Rangers not giving up on Halladay!

According to FoxSports.com, the Blue Jays rushed a scout to Arlington to watch Derek Holland pitch tonight for the Rangers in an obvious effort to work a trade with Texas before the deadline. The deadline is 3 p.m. tomorrow and if the Texas was to pull of a Roy Halladay trade, it would have to send fear to the Angels.

It would have to be a big time offer that could include: Holland, 1B Justin Smoak, CF Julio Borbon, and other legit prospect. As soon as something goes down I will blog about it!

Lets bring the "Doc" to Texas!

Rangers seeking rotation help

What are we going to do Nolan?

Believe it or not: The Texas Rangers are among the league leaders with a 4.17 E.R.A yet they are still seeking a starter via trade.

Current Rotation:
Kevin Millwood 9-7, 3.39 E.R.A., 1.28 WHIP

Scott Feldman 9-3, 3.59 E.R.A., 1.14 WHIP

Vincente Padilla 7-5, 4.67 E.R.A., 1.52 WHIP

Tommy Hunter 3-1, 2.00 E.R.A., 1.17 WHIP

Derek Holland 3-6, 6.13 E.R.A., 1.62 WHIP

Now imagine for a second replacing Holland with one of these guys:

Zach Duke 9-9, 3.42 E.R.A., 1.23 WHIP

Jarrod Washburn 8-6, 2.71 E.R.A., 1.06 WHIP

Cliff Lee 7-9, 3.14 E.R.A., 1.30 WHIP

Lee could be headed to Boston according to T.R. Sullivan, but Texas still remains rumored to get Duke and the Rangers have a scout watching Washburn pitch tonight in Seattle.

Of the three, who do you want? I still would choose Duke because he would be the cheapest and we could hang onto him the longest.

Trade Rumor Spotlight: Josh Willingham

Already mentioned Duke in the previous post, and now I will spotlight another potential Ranger in Willingham.

Bio:

Bats: Right
Throws: Right
30 years old

2009 stats: .296 AVG, 15 HR, 35 RBI, .410 OBP

The Rangers outfield is already crowded but he would be coming in as the DH, but the problem is Andruw Jones has occupied that spot for most of the last two months. Texas would have to figure out what to do with Jones and Cruz.

I like Josh W. because of his ability to get on base which is something all the Rangers are lacking this year and his contract runs through 2011 so he would not be a quick fix.

As much as I like Zach Duke, Willingham would be my #1 priority for the trade deadline. Stay tuned to this blog for the latest in rumors and actual trade news......hopefully we will have some!

**Update: Josh has 2 HRs and 8 RBIs tonight**

Trade Rumor Spotlight: Zach Duke

Bio:

Left-handed starting pitcher
Born in Clifton, TX

2009 stats: 20 starts, 3 complete games, 9-9, 3.42 E.R.A., 139.1 IP, 74Ks

Has gone at least 6 innings in his last 10 starts and the 9-9 record is impressive considering that he pitches for the Pirates.

The Rangers would have to give up some prospects but I don't believe they would have to give away any top-tier prospects. How about 2 second-level tier prospects and throw in another young prospect.

Duke would immediately be the #3 pitcher (after Millwood and Feldman) and could be a stable in the rotation for years to come.

What do you think of Duke........is he worth it?

To trade or not to trade!

I'm back from vacation with a vengeance! This week marks the trade deadline for MLB and the Rangers look to be big-time players with the addition of a starter or DH or both. I give credit to Jamey Newberg, Evan Grant, and Trot Coffey for the following names that have been linked to the Rangers:

Purely speculation

Pitchers:

Roy Halladay (longshot but the Rangers are in the top 5 of possible destinations)
Cliff Lee (Cleveland says they are not trading him)
Doug Davis--former Ranger
Zach Duke--my choice and a Texan
many others.....

Hitters:
Adam Dunn
Nick Johnson--good OBP, injury concerns
Josh Willingham--good AVG, OBP and is signed through 2011
Ryan Garko--not as good as the above 3 **Update: Just traded to Giants for Single A pitcher**

I would like the addition of Zach Duke and Josh Willingham because they would help the team immediately but also be here for the next couple of years. As soon as the Rangers make a trade check out this site for complete analysis!

Upcoming: Zach Duke and Willingham spotlights.