The Newberg Report

[Otter]

"
Every written report and news story I've read the past few days refers to some sort of "circus" coming to Surprise today, coinciding with the Rangers'
first full-squad workout. The club expects more than 100 media members to show up this morning, an unusually large contingent. That's really cool.
It's cool that the national press is so fired up about the reinvigorated Rangers clubhouse, intrigued by the club's decision to approach Ian Kinsler about a multi-year deal that would extend into his arbitration-eligible years, fascinated by the news that C.J. Wilson could become one of the first MLB pitchers to tinker with the fabled gyroball (though not off a mound for now, at his coaches' behest), concerned that John Rheinecker has been shut down tentatively due to back spasms, curious about whether Frankie Francisco might be reasserting his bullpen role, interested in Jason Botts's outfield work with coach Gary Pettis, and determined to get club comment on ex-Rangers outfielder Kevin Mench's announcement in Brewers camp that he'll "pitch a fit" if he is asked to go into the season starting only against left-handed pitchers.
Looking forward to weekend coverage on all of that.
Today's a great day, Baseball Fan. The opening bell is about to ring."

------ Jamey Newberg

[Otter]

"The fact that ESPN has Pedro Gomez assigned to Rangers camp to cover Sammy Sosa's arrival speaks volumes. Gomez was an instant tune-out for me the last couple years in his role as Barry Bonds's shadow. And now the self-proclaimed Worldwide Leader in Sports has attached him to Sosa.
While stories on how many autographs Sosa signed were being compiled in Surprise and filed in Bristol, Rangers management and Michael Young's agent spent some meaningful time away from the cameras and the microphones and the notepads, getting down to business and discussing the parameters of a deal that would extend the shared identity between franchise and player well into the next decade.
T.R. Sullivan reports this morning that the two sides have made "significant progress" on a contract that would keep Young right here for the next seven years.
Now that's a story.
Neither the Rangers nor Young are commenting on the negotiations -- bravo -- but according to Sullivan, the dialogue that has transpired over the last two weeks could lead to a resolution sometime this week. Sullivan suggests the deal could be in the neighborhood of $15 million per season from 2009 through 2013, taking into consideration the below-market salaries Young is contracted to receive in 2007 ($3.5-$4 million) and 2008 (club option for
$4-$5 million). That means the seven-year pact would equate to about $12 million per year.
Can't tell you how much this fires me up. Get ready. If I get to write about Young locking up here long-term, you will see the most fired-up Newberg Report you've ever seen.
Pedro might even squeeze it in as a footnote at the tail of a story on how many minutes Sammy took batting practice, or how many officers are in his security detail.
I'm fired up."


---------- Jamey Newberg

[Otter]

