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Monday, December 26, 2005

Star-Telegram: Rangers land starter Millwood

Jeez…I know this is a big deal and all…but they named a hospital for him already?

The Texas Rangers have landed free agent pitcher Kevin Millwood to head their starting rotation.

Sources said Monday afternoon that Millwood has agreed to a four-year contract with the Rangers with an option for a fifth year. An official announcement is expected after Millwood undergoes a physical on Tuesday.

Millwood becomes the Rangers’ No. 1 starter, heading a rotation that will also include Vicente Padilla and Adam Eaton.

Kameron Loe and Juan Dominguez are the leading candidates to fill out a rotation that will have five new members from what the Rangers started with last season.

Thanks to RC Cook

Repoz Posted: December 26, 2005 at 11:41 PM | 56 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: rangers

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1. JH (in DC) Posted: December 27, 2005 at 12:00 AM (#1794984)

ESPN is characterizing it differently, as a 5 year, SIXTY million dollar deal, with the fifth year voidable based on innings. I'd be interested to see how much of that is in the fifth year, because if it's a significant option (say $20 million), that characterizes the deal differently for Texas.

I'm amazed Boras got this much out of somebody. Apparently, Daniels desperately wanted a "#1" starter, and he paid for it.

2. meet the mets Posted: December 27, 2005 at 12:04 AM (#1794988)

It is amazing how well taking a one year contract to prove himself has worked out for Millwood. He was smart not to go to the AL east with it, but as far as Boras getting this much out of Texas for the reigning AL ERA leader it comes as no shock. Texas has become notorious for handing out oversized contracts (see AROD and Chan Ho Park). And Park wasn't that good, not to mention for any extended period of time. This just continues to prove that Boras is the super agent, but the fans are paying for it in ticket prices.

3. rLr Is King Of The Romans And Above Grammar Posted: December 27, 2005 at 12:10 AM (#1794997)

the fans are paying for it in ticket prices.

No, the fans being willing to pay ticket prices makes it possible for Boras to get this kind of contract from an owner.

4. Phil Coorey. Posted: December 27, 2005 at 12:13 AM (#1795001)

That is more money than Burnett right?

5. rLr Is King Of The Romans And Above Grammar Posted: December 27, 2005 at 12:17 AM (#1795005)

It's more money than Croesus could pay.

6. Steve Jeltz 4 HOF Posted: December 27, 2005 at 12:17 AM (#1795006)

Looks like the Rangers are collecting as many ex-Phillies starts as possible now with Millwood, Padilla, and Eaton. Millwood isn't an ace but will do okay for Texas.I'm thinking 14-11 4.30 ERA, 200 IP 210H 80BB 155K, not bad but not the savior. At least Texas is now acquiring pitchers who at least belong in the majors, which is a definite change from the past.

7. The Hop-Clop Goes On (psa1) Posted: December 27, 2005 at 12:18 AM (#1795007)

AJ got $55m, so yes.

AJ's money is guaranteed, though, and AJ has an opt-out clause after three years, so it's arguable he got a better deal.

8. FBI Posted: December 27, 2005 at 12:21 AM (#1795008)

Did you notice that the Millwood hospital specializes in mental health?
I could make a joke here but our reigning leader Paul Martin is on the campaign trail and is doing plenty of Texan bashing at thw moment

Texas needs three starts not one
Ted Lilly might be available

9. Saved By the Belliard Posted: December 27, 2005 at 12:23 AM (#1795011)

It is amazing how well taking a one year contract to prove himself has worked out for Millwood.

It actually took two one-year contracts for Millwood to land the big deal, but you can't argue with the results.

10. Steve Jeltz 4 HOF Posted: December 27, 2005 at 12:27 AM (#1795012)

Chan Ho Park was actually very good for 5 years with the Dodgers before he signed the fat one.

Chan Ho Park

11. Dr. Vaux Posted: December 27, 2005 at 12:53 AM (#1795044)

Hmmm... with Millwood, Eaton, and Padilla, not to mention Domingez and Loe, the Rangers have a very good shot at having three average starters in 2006. If they do, and maybe if they only have two, they'll win the AL West. Their rotation would look a whole lot better, though, with Young in it instead of Eaton.

12. Ivan Grushenko of Hong Kong Posted: December 27, 2005 at 01:03 AM (#1795063)

the Rangers have a very good shot at having three average starters in 2006. If they do, and maybe if they only have two, they'll win the AL West.

How does a team with only 2 average starters, a bad defense and a mediocre offense beat the Angels or A's?

13. pkb33 Posted: December 27, 2005 at 01:18 AM (#1795091)

Yeah, I don't see the Rangers catching the A's or Angels without a lot more than "solid" performance from those starters. Or figuring that Dominguez or Loe have a very good chance of being anything next year.

