Salty, Elvis, and Teixeira: Broken Down
Focussing on the principals of the deal, here’s a few thoughts and observations on the deal:
What this really boils down to, for me at least, is the home/road splits for Mark Teixeira. We all know that Rangers Park is one of the better hitter’s parks in the big leagues, and this is hardly the case over in Turner Field.
Teixeira is hitting .331 at home this season vs .264 on the road. For his career, his home OPS is .954 vs .847 on the road. Included in this sampling is a .302 avg & .576 slugging at home vs a .264 avg & .489 slugging on the road.
With this ballpark, I think the Rangers can afford to go out and get a mid-level 1st baseman, stick him in the line-up and get a decent home OPS out of him. Prospect Jason Botts (OF/1B) is having a great season in AAA, with 78 RBI, a .544 Slug & a .435 OBP (with 80 walks). While his production may not equal Teixeira’s, his $350,000 salary should allow for a decent stop gap solution, freeing up cash. If he works out, then the Rangers can rightfully claim that they saved a boatload of cash. If he falters than the Rangers can aquire a free-agent 1st baseman in the off-season for a lesser cost. Win-Win here.
On the other side of the coin, Salty & Andrus are two big time prospects. The Rangers have had a revolving door/platoon situation going on since Pudge left Arlington. With a power bat and improving defense, hopefully Salty can become the full-time solution behind the dish and has future all-star written all over him.
The other main principal in the trade was SS Elvis Andrus. Known primarily in prospect circles, Elvis is still close to a month away from his 19th birthday and is already at his fourth minor league level, high A Myrtle Beach. Last season at this time Elvis was in low A at the age of 17. Formerly the Braves #2 prospect (with Salty being #1), Elvis is know for a quick bat and strong defensive abilities. With a couple of more years of experience, Andrus has the chance to become a top flight prospect.
I think this trade will work for both teams, as the Braves aren’t getting any younger (and may lose Andrew