The Rangers and whopper contracts

rico43

rico43

<B>Director of Minor League Reports</B>
Pretty shocking to hear the numbers bouncing around the Jeff Hamilton rerturn-to-Texas deal. While no two media sources agree exactly, it sounds fairly certain that the Rangers will not have to pay much more than $7 million of the over $80 million left on Hamilton's deal. And because of tax break by returning to Texas, Hamilton is also willingl giving up some $7 million that Uncle Sam would have gotten had he stayed in Cali.

But the flounding Rangers have some of the worst contracts in baseball already hanging around them like the proverbial albatross. Trying the yummy numbers on for size without choking on them:

Shin-Soo Choo: 7 years, $130 million (in second year of deal, with .264 OBP)

Elvis Andrus: 8 years, $120 million (in third year, .211 average, .188 OBP).

Prince Fielder: 9 years, $214 million (in fourth year, team's leading run producer)

Andrian Beltre: 5 years, $80 million (ends this season, 2016 option)

Yu Darvish: 6 years, $56 million (injured, contract expires after 2017)

Add to that Hamilton's monolith of 5 years, $125 million.

Of all those, the guy the Braves could best take on, of course, is Beltre, but he has only two homers and two RBIs this season. Choo's great year in Cincy would hint he'd thrive back in the NL, but his deal is one year too long for me to be comfortable taking him on EVEN WITH the Rangers footing most of the bill.
 
If Hart decided he wanted to try and compete a year early, Beltre would certainly be a guy to keep an eye on. He would be a good fit for us and suddenly make us a much more competitive team next season. Of course that really is dependent on Beltre doing what he's done the past several years as opposed to his early season returns this season. It would also of course be dependent on how much the Rangers want to compete and what kind of return they'd expect in return. That's a lot of qualifiers.

But he certainly would be a good fit as hopefully a bridge to Rio Ruiz.
 
It's a shame they've already dealt Kubitza; he'd be a good fit in a prospects package. Maybe something around Cunningham and Elmer Reyes.
 
Those awful contracts, along with injuries, have basically shut the Rangers' championship window. I look for Beltre to be a popular name come July in trade rumors.
 
I think Andrus' contract is the worst in the majors. I actually got along (and still get along) with Bill Shanks, but I guess that "next A-Rod" prediction didn't quite come through.
 
I wish I could remember who it was that said Choo was worth more than Jason. I want to say it was Carpe, but it may have been another poster.
 
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