Their hitting the last couple years has been a creation of the Ballpark to some degree...they were sixth in the AL in road hitting last year and 12th in 2004.

14. spivey Posted: December 27, 2005 at 01:18 AM (#1795092)

Park's ability did not translate to the BPiA well. He also seems/seemed mentally fragile, and didn't throw nearly as fast as I thought he would.

The Rangers will likely regret this deal, although their payroll is so low it shouldn't prevent them from being able to lock up Teixeira and adding another impact player in a year or two.

15. spivey Posted: December 27, 2005 at 01:23 AM (#1795102)

Their hitting the last couple years has been a creation of the Ballpark to some degree...they were sixth in the AL in road hitting last year and 12th in 2004.

To some degree, you're right. But many of their players have crazy home/road splits that are much larger than the park factor would suggest.

16. pkb33 Posted: December 27, 2005 at 01:25 AM (#1795107)

That only reinforces my point.

17. spivey Posted: December 27, 2005 at 01:27 AM (#1795109)

I don't understand from the ESPN link if the team option allows them to void it it with a buyout if he meets the IP limit or if the option automatically vests if he reaches the IP threshold.

18. spivey Posted: December 27, 2005 at 01:30 AM (#1795115)

That only reinforces my point.

Well, it shows they're not a great road hitting team. But a lot of their players hit great at home, moreso than you'd expect if you just looked at their road stats and adjusted for park factors.

19. Foster Posted: December 27, 2005 at 01:46 AM (#1795140)

From the AP article on the deal:

Texas can void the fifth year of the deal if Millwood doesn't pitch a certain number of innings in earlier years of the contract.

20. Jeff K. Posted: December 27, 2005 at 01:50 AM (#1795143)

Chan Ho Park was actually very good for 5 years with the Dodgers before he signed the fat one.

Chan Ho Park was pretty good for two seasons, very good for one season, and slightly above average for two seasons in the 5 years before he signed the fat one.

21. spivey Posted: December 27, 2005 at 01:54 AM (#1795147)

Actually, Chan Ho was awful in 1999. Below replacement player awful.

22. Dr. Vaux Posted: December 27, 2005 at 02:07 AM (#1795164)

You know how it would happen? Because it would piss me off. That's enough, generally.

23. Jeff K. Posted: December 27, 2005 at 02:08 AM (#1795165)

True. Somehow my mind just skipped right over 1999. So, in the 6 years before the contract, he was everything I said in #20, plus bad in one year.

24. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) Posted: December 27, 2005 at 02:52 AM (#1795205)

I think the Rangers are in line for a bit of offensive improvement next year. Young might drop a bit, and Kinsler isn't the equal of Soraino yet, but they'll probably get a fair number of AB from Botts, Blalock should rebound a tad, and they won't have Hidalgo awfuling up their lineup to the degree he did in '05.

25. J. Cross Posted: December 27, 2005 at 02:54 AM (#1795209)

This is a blow to the Red Sox, no?

They have money but, unless they get creative, no one good to spend it on. They might have been left without a chair. Might be a good strategy for the future but it won't look so great in 2006.

26. rLr Is King Of The Romans And Above Grammar Posted: December 27, 2005 at 03:01 AM (#1795213)

They have money but, unless they get creative, no one good to spend it on.

Proven Winner Al Leiter still hasn't signed, to the best of my knowledge.

27. jamcadbury Posted: December 27, 2005 at 03:05 AM (#1795215)

How does a team with only 2 average starters, a bad defense and a mediocre offense beat the Angels or A's?

1. Kameron Loe and Millwood, at the very least, should be average if not much better. Padilla, Dominguez and Eaton all have potenial to be strong pitchers in the Texas rotation. Saying that Texas will have only two average starters is possible, but in all likelihood incorrect.

2. Bad defense? They got rid of Soriano and are going to a league average defender at 2B, at the least. Wilkerson is an OF upgrade defensively. This defense is league average at worst and is not in any shape or form "bad."

3. Mediocre offense? Even when taking the TBIA factor into account, a core of Wilkerson/Young/Tex/Mench surrounded with high potenial guys (Blalock, Kinsler) and other pieces (Barajas, Matthews Jr, Dellucci) can hardly be considered mediocre. The Soriano deal has only resulted in a more balanced lineup. Again, league average at worst and much better probably.

28. spivey Posted: December 27, 2005 at 03:23 AM (#1795225)

This defense is league average at worst and is not in any shape or form "bad."

We'll see. Kinsler isn't supposed to be good at defense from what I've read. Michael Young and Blalock are poor at defense. Nix and Teixeira are good at defense. I still think they're a below average defense, but their defense should get a lot better.

