Projo Sports Blog

By Jim Reeves
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

FORT WORTH, Texas - For the Texas Rangers to have an actual Catch-22 situation working behind the plate this off-season, they'd have to pick up another 18 catchers somewhere along the way. For now, a Catch-4 situation is plenty.

Having four attractive catchers that other teams have varying degrees of interest in is not a bad position to be in, provided a team has the smarts to capitalize on that good fortune.

That's why the next seven or eight weeks will provide another make-or-break scenario for Texas general manager Jon Daniels, much like he faced when dealing Mark Teixeira and Eric Gagne, the hiring of manager Ron Washington, and the trades of Chris Young and Alfonso Soriano.

Some of those moves turned out good, some were absolutely disastrous, and the jury is still out on others. With club president Nolan Ryan looking over his shoulder now, Daniels cannot afford another stumble at this point.

Dealing the right catcher for the right pitcher is absolutely essential. But which one is the right one to deal? And who is the right pitcher? That's what Daniels has to figure out.

Daniels left the general managers' meetings in Dana Point, Calif., on Thursday, seemingly without having made significant progress in accomplishing that mission.

That's not surprising, actually. The GM meetings have lost some of their impetus with the resurgence of the annual winter meetings, which come the first week in December, this year in Las Vegas. By then, the dust from the World Series will have settled, free agents will be on the market and beginning to sign, and teams will have a better idea where they want to go and how to get there.

That's the place where deals will get done, or at least set in motion for trigger-pulling later in the month.

Can the Rangers convince Boston, looking for a long-term replacement for free agent Jason Varitek, to fork over young Clay Buchholz without giving up Taylor Teagarden? Can they tempt Florida to offer someone other than left-hander Scott Olsen - say, Ricky Nolasco - for young Max Ramirez?

Can the Rangers afford to move two of their four attractive catchers, or just one?
It's reasonable to assume that the Rangers have formulated a best-case scenario, followed by some alternative possibilities.

How would the Rangers rank their four catchers? Best guy to ask about that is the manager.

"For me, it's still Gerald Laird until one of the young kids shows he can push him out of the way," Washington said from his New Orleans home Friday. "As long as Gerald is here, he has the inside track for me."

Interesting, because there's no question that Laird has caused Washington plenty of frustration in the two years he's managed the team.

The Rangers have constantly pleaded with Laird to concentrate on getting the best out of whoever's on the mound first and his offense second. Laird's focus, instead, has been on hitting .300 and worrying about his game-calling and working with the young pitchers somewhere after that.

Laird's strongest suits, Washington noted, are his throwing arm, his athleticism and his experience at the big league level.

But because he'll probably command a salary somewhere in the $3 million range and can become a free agent after the 2010 season, Laird also might have the least value of the four, certainly less than Teagarden or Jarrod Saltalamacchia and maybe even Ramirez.

The Detroit Tigers have interest in Laird, but probably lack the young pitching the Rangers would need, unless they decide to give up Jeremy Bonderman.

Boston likes both Teagarden and Saltalamacchia, but doesn't want to part with Buchholz. Michael Bowden or Justin Masterson could wind up in the mix there instead.

Florida seems willing to tolerate Ramirez's still developing defense because of his potentially extraordinary bat. The Marlins are dangling Olsen, the erratic but talented left-hander, and might move closer Kevin Gregg.

Washington, for one, likes Olsen, who will turn 25 in January.

"He's been thrown into the fire and seen what failure is," Washington said. "He's supposed to be a strong kid mentally."

If the Rangers move Ramirez to Florida, they might still be willing to do something with Laird in another deal.

If that happens, then Teagarden and Saltalamacchia would likely share the catching duties in 2009. There's some concern that Teagarden's past back problems might prevent him from catching as many as 125 games.

Teagarden has the edge defensively.

"Teagarden has an idea how to set hitters up and that's not something he learned here," Washington pointed out. "That's something he already had.

"What Salty brings is untapped potential right now. All he has to do is continue to play baseball. He has the talent and the body. We all know about his throwing problems, but at some point he'll figure that out."

What's absolutely clear about this situation is that the Rangers have a strong surplus at a coveted position in the major leagues and a golden opportunity to strengthen themselves where they need it most: pitching.

J.D., you're at the plate and a home run wouldn't just be nice, it's downright essential.

 Tags  Boston Red Sox Clay Buchholz Jarrod Saltalamacchia Jason Varitek Justin Masterson Max Ramirez Michael Bowden Taylor Teagarden Texas Rangers

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