After flirting with the notions of Manny Ramirez, Brad Hawpe, Ryan Spilborghs and Mike Lowell, the final offensive addition in 2010 is Jeff Francoeur. My reaction to this move is similar to the July deadline deals for Cristian Guzman and Jorge Cantu. They didn’t get anything, and they didn’t give up anything.
↵In fact, I wonder if there has ever been a trio of less significant deadline trades for position players. None of the three grade out above replacement level. Cantu was almost immediately beaten out by Mitch Moreland and has posted a .211/.262/.263 line in 57 AB. Guzman went 3-for-34 and went on the disabled list before being replaced by a much more effective Andres Blanco.
↵The first two trades cost the Rangers Tanner Roark, Evan Reed, Ryan Tatusko and Omar Poveda. While any of the four could pitch in the majors, none figure to cost the Rangers. They were all likely headed for exposure to Rule 5 drafts, and none would have ranked on any organizational top prospect list.
↵Arias is an even lower risk, as the Rangers had already opted to remove the second baseman from their major league roster, not fearing losing him for nothing.
↵The moral in all of this is: Don’t let Tom Hicks own your pro franchise. The abrupt but unfortunate timing of the completion of the sale of the club meant that the Rangers were unable to make additional significant moves at the deadline, and the waivers process inhibited their ability to add a good bat in August. They didn’t lack the prospects to swap, and once the team was sold they didn’t lack the money to pay the remainder of a contract (as shown by their claim on Ramirez). The end result appears to be a magnificently insignificant trio of deals.