29. Ivan Grushenko of Hong Kong Posted: December 27, 2005 at 03:48 AM (#1795245)

Kameron Loe and Millwood, at the very least, should be average if not much better. Padilla, Dominguez and Eaton all have potenial to be strong pitchers in the Texas rotation. Saying that Texas will have only two average starters is possible, but in all likelihood incorrect.

I didn't make that assessment. I was responding to #11. But now that you mention it, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see all five Ranger starters average to below average next year. None of them is clearly better than any of the Angel or A's starters other than Carrasco. All are clearly worse than Colon, Lackey, Escobar and Harden. I personally wouldn't trade any of the A's starters for any of the Ranger starters. Except Saarloos and he no longer counts.

30. Flynn Posted: December 27, 2005 at 03:49 AM (#1795247)

They have money but, unless they get creative, no one good to spend it on.

Hi.

31. JRVJ (formerly Delta Socrates) Posted: December 27, 2005 at 03:56 AM (#1795252)

Ok, this deal has confirmed a hunch I've had about this off-season: after a couple of years of either a correction or collusion (take your pick) we're going back to the 200-2001 and 2001-2002 off-seasons.

It's amazing how some MLB owners (ironically, one of the most salient of exceptions is this year's Yankees, who look like they will shed about $15 MM of payroll, even after the Damon deal) don't seem to learn from their mistakes.

32. 1k5v3L

Posted: December 27, 2005 at 04:10 AM (#1795259)

Damn Rangers. They ruin another Boston Perestroika plan. The Sox were supposed to sign Millwood cheap so they could trade Arroyo for Tejada...

33. Internet Commenter Posted: December 27, 2005 at 04:20 AM (#1795265)

Why the hell did Texas let Rogers leave? They can't be that excited about the last half of this deal, or that worried about Kenny's behavior, can they?

34. Dr. Vaux Posted: December 27, 2005 at 04:31 AM (#1795274)

The Ranger organization seems very PR-conscious, but in addition to that, Rogers just isn't a very good bet to have success next year. He's old and doesn't strike batters out. All five current Ranger starters are reasonably likely to top Rogers's 2006 performance.

35. Jeff K. Posted: December 27, 2005 at 04:32 AM (#1795276)

Why the hell did Texas let Rogers leave?

16 million reasons over two years.

36. J. Cross Posted: December 27, 2005 at 04:34 AM (#1795280)

Hi. [with Clemens link]

Well, if they feel confident that they can sign him, that would certainly get the job done.

Clemens, Schilling, Beckett, Clement, Wells/Arroyo. wow!

37. Dr. Vaux Posted: December 27, 2005 at 04:40 AM (#1795285)

Yeah, they'd probably have one good starter.

38. Meatwad Posted: December 27, 2005 at 04:48 AM (#1795296)

are the rangers that desperATE FOR a shitty pitcher who had his only good days in atlianta, and sucked the rest of the thime? i predictin may he will end up on the DL

39. Cowboy Popup Posted: December 27, 2005 at 04:55 AM (#1795302)

"are the rangers that desperATE FOR a ###### pitcher who had his only good days in atlianta, and sucked the rest of the thime?"

He won the ERA title last year. I'd consider that a good year.

40. Law Boy Posted: December 27, 2005 at 05:12 AM (#1795316)

Hicks has done more to skew the salary structure of MLB than Steinbrenner on speed.

41. grich Posted: December 27, 2005 at 05:57 AM (#1795348)

And then it was a three team race. Unless, of course, the Mariners' patch-up job works enough and they contend. Regardless, 90 games might take the AL West, unless the Angels' young hitters come around quickly.

42. Law Boy Posted: December 27, 2005 at 06:10 AM (#1795364)

Does this move put pressure on the Angels to trade for Manny?

43. grich Posted: December 27, 2005 at 06:27 AM (#1795373)

Being an Angels fan I certainly hope not. Just say no to quick fixes! I know, Manny is a hall of famer not far from his peak years, somewhere in the latter half of his prime, but I just don't want to give up what the Red Sox would require of the Angels--aside from Cabrera and Erstad--for a few of Manny's "golden years." Let's see what Kotchman, McPherson, Wood, Morales and Kendrick can do...these guys are the future, not Manny or Konerko.

44. The Truth Posted: December 27, 2005 at 06:55 AM (#1795398)

Millwood is a solid starter. he won't repeat last year, but I see no reason why he can't have an era under 4 and a good whip.

45. Jeff K. Posted: December 27, 2005 at 07:33 AM (#1795420)

Millwood is a solid starter. he won't repeat last year, but I see no reason why he can't have an era under 4 and a good whip.

He's done that 3 times in his career and twice in the last six years. He's now moving to TBiA. I would be beyond thrilled if he posts an ERA under 4 next year.

