They've lost their minds... in the best way.

Derek Haas said:

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They've lost their minds... in the best way.

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no kidding.

Neil Leibman agreed to pay for four players over the course of a frenetic 24 hours that concluded Monday when the Rangers reached a 10-year, $325 million deal with free-agent shortstop Corey Seager.

The deal, confirmed by multiple industry sources, brings the Rangers offseason spending to $561 million, providing all the players pass physicals. It is the biggest total free-agent spending spree in MLB history by nearly $100 million.

In addition to Seager, infielder Marcus Semien, who is expected to play second base, will receive $175 million over seven years. Pitcher Jon Gray $56 million over four years and outfielder Kole Calhoun $5.2 million for one year (with a team option for 2024). All agreed to deals with Texas.

And the Rangers may not be done. They are still willing to welcome Highland Park's Clayton Kershaw to Arlington if he chooses to leave the Los Angeles Dodgers behind, as both Seager and pitcher Max Scherzer, who agreed to terms with the New York Mets, did on Monday. If the Rangers land Kershaw and an outfielder, it could take their offseason expenditure to more than $600 million. Davis' group paid $593 million for the team in a bankruptcy auction in 2010.

No matter how you define it, the Rangers have done the unthinkable: Outpsent the New York Yankees, who had the previous biggest offseason splurge. The Yankees spent $429 million on free agents following the 2008 season. In 2014, including free agents and the posting/contract for Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, the Yankees committed $471 million.

Even with all the deals in the last few days, they are under $105 million for next year's payroll at the moment. They can easily spend more and take it to $140 - $150 million range.

They are still pursuing LA Dodger Clayton Kershaw who actually lives in Highland Park in Dallas in the offseason.

Assassin said:

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They are still pursuing LA Dodger Clayton Kershaw who actually lives in Highland Park in Dallas in the offseason.

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Cant hurt that Rangers GM Chris Young also went to HP HS albeit nine years prior

Assassin said:

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They are still pursuing LA Dodger Clayton Kershaw who actually lives in Highland Park in Dallas in the offseason.

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Dodgers didnt offer qualifying tender of about $18 plus so whomever signs him will not be on the hook for any type of compensation.

We were 23rd in ERA at .480 which was an improvement on the previous season which was .502

We'd better sign at least one more decent pitcher to get some improvement although simply the fact that the middle of our infield has been upgraded 1000% has got to give any pitcher we are talking to a very enticing invitation

Jon Gray isnt a Cy Young type guy but he can really eat up innings which is a value unto itself, four seasons of 149+ innings in last six years. Even having to throw out of the Rockies park which is closer to the moon than sea level he's been a decent thrower - 4.59 ERA (107 ERA+) and 1.34 WHIP over 829 1/3 innings in his career.

Since 2016, his first full big league season, Gray has been among the National League leaders in innings pitched (788 2/3), strikeouts (809) and wins (53). During that time, he's also posted a 4.54 ERA (108 ERA+).

In the farm system, the top two pitchers that could help are Jack Leiter who throws up to 97 mph coming out of Vanderbilt. The son of two-time All-Star and World Series champion Al Leiter, Jack drew first-round interest as a New Jersey high schooler in 2019 but dropped to the Yankees in the 20th round because he was intent on attending Vanderbilt. After a brief but spectacular college debut during the shortened 2020 season, he emerged as the best pitching prospect in the 2021 Draft after no-hitting South Carolina in his first SEC start, tying teammate Kumar Rocker for the NCAA Division I strikeout lead with 179 in 110 innings and leading the Commodores to the College World Series finals. The Rangers selected him No. 2 overall and signed him for $7,922,000, a franchise record and the fourth-highest bonus in Draft history.

Leiter's 90-95 mph fastball peaks at 97 and plays as an elite pitch because of its outstanding riding life and induced vertical break, generating plenty of swings and misses in the strike zone. His second-best offering is a plus 12-6 curveball in the upper 70s, and he can land it for strikes or get hitters to chase it. His feel for spin also translates into a low-80s slider that some evaluators think has more upside than his curveball, and he has flashed a solid changeup but rarely needed it as an amateur.
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Cole Winn is at AAA. Winn became the first athlete to win Gatorade baseball player of the year awards in different states (Colorado in 2017, California in 2018) while establishing himself as the most polished right-hander in the 2018 high school class. Signed for $3.15 million as the 15th overall pick, he spent his first pro summer in a deloading program and struggled in his first month after making his debut in May 2019. He since has looked like the pitcher the Rangers believed they were getting, posting a 2.81 ERA in his final 12 starts of 2019 and competing well against veteran hitters at their alternate site last summer.

After making some adjustments to get more online to the plate in his pro debut, Winn showcased the stuff that made him a first-round pick. He owns a pair of plus pitches in a 92-95 mph fastball that tops out at 97 with running action and a curveball with 12-6 break. He added a slider as a high school senior that now flashes some wipeout potential and also shows feel for a changeup with fade.

Assassin said:

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In the farm system, the top two pitchers that could help are Jack Leiter who throws up to 97 mph coming out of Vanderbilt. The son of two-time All-Star and World Series champion Al Leiter, Jack drew first-round interest as a New Jersey high schooler in 2019 but dropped to the Yankees in the 20th round because he was intent on attending Vanderbilt. After a brief but spectacular college debut during the shortened 2020 season, he emerged as the best pitching prospect in the 2021 Draft after no-hitting South Carolina in his first SEC start, tying teammate Kumar Rocker for the NCAA Division I strikeout lead with 179 in 110 innings and leading the Commodores to the College World Series finals. The Rangers selected him No. 2 overall and signed him for $7,922,000, a franchise record and the fourth-highest bonus in Draft history.

