What the Cliff Lee Signing Means for Texas
He wasn’t going to give the Rangers a “hometown discount,” but Cliff Lee was willing to re-sign with the Texas Rangers. According to Rangers CEO Chuck Greenberg, Lee was willing to stay with the Rangers if they guaranteed a seventh year. The Rangers, however, were not willing to meet those demands, and Lee returned to Philadelphia. Now that Lee has gone and formed the “Best Rotation Ever,” how will the move affect the Rangers?
Any way you look at this deal, it’s clear that Texas cannot replace Cliff Lee. Even though they were wise not to guarantee a seventh year to a 32 year old player, Lee was the best pitcher on the market. Following a mid-season trade to the Rangers, Lee gave the Rangers the legitimate ace they needed to wreak havoc in the post-season. Sure enough, Lee dominated the Rays and Yankees while leading the Rangers to their first World Series appearance. That type of production is going to be extremely difficult for the Rangers to replace.
With Lee in Philadelphia, there is a lot of pressure on the Rangers current starters. Both C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis need to avoid sophomore slumps after breakout seasons in 2010. Even though both players posted an identical 4.4 WAR last season, neither pitcher is a sure bet to repeat their 2010 performance. Scott Feldman’s 2010 season represents the worst possible scenario for Wilson and Lewis. After posting a breakout season in 2009, Feldman failed to live up to expectations last season. Although his BABIP ballooned to .335, Feldman’s poor strikeout rate limits his ceiling.
At the back of the rotation, the Rangers will depend on Tommy Hunter and Derek Holland. In 57.1 innings, Holland displayed strong strikeout skills and his home run rate fell to acceptable levels. Holland has a record of minor league success, and the Rangers will need him to take a step forward in 2011. Much like Feldman, Hunter’s performance will be dependent on his defense. Hunter displays good control, but struggles with strikeouts and gives up too many home runs.
If the Rangers are concerned about the back-end of their rotation, they could choose to make Neftali Feliz a starting pitcher in 2011. Although Feliz started throughout his minor league career, the Rangers converted him to a reliever to break him into the majors. Feliz has completely dominated as a reliever, leading many to wonder whether the Rangers should mess with a good thing. There are also concerns about how Feliz’s body type will hold up as a starting pitcher, making this move a risky proposition for the Rangers.
The Rangers could also choose to strengthen their rotation through free agency. With Lee finally signed, Carl Pavano becomes the top starting pitcher on the market. While the Rangers could choose to pursue Pavano, many teams expect Pavano to re-sign with the Twins. Despite some recent graduates, the Rangers still have a strong enough farm system to pursue a trade for Zack Greinke or Matt Garza.
Then again, GM Jon Daniels mentioned that the Rangers won’t limit themselves to pitching. Should Daniels choose to “beef up the offense,” Adrian Beltre could be the top target on his wish list. The Rangers have already been linked to Beltre, but may step up their pursuit of the third baseman now that Lee has signed elsewhere.
There is no doubt the Rangers will struggle to replace Cliff Lee’s production in 2011. That said, they have some intriguing options to fill out their rotation. The Rangers also have the freedom to start aggressively pursuing other free agent options with Lee off the market. Although it will be nearly impossible to fully replace Cliff Lee, the Rangers are still in a great position to contend next season.
Chris is a blogger for CBSSports.com. He has also contributed to Sports on Earth, the 2013 Hard Ball Times Baseball Annual, ESPN, FanGraphs and RotoGraphs. He tries to be funny on twitter @Chris_Cwik.
The Rangers are better position to withstand Lee’s loss than the Yankees as Greinke and Pavano are real options, not to mention Feliz if they can sign Soriano to replace him.
Cliff Lee would have been a bad signing over the long run for Texas. Not sure Lee would not break down in that Texas heat.
Texas should upgrade the offense by signing Beltre at 3B and maybe Manny Ramirez or Johnny Damon at DH. Manny can still hit if healthy and that Texas heat should be good for his old bones. Damon still works the count and gets on base. He is a tough out and would be a great # 2 hitter for Texas.
I never thought I’d see the day when Johnny Damon and DH were used in the same sentence.
I hope you’re joking about Johnny Damon. Since the Rangers didn’t get Lee, they don’t have to trade Young to free money up. Why would you put Damon in as the DH when you can put Young there? I understand that Young has his issues, but he’s a much better DH option than Damon is at this point.
Have many points to address but since we are discussing pitching here is my 2 cents:
Can’t replace Lee so don’t blow up your farm system for someone you would not be willing to throw the same kind of money as you did with Lee.
There is still a number of FA arms out there that can strenghten up that bullben and add a SP.
Finally, I hope the Rangers don’t make it a habit of not budging on adding an extra year or few extra $$$. Future FA’s are looking and if you are not willing to accomodate Lee for his services then they won’t want to come here.
I never thought I’d see a response telling a team to do something idiotic. I never want the Rangers to do that. Why would you? Are you an Angels fan? Why don’t we just start handing out A-Rod contracts?
Re-sign, not resign.
Actually, it’s resign. That word, like many others in our language, has more than 1 meaning.
actually it’s re-sign
You should have looked in a dictionary before putting this. It’s re-sign, not resign. Nobody did anything shameful and nobody is having to give their position up willingly.
Actually, it’s re-sine.
See. You can say anything on a blog and put the word “actually” in front of it. This is fun!
It doesn’t matter because you understood what he meant in context.
thats the function of language you know! and look at that, it functioned fine.
Using Feliz as a reliever without trying him at SP is a tragic waste of human potential.
Agreed… additionally, I have never heard a single prospect guru list Feliz’s body type as a concern. He’s 6’3, 215. What’s wrong with that?
I agree completely. I haven’t heard anyone complain about his size so it’s strange to see that mentioned here…
If anything, I’d think with his super easy release he would excel as a SP with a possibility of less injuries than most.
I think Greinke is a great fit. I’d go hard after him.
Who are the current 3B options for the Rangers…other than potentially signing Beltre?
Lee is a tough guy to lose. But I don’t see the A’s nor the Mariners making a run at the division next year. Angels are really the only contender to the Rangers.
Michael Young is the current option.
I would not count out the A’s here. They clearly have the best pitching(rotation and pen) in the division. If they can get some of the bats they sign this winter to improve their offense, they could sneak up on some people. I would not completely rule out Beltre for them at this point either. I know he ignored them the first time, however, they can give him a good contract and he has lost a lot of his leverage(Boston being out). Beane has wanted him for a long time now and may be willing to give him a contract if his price falls(which I expect).
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