46. Jeff K. Posted: December 27, 2005 at 07:36 AM (#1795421)

They ruin another Boston Perestroika plan.

levski, I am leaving it up to you to make Perestroika the new nickname for Pedroia. Petunia can't cut it against an obviously superior foe.

47. Matt Welch Posted: December 27, 2005 at 08:53 AM (#1795459)

If Mench (career OPS+ of 106, comps neatly with Marty Cordova) is part of your offensive "core," then you're in for some disappointment. Matthews Jr. has generally been part of problems, not solutions; and Dellucci set bizarre career highs last year in every category except triples and dwarf-tossing.

The AL West should regain some of its lost luster, and I think is a good bet to produce two playoff teams ... but I'm not worried about the Rangers just yet.

As for the Angels making a Manny trade, if you could offload Erstad & Cabrera, and get Boston to accept some non-essential but still-promising prospects (Callaspo, Aybar, Bootcheck, Napoli, Saunders), it'd be a helluva deal for LAoA.

48. Matt Welch Posted: December 27, 2005 at 08:56 AM (#1795463)

Also, Soriano has been a better offensive player than Wilkerson for three of the last four years, playing a position where offense is more scarce. He'll be good, and shore up an OF that has sucked for half a decade, but that's a tough offensive hole to fill on the infield.

49. The Bones McCoy of THT Posted: December 27, 2005 at 12:26 PM (#1795508)

Chan Ho Park was actually very good for 5 years with the Dodgers before he signed the fat one.

Actually that was a bit of a Dodger Stadium illusion. Park was a .500 pitcher with a 4.98 ERA on the road before he signed with the Rangers.

Best Regards

John

50. Steve Threadair Posted: December 27, 2005 at 02:45 PM (#1795554)

I don't think you can expect Millwood to be much better than Rogers was last year. In fact, if he matches Kenny's 2005 production, everybody should be very happy. So, unless you consider Eaton a big upgrade over Young, the key to the Rangers' starters looks like Padilla to me. He's a good bet to be better than Park but he doesn't look like a sure thing to me. Do the Rangers have any offensive chips left that they could trade for a solid, #2 starter type?

I heard the zillions of Mench rumors but I don't really know about him. Is he viewed as a guy possibly on the verge of reaching a new level? Could a package built around Mench yield a reliable, and good, starter?

51. dhmayor37 Posted: December 27, 2005 at 02:58 PM (#1795559)

The fact of the matter is that the in order for the Rangers to be competitive in the West they need to unfortunately over pay for pitching. I salute Daniels and Hicks on this deal. There was little way they were going to compete with the they had in place and now at least, have a legitimate chance to win on most days. This to me, is a better deal than Burnett and a necessary deal for Texas.

52. Rally Posted: December 27, 2005 at 03:27 PM (#1795582)

As for the Angels making a Manny trade, if you could offload Erstad & Cabrera, and get Boston to accept some non-essential but still-promising prospects (Callaspo, Aybar, Bootcheck, Napoli, Saunders), it'd be a helluva deal for LAoA.

If, and only if, Manny is willing to be a full time DH. Last week someone told me it would be a great move for LAA, they could play Manny in left and Anderson in center.

He was being serious, he knows their hitting better than their defense. I found it hard for my stomach to keep hold of the beer i just drank.

53. Rally Posted: December 27, 2005 at 03:30 PM (#1795585)

I wonder though, if Cabrera were traded and Aybar was one of the prospects sent, how long before Wood gets to LAA?

I'd expect Maicer to start the season, with Wood in AA. After 2 months he's promoted to AAA, and makes the majors in August.

That would be the David Wright/Miguel Cabrera path, they both made the majors one year after a season in A.

54. IronChef Chris Wok Posted: December 27, 2005 at 03:32 PM (#1795588)

Could a package built around Mench yield a reliable, and good, starter?

It's unfortunate Broson Arroyo doesn't qualify under "reliable" nor "good".

55. Famous Original Joe C Posted: December 27, 2005 at 09:23 PM (#1796151)

are the rangers that desperATE FOR a ###### pitcher who had his only good days in atlianta, and sucked the rest of the thime? i predictin may he will end up on the DL

Apparently, in order to get a little professor hat next to your name, and posting "privileges", this is the kind of insight you need to espouse.

Who decides these things anyway?

56. IronChef Chris Wok Posted: December 28, 2005 at 12:38 PM (#1796654)

Apparently, in order to get a little professor hat next to your name, and posting "privileges", this is the kind of insight you need to espouse.

Who decides these things anyway?

Meatwad's language "skillz" if you will should not be the judge of one's qualification for keys.

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Monday, December 26, 2005

Star-Telegram: Rangers land starter Millwood

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