In nine years of Newberg Reports, I've talked about steroids only slightly more often than I've mentioned Pete Rose. It's a topic I hate, and so I prefer to bury my head in the sand rather than get into a discussion about regulations or ethics or politics or asterisks. I depend on baseball as an escape from things like that.
I sure hope this Gary Matthews Jr. story is wrong.
There's been lots of talk early in camp that the Rangers could be bullpen sellers toward the end of camp, as the addition of Eric Gagne has created not only extra depth but also a situation in which some relievers are theoretically overqualified for their roles -- which is a very good thing going into a season. If Frankie Francisco is truly back, and if someone like Francisco Cruceta or Franklyn German has a big camp, Texas will have to move somebody. Rick Bauer and Joaquin Benoit are out of options, as is Cruceta, and with Akinori Otsuka and Wes Littleton going in with jobs from the right side, and C.J. Wilson and Ron Mahay entrenched from the left, a guy like Scott Feldman is a near-certainty to be optioned in a month, if not traded, regardless of how well he pitches in Arizona.
It also helps explain why Nick Masset was almost certainly bound for Oklahoma City to start the season, which probably factored a little bit into the Rangers' willingness to deal him this winter.
Trading a big league piece at the end of camp can pay dividends. Esteban Beltre for Scott Eyre. Dave Burba for Sean Casey. When teams feel like they're a player short going into a season, they may part with a better prospect than they'd been prepared to over the winter -- even if the targeted player isn't a potential difference-maker.
Righthander Kevin Millwood was limited in weekend workouts due to a sore right calf, but the club isn't too concerned about it. He is expected to pitch in Friday's B game.
Utility player candidates Joaquin Arias and Drew Meyer missed yesterday's workout, Arias with a sore throwing shoulder and Meyer with either a sore shoulder or low back pain. Lefthander John Rheinecker continues to deal with back spasms.
Leading backup center fielder candidate Marlon Byrd is being praised as the best all-around defensive outfielder in camp. Considering Nelson Cruz's skills, that's saying something.
Ron Washington is telling reporters that he's seeing better defensive work out of Jason Botts, who has been working extensively with new outfield coach Gary Pettis.
No contract extension yet for Michael Young -- who has said that once play starts on Friday, he plans to shut talks down -- or for Ian Kinsler, though negotiations reportedly continue between the Rangers and both infielders.
According to a story posted late last night by Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated, Young and the Rangers are "expected to settle on one of two deals," one that would pay Young $80 million over five years or another for $90 million over six years, either of which would kick in after his current deal expires following the 2008 season. Heyman notes, as local reports have, that "a couple hitches" remain but that a deal is likely.
Kinsler is one of four pre-arbitration players on the 40-man roster who remains unsigned, though he and Wilson, Botts, and John Koronka are expected to come to terms this week. Texas got six players done over the weekend, signing Littleton, Cruz, Brandon McCarthy, Kameron Loe, Gerald Laird, and Victor Diaz to one-year contracts ranging from $382,000 to $400,322, based on the club's service time-based formula.
A couple publications have made comparisons between Young and Paul Molitor this spring. You might recall that a few years ago, at a roundtable discussion in Cooperstown, several Hall of Famers were asked to identify the young player they'd trade their futures for. While some chose Albert Pujols or Miguel Cabrera, Molitor selected Young. (See the July 29, 2004 Newberg Report if you have the 2005 Bound Edition).
Washington says he will get righthanders Thomas Diamond and Eric Hurley into both A and B games this spring before they are reassigned to minor league camp. The earliest that players can be reassigned is March 12. Diamond is expected to start the season at Oklahoma, Hurley at Frisco.
Outfielder Ben Harrison, who had one of the top breakthrough seasons in the Rangers system in 2006, is expected to be sidelined until May due to the separated shoulder he sustained playing in Venezuela this winter. After hitting .289/.379/.510 between Bakersfield and Frisco, with 26 homers and
101 RBI in 494 at-bats, Harrison hit .311/.414/.477 in 132 winter league at-bats until suffering the shoulder injury, which led to late-November surgery.
Outfielder John Mayberry Jr., not surprisingly, is reportedly slated for Bakersfield to begin the season.

Texas has hired venerable scout Larry Barton Jr., who had spent an incredible 38 seasons in the Cincinnati organization before departing this winter.
The Sioux Falls Canaries of the independent American Association acquired infielder Craig Ringe from Fargo-Moorhead of the independent Northern League for future considerations.
This is greatness: Exhibition play kicks off in two days, and you can catch the Rangers' first four games -- Friday, Saturday, and Sunday on KRLD 1080 AM (all against the Royals, all at 2:05 CST) and Monday against the Rockies on Fox Sports Southwest (2:05 CST -- set your DVR).
Until then, we're in the 11th hour as far as Michael Young's contract talks are concerned. Big couple days.

------------- Jamey Newberg

[Otter]

Multiple local reports indicate that Michael Young and the Texas Rangers are on the verge of a five-year, $80 extension that would kick in after the 2008 season, which means Young will effectively earn an average of $12.7 million annually over the next seven seasons.

And that he is basically going to be a Texas Ranger for life.

[Otter]

THE NEWBERG REPORT

Think Ian Kinsler, whose three-run bomb off White Sox starter Jon Garland extended a 2-1 lead to 5-1 tonight, cares that Sammy Sosa, whose three-run job off reliever Mike MacDougal cushioned the lead to 8-1, got the postgame television interview and is sure to get the five seconds of airtime that the local news sportscasts will devote tonight to baseball and is a lock to get much SportsCenter love while Kinsler's seventh home run in 12 games gets about as much mention while they flash the line score as the gametime temperature will?

Not one bit.

You're just going to have to get fired up yourself about what Kinsler is doing, because the reigning AL Player of the Week, and the Texas Rangers' best player over these first two weeks, isn't going to do much of it himself.

Don't hold your breath waiting for any home run hops as the ball explodes off Kinsler's bat. He's going to run to first base, every time, no differently from how he would if he'd just shot a ground ball to the shortstop's backhand side. Then he's going to put his head down and round the bases. He might allow himself a smile a stride or two short of the top step of the dugout. Might not.

Next time Kinsler dials nine, which at this rate will probably happen before this series ends, I'm just gonna have to do a home run hop for him.

He is seriously dialed in.

[Otter]

let's not forget that Kinsler was signed off and traded to the Rockies for Larry Walker in 2004. Thankfully for the Rangers that Walker vetoed the deal.