I think giving Durbin first shot at 2B is spot on. He could be real good and a lead off hitter also. they need low salart starters if they sign Soto. If they dont they need to find a good hitting outfielder probably via trade as i dont see many FA outfielders other than Santander. Also if they dont sign Soto they can try and sign one of the top FA starting pitichers and a quality relief ace. First base - they have to do better than DJ, Rice or Cabrera.
I think the decision has been made. From Durbin, Peraza, Cabrera & Berti, (yes, potentially even DJ) is the group that the 2B is going to come from. Durbin, who is also a legitimate leadoff hitter and more decisive than Volpe on running, is also the perfect guy to slot in at the top of the order, so I think he'll get first shot at being the starter. Peraza is out of options, so who knows with him? Well they keep him on the roster or hope to do what they did with Florial, by DFA him at the last minute, hoping to clear him off the 50, and because the rules let, just assign him to Triple-A?
I'm more convinced than ever the OD 2025 starting 1B is not currently on the roster, unless they strike out on all their targets. I'll throw it out there, what about a trade with Texas for 1B Nathaniel Lowe? I've read some Rangers fan sites and they seem to be down on him and have other guys ready to plug in there, and not looking forward to paying him either. How much is true, who knows? But even if half of it is true, what about a Rice or Rumfield, along with a Bailey Dees for Lowe?
The one thing I really like about TJ Rumfield from an offensive standpoint is that as he's climbed the minor league ladder, his slug % has gone up. But will he hit .290 like he did for most of the year at AAA, or closer to the .219 he hit in AA?
I was also really frustrated about the lack of opportunities granted to Peraza.
I think giving Durbin first shot at 2B is spot on. He could be real good and a lead off hitter also. they need low salart starters if they sign Soto. If they dont they need to find a good hitting outfielder probably via trade as i dont see many FA outfielders other than Santander. Also if they dont sign Soto they can try and sign one of the top FA starting pitichers and a quality relief ace. First base - they have to do better than DJ, Rice or Cabrera.
I think the decision has been made. From Durbin, Peraza, Cabrera & Berti, (yes, potentially even DJ) is the group that the 2B is going to come from. Durbin, who is also a legitimate leadoff hitter and more decisive than Volpe on running, is also the perfect guy to slot in at the top of the order, so I think he'll get first shot at being the starter. Peraza is out of options, so who knows with him? Well they keep him on the roster or hope to do what they did with Florial, by DFA him at the last minute, hoping to clear him off the 50, and because the rules let, just assign him to Triple-A?
I'm more convinced than ever the OD 2025 starting 1B is not currently on the roster, unless they strike out on all their targets. I'll throw it out there, what about a trade with Texas for 1B Nathaniel Lowe? I've read some Rangers fan sites and they seem to be down on him and have other guys ready to plug in there, and not looking forward to paying him either. How much is true, who knows? But even if half of it is true, what about a Rice or Rumfield, along with a Bailey Dees for Lowe?
I think it's pretty likely if they sign Soto. If not, they spend some money that would have gone toward him.
Nathaniel Lowe makes a lot of sense. I almost included him in the post, but ran out of space. Similar to Walker, just not as good.
The one thing I really like about TJ Rumfield from an offensive standpoint is that as he's climbed the minor league ladder, his slug % has gone up. But will he hit .290 like he did for most of the year at AAA, or closer to the .219 he hit in AA?
Triple-A is a bit of a bandbox right now though.
I think he's a solid Plan B in case of an injury, but it would be a mistake for him to be Plan A. Low ceiling, high risk.