OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - Rebuilding the Texas Rangers

WarningTrakPower · 12-06-2021, 04:57 PM

The preseason predictions have us at 82-80, which would be tied for 4th in the AL West!

Let's start with a little offseason recap.

DeMarcus Evans was the unanimous winner of AL Reliever of the Year!

After a terrific season, he was awarded $9.325 in arbitration!

We make a couple minor trades to cleanup some roster redudancy. First, we sent Josh Rojas to the Nationals.

Cayden Wallace was drafted as pitcher and we eventually switched him to 1B/3B, but he was a throw-in.
Ricardo Mendez looks to be a potential replacement for Leody Tavares (better OF range). He will start the year in AAA (he was already on their 40 man roster).

Next, we sent Brett DeGeus to Toronto.

Nate Weeldreyer is likely at best an AAAA type pitcher.
Justin Foscue just never was able to hit for us in the upper minors.
At the start of this sim they had him already in AA (2020 draft and no MiLB games). Career MiLB OPS of .707 and now 26 years old.

IRL, Manuel Beltre appears to be a very nice prospect. Signed for $2.35m as a 16 year old infielder comes with a decent pedigree.
In this OOTP sim, he only just graduated from rookie ball last year and will be turning 21 in June.
He is a pure lottery pick here, but the Jays really wanted DeGeus. With 65 infield range (only a 50 arm), we hope eventually he can be a middle infield option for us.

Let's take a look at a very familiar looking group of hitters we will be starting the year with.

We will be running a LF platoon with Steele Walker getting the lions share of the at bats and Evan Russell starting vs LHP.
One challenge we will likely face is finding at bats for both Terrin Vavra and Tyler Freeman. Neither is a strong option at a position other than 2B, so Freeman will be our DH.

The other spot of roster redundancy we now have is our two RH first basemen. Colton Welker has hit better in his career, but Josh Jung was excellent in 2023 (prior to a poor year in 2024).
The nice thing about Jung is that he is an option for 3B (potentially his spot when Urshela's contract is up).

Also, we need to find a better defensive backup infielder to (eventually) replace Chris Seise. We were hoping to find someone in free agency or even rule 5, but no luck. With only 60 infield range, we should be looking to upgrade (since he can't hit).

Now, let's take a look at the pitchers!

Nick Robertson is the lone new face. We claimed him off waivers from LAD (who had him only in AA last year).

One pitcher of note is Hunter Barco. He was deserving of a spot in the rotation, but for now we have decided to keep him in AAA.
It feels like Michael King might have to be traded to make room for him, so we will explore his trade market in the next couple weeks of the sim.

Hans Crouse really surprised us last year and his ratings don't really match up the stats he has been putting up.
If he struggles, he might be more successful long term in the bullpen (below average movement and control).
We came pretty close to trading Brandon Bielak a few times in the offseason (he is out of options too). He gives us an option on the MLB club that can be used as a spot starter / emergency SP if need be.

The next update will be early June. We will check back in after 54 games (1/3 of the way). Any predictions for what record we will have at this point?

12-06-2021, 04:57 PM	#48
WarningTrakPower All Star Reserve Join Date: Nov 2018 Posts: 595	2025 Texas Rangers - Opening Day Roster! The preseason predictions have us at 82-80, which would be tied for 4th in the AL West! Let's start with a little offseason recap. DeMarcus Evans was the unanimous winner of AL Reliever of the Year! After a terrific season, he was awarded $9.325 in arbitration! We make a couple minor trades to cleanup some roster redudancy. First, we sent Josh Rojas to the Nationals. Cayden Wallace was drafted as pitcher and we eventually switched him to 1B/3B, but he was a throw-in. Ricardo Mendez looks to be a potential replacement for Leody Tavares (better OF range). He will start the year in AAA (he was already on their 40 man roster). Next, we sent Brett DeGeus to Toronto. Nate Weeldreyer is likely at best an AAAA type pitcher. Justin Foscue just never was able to hit for us in the upper minors. At the start of this sim they had him already in AA (2020 draft and no MiLB games). Career MiLB OPS of .707 and now 26 years old. IRL, Manuel Beltre appears to be a very nice prospect. Signed for $2.35m as a 16 year old infielder comes with a decent pedigree. In this OOTP sim, he only just graduated from rookie ball last year and will be turning 21 in June. He is a pure lottery pick here, but the Jays really wanted DeGeus. With 65 infield range (only a 50 arm), we hope eventually he can be a middle infield option for us. Let's take a look at a very familiar looking group of hitters we will be starting the year with. We will be running a LF platoon with Steele Walker getting the lions share of the at bats and Evan Russell starting vs LHP. One challenge we will likely face is finding at bats for both Terrin Vavra and Tyler Freeman. Neither is a strong option at a position other than 2B, so Freeman will be our DH. The other spot of roster redundancy we now have is our two RH first basemen. Colton Welker has hit better in his career, but Josh Jung was excellent in 2023 (prior to a poor year in 2024). The nice thing about Jung is that he is an option for 3B (potentially his spot when Urshela's contract is up). Also, we need to find a better defensive backup infielder to (eventually) replace Chris Seise. We were hoping to find someone in free agency or even rule 5, but no luck. With only 60 infield range, we should be looking to upgrade (since he can't hit). Now, let's take a look at the pitchers! Nick Robertson is the lone new face. We claimed him off waivers from LAD (who had him only in AA last year). One pitcher of note is Hunter Barco. He was deserving of a spot in the rotation, but for now we have decided to keep him in AAA. It feels like Michael King might have to be traded to make room for him, so we will explore his trade market in the next couple weeks of the sim. Hans Crouse really surprised us last year and his ratings don't really match up the stats he has been putting up. If he struggles, he might be more successful long term in the bullpen (below average movement and control). We came pretty close to trading Brandon Bielak a few times in the offseason (he is out of options too). He gives us an option on the MLB club that can be used as a spot starter / emergency SP if need be. The next update will be early June. We will check back in after 54 games (1/3 of the way). Any predictions for what record we will have at this point?