Leiter's 90-95 mph fastball peaks at 97 and plays as an elite pitch because of its outstanding riding life and induced vertical break, generating plenty of swings and misses in the strike zone. His second-best offering is a plus 12-6 curveball in the upper 70s, and he can land it for strikes or get hitters to chase it. His feel for spin also translates into a low-80s slider that some evaluators think has more upside than his curveball, and he has flashed a solid changeup but rarely needed it as an amateur.
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Cole Winn is at AAA. Winn became the first athlete to win Gatorade baseball player of the year awards in different states (Colorado in 2017, California in 2018) while establishing himself as the most polished right-hander in the 2018 high school class. Signed for $3.15 million as the 15th overall pick, he spent his first pro summer in a deloading program and struggled in his first month after making his debut in May 2019. He since has looked like the pitcher the Rangers believed they were getting, posting a 2.81 ERA in his final 12 starts of 2019 and competing well against veteran hitters at their alternate site last summer.

After making some adjustments to get more online to the plate in his pro debut, Winn showcased the stuff that made him a first-round pick. He owns a pair of plus pitches in a 92-95 mph fastball that tops out at 97 with running action and a curveball with 12-6 break. He added a slider as a high school senior that now flashes some wipeout potential and also shows feel for a changeup with fade.

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Leiter shouldn't be in the majors before 2024. Pitching every 7th day in high school and college is way different than every 5th day in the majors. Plus he threw a ton at Vandy, which is why the Rangers shut him down after they drafted him. He'll work his way through the minors in 2022 & 2023 with hope he is in the Majors in 2024. Anything faster won't benefit either party long term.

jpaschal01 said:

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Assassin said:

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In the farm system, the top two pitchers that could help are Jack Leiter who throws up to 97 mph coming out of Vanderbilt. The son of two-time All-Star and World Series champion Al Leiter, Jack drew first-round interest as a New Jersey high schooler in 2019 but dropped to the Yankees in the 20th round because he was intent on attending Vanderbilt. After a brief but spectacular college debut during the shortened 2020 season, he emerged as the best pitching prospect in the 2021 Draft after no-hitting South Carolina in his first SEC start, tying teammate Kumar Rocker for the NCAA Division I strikeout lead with 179 in 110 innings and leading the Commodores to the College World Series finals. The Rangers selected him No. 2 overall and signed him for $7,922,000, a franchise record and the fourth-highest bonus in Draft history.

Leiter's 90-95 mph fastball peaks at 97 and plays as an elite pitch because of its outstanding riding life and induced vertical break, generating plenty of swings and misses in the strike zone. His second-best offering is a plus 12-6 curveball in the upper 70s, and he can land it for strikes or get hitters to chase it. His feel for spin also translates into a low-80s slider that some evaluators think has more upside than his curveball, and he has flashed a solid changeup but rarely needed it as an amateur.
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Cole Winn is at AAA. Winn became the first athlete to win Gatorade baseball player of the year awards in different states (Colorado in 2017, California in 2018) while establishing himself as the most polished right-hander in the 2018 high school class. Signed for $3.15 million as the 15th overall pick, he spent his first pro summer in a deloading program and struggled in his first month after making his debut in May 2019. He since has looked like the pitcher the Rangers believed they were getting, posting a 2.81 ERA in his final 12 starts of 2019 and competing well against veteran hitters at their alternate site last summer.

After making some adjustments to get more online to the plate in his pro debut, Winn showcased the stuff that made him a first-round pick. He owns a pair of plus pitches in a 92-95 mph fastball that tops out at 97 with running action and a curveball with 12-6 break. He added a slider as a high school senior that now flashes some wipeout potential and also shows feel for a changeup with fade.

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Leiter shouldn't be in the majors before 2024. Pitching every 7th day in high school and college is way different than every 5th day in the majors. Plus he threw a ton at Vandy, which is why the Rangers shut him down after they drafted him. He'll work his way through the minors in 2022 & 2023 with hope he is in the Majors in 2024. Anything faster won't benefit either party long term.

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I got burned out when we had the World Series won but for one out...My baseball balloon was totally burst. Havent really been following it very much. Also my buddy Frank Luchessi passed. We could run over to his house in Arlington/SouthLake. That guy would point out so many things that the normal guy (me) totally missed. Great guy

Is Cole Winn ready to go?

Prior to last season, Marcus Semien had started 775 games at shortstop. Last year, however, 147 of his 162 games were at second base.

SportsDay's Evan Grant reported that Semien is willing to continue at second base if the Rangers signed another shortstop. This report came before the Rangers reached a 10-year, $325 million deal with former Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager on Monday.

3. Coming off a historic season

Though 2021 was Semien's first season spent primarily at second base, it didn't take him long to make history. The 45 home runs he hit in 2021 broke the single-season record for the most hit by a second baseman in a year.

Before Semien, the record was held by Davey Johnson, who hit 43 homers with the Atlanta Braves in 1973. The 45 home runs shattered Semien's previous season-high (33) back in 2019 when he played for the Oakland Athletics.

4. His glove is gilded

Semien didn't just dominate offensively at second base last season; he also provided value on the diamond as a slick defender. Last year, Semien took home the Gold Glove award at second base in his first season starting more than 25 games at the position. Semien put up a 1.8 defensive WAR overall in 2021, according to Baseball-Reference.