kiko Calero, Brian Gordon, Trey Hodges, Jose Jaimes, Brandon Puffer, Elizardo Ramirez, and Steven Rowe; lefthanders Derek Lee, Raul Mayora, Zach Parker, John Rheinecker, and Bill White; catchers Tim Gradoville, Justin Pickett, and Nick Trzesniak; first basemen Nate Gold and Jason Hart (who is now coaching in the system), and infielder Drew Meyer.

 

The Lincoln Saltdogs of the independent American Association named Marty Scott manager.  Scott served briefly as the Mets' interim AAA manager in New Orleans last season.

 

There are now links on the right side of the front page of www.NewbergReport.com to the cover story that the Dallas Observer did on the Newberg Report four years ago, and to the Observer's "Fab 50" Most Powerful People in Metroplex Sports rankings for 2006, 2007, and 2008.

 

Also, if you click the image on the front page of the 2009 Bound Edition, you'll be sent to a page that gives you almost-full details on the book - all it lacks is the added special that if you buy at least two copies of the book, you'll get a free copy of any previous year's volume, your choice.

 

As for the $2 discount special on the 2009 book, that one expires in one week.

 

Should have final details on the site for the December 10 Book Release Party this week.  Stay tuned.

 

Jamey

 

 

I know it wasn't Michael Young's best season defensively.  I saw it.

I'm not a metrics guy when it comes to baseball defense, though in Young's Gold Glove case relying on the numbers, at least some of them, might not have hurt.  He had the American League's highest fielding percentage at shortstop (trailing only National League Gold Glove winner Jimmy Rollins), led baseball in double plays, and was second in assists and total chances.  You can find a fancy formula like John Dewan's "revised zone ratings," which I'm told tabbed Young as the league's number one shortstop in terms of defensive efficiency.

But in terms of baseball defense, I rely more on my eyes, and yeah, I saw the first-step and range issues.  His dependability was in his ability to make the routine play, and turn two.  What Young lacks in flashiness, he makes up for in steadiness.  And really, that's true in every aspect of his game, and his character.

He's going to change positions at some point.  It may be this year, it may be next year, it may be after that.  It's going to happen, and I suspect he knows it, and understands it.  There's some merit to the Paul Molitor comp.

And when it happens, the former runner-up Gold Glove second baseman (who should have won) and current Gold Glove shortstop will probably be in the mix to win a Gold Glove at third base.

Especially since he presumably won't be playing with a fractured finger on his glove hand, and a fractured finger on his throwing hand.  If the Gold Glove is hollowed out, someone ought to shove a splint inside.

Those of you who rely primarily on numbers (and I don't disparage that -- it's just not my thing on defense) will say Young is an undeserving Gold Glover.  Maybe so.  But I'm not really into baseball awards, for one (MVP awards and Gold Gloves and even All-Star Games aren't that big a deal to me), and on top of that, the reason yesterday's recognition was meaningful to me was not because I'd been holding my breath, counting the days until the announcement, but instead because, as a fan of Michael Young for what he brings to the plate and to the field and to the dugout and the clubhouse and the community, I think I know how much it means to him.

That's because of two things: (1) like last week's Man of the Year Award and this summer's All-Star Game nod, the Gold Glove was awarded not because of a set of numbers but because his peers (managers and coaches, in this case) thought he deserved it, a sign of ultimate respect; and (2) when others say he can't, Michael Young does.  

I'm not objective about Young, and neither was the process that led to this award.  As the first shortstop in the history of award to win a Gold Glove after starting earlier in his career at a different position, I do believe he's going to a third baseman at some point -- and a very good one -- but for now, good for him.  

He's a winner.

You can read more from Jamey Newberg at www.NewbergReport.com.

For all their flaws, I used to love to listen to Buck Showalter and Bill Parcells and Don Nelson talk shop.  I always felt a little smarter about the game after listening to Showalter conduct his daily pregame discussion with Eric Nadel, to Parcells deliver his daily training camp briefing, to Nellie kick back for his weekly radio segment with Norm Hitzges.

 

There are a couple lawyers I've worked with whose advice and whose critique I always depended on, whose judgment and perspective made me a better lawyer, whether by intention or by osmosis.  (One's name is on the ballot for Dallas County District Judge in the morning.)

 

I have several friends whom I count on to tell me when I've got it all wrong, and who know that.

 

I had the chance to listen to Mike Maddux for about 20 minutes tonight, talking about the job he just accepted, the challenges he's eager to take on and how he plans to confront them, the things that made this organization and this opportunity so appealing for him.

 

And man, my day has come and gone, but I want to pitch for that guy.

 

I couldn't be more excited about this hire.

 

You can read more from Jamey Newberg at www.NewbergReport.com.