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Rangers catcher Gerald Laird won't be going to the Yankees, probably not Marlins
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UPDATE: It looks like the Marlins are very close to a multi-team trade in which they would acquire Manny Ramirez. The Rangers are not reportedly involved, and Florida might be looking at trading for Giants catcher Benji Molina. The Rangers might end up not trading anybody before the non-waiver deadline tomorrow.
Before yesterday, the trade talk around here centered on one thing: which Texas Rangers catcher was going to be traded, and to whom would said catcher go.
The picture got a little clearer, Wednesday, when the New York Yankees traded pitcher Kyle Farnsworth for Detroit Tigers catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez. Pudge made his name as a Ranger and was one of my favorite players growing up.
The Marlins could also be in the market for a catcher. Which one, though, is up for debate. Laird is the starter and probably the best the Rangers have. But Jarrod Saltalamaccia and triple-A prospect Taylor Teagarden are very appealing backstops, too.
In fact, it's the Rangers abundance of catchers that has made those players the obvious choices for bargaining chips as the trade deadline approaches. It seems likely they will use a catcher to improve their team, but Dallas Morning News beat writer Evan Grant doesn't think there should be any rush.
So, yeah, if the Rangers want to make a trade, they can. Just like they did last year, they could probably even make a little flurry of them. The thing is: This is not last year. The circumstances are different on so many fronts.
...They aren't looking up at the rest of the league like they were last year. The farm system isn't as depleted as it was perceived to be last year. They don't have a player in Mark Teixeira's situation, who was just a little over a year away from free agency (still under control long enough to be more than a rental; but close enough to free agency to be considered something of a short-timer).
They are at a point where sending a message to the young core players in the clubhouse might be more valuable than a mid-range prospect or two.
Interesting point. The Rangers front office seems to agree.
"Unless the right deal presents itself, we're not going to force it," general manager Jon Daniels said earlier this week. "I'd like to improve our club, but it has to make sense. You won't see us doing anything for the sake of calling a press conference."
So there may not be any breaking trade news coming in the next few days. At least not with the Rangers' catchers.
Third baseman Hank Blalock was going to be the next-best option for a trade, but with his newest injury that seems unlikely. I'll have more on Blalock later.
