Plan B: Life After Cliff Lee

The Rangers made it no secret that their first priority was to re-sign Cliff Lee.  Since that didn't happen, the team will need to look to improve the club in other ways.  Don't think the Rangers are left scrambling; they've been preparing for this, just in case Lee decided to leave.  Here's a few avenues the Rangers might take to build the 2011 team without Lee.

Trade for starting pitching 

The Rangers may consider trading for Royals righthander Zack Greinke or Rays righthander Matt Garza.  Both pitchers are young and talented and still relatively affordable, but fall a rung or two below Cliff Lee in terms of being an impact pitcher.  That's more of a statement about Lee than the righties.  Greinke won the 2009 AL Cy Young Award, and Garza threw a no-hitter in 2010, and also led the Rays past the Rangers in Game Three of the ALDS in Arlington.

The Royals are discussing Greinke with a handful of other teams, too, but it doesn't appear the Yankees will be in on this one, for a change.  They want to acquire top prospects who are close to the big leagues in their development, and they prefer pitching and up the middle players (catcher, shortstop, second base, centerfield).  The Rangers could offer those kinds of players, but the offensive players are not as far along in development as the Royals would prefer.  The price the Royals are asking now would gut the top tier of the Rangers farm system, however the Rangers might rationalize giving up some top prospects since they are getting two top draft picks next June for losing Lee to the Phillies.  That would help replenish the system some, assuming they hit on those picks.

Less is known about what the Rays want for Garza.  A report came out today that the Rangers and Rays had a deal working last night, but it hit a snag and fell through.  While Greinke may lack mental toughness and stability, Garza has a surplus of it.  He's been known to get a little hot-headed when things don't go right for him, but I think he'd benefit from working with the calm influence of Mike Maddux.  I think he could come cheaper than Greinke and could be just as good, if the Rays decide to make a move.

You can bet the front office will be checking with other teams for available young pitchers besides these two guys.  The solution may be a guy we haven't even heard to be available.

Sign a free agent starting pitcher

If a trade is not the answer, the Rangers may choose to add depth to the rotation by signing a free agent starter.  From the outset this off-season, the choices after Cliff Lee were pretty thin, and there are no real clear alternatives in free agency. 

The biggest name is righthander Carl Pavano, who put up good numbers for the Minnesota Twins in 2010, despite sporting an '80s mustache that brought back memories of Don Mattingly and Magnum P.I.  He will turn 35 next month and will probably seek a three-year contract.  Most writers expect him to return to the Twins.  I'd rather not commit that much to Pavano.

Others who could be of interest to the Rangers are reclamation project pitchers Brandon Webb, Jeff Francis, and Chin-Ming Wang.  They are all coming off of injuries and would be available on short-term, affordable contracts.  Of this group, Webb interests me the most.  The former NL Cy Young winner is a sinkerballer who would work well in our park, assuming he can get back to his pre-injury form.

Move bullpen arms to the rotation

The Rangers will consider moving Neftali Feliz and/or Alexi Ogando into the starting rotation, perhaps as soon as Spring Training.  Feliz came up through the minors as a starter, and was considered a top prospect who had top of the rotation talent.  If he can be the type of pitcher to become a number one starter, the Rangers will have an ace, but more affordably than acquiring one by trade or free agency.  A move to the rotation would open up the closer role, though, which the Rangers might address by adding relievers through trades or free agency.  More on that in the next topic.

Ogando pitched well in relief for the Rangers in 2010, but some in the organization say he's the best bet to follow CJ Wilson out of the bullpen and into the rotation successfully.  Both pitchers will be stretched out to start games in Spring Training, and if it looks like they'd be better suited for the 'pen in 2011, they'll be bumped back into those roles.

Upgrade the bullpen

If the Rangers do decide to make Feliz a starter, the closer's job will fall to Frank Francisco by default.  If the team feels he's ready to accept that role again, they might go after some middle relievers to help bridge the gap in the late innings.  If they've got concerns over having Frankie close games, they could turn to a few free agents who have closer experience.

The biggest name among free agent closers is Rafael Soriano, who nailed down 45 saves for the Rays in 2010, which led the league.  He's going to want a big contract, and while the Rangers can afford it, they usually do not like to hand out big money to bullpen guys.

Cheaper options include Brian Fuentes, Bobby Jenks, and Kerry Wood.

If the Rangers are looking for more of a middle reliever type, they could turn to Jesse Crain, Grant Balfour, Matt Guerrier, or a pool of other available relievers still looking for jobs.

Spend extra money to the improve lineup

One option is to make up for the loss in pitching by adding more thunder to the lineup.  The Rangers have been linked to third baseman Adrian Beltre, who is known for having his best seasons right before he becomes a free agent (red flag).  He could be brought in to play third base and push Michael Young to DH, or Young could be traded and Vladimir Guerrero, Magglio Ordonez, or Jim Thome could be brought in to DH.  I'm not in favor of any moves that aggrivate Michael Young or kick him off the team.

The big name offensive free agents are all off the board at this point, so this option looks like it is the shakiest.

Extensions for current players

If the money the Rangers had ready to hand over to Lee is burning a hole in their pockets now, they could decide to spread the wealth and lock up some of their core players to multi-year contracts.  Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, CJ Wilson, and Elvis Andrus would be good candidates to lock up for a handful of years before they hit free agency.

So the Rangers obviously have plenty of options to consider, though it takes two to tango in many of these scenarios.  They can't just snap and fill the gaps with who they want.  Jon Daniels and his crew have some work to do, and you can bet they are on top of it at this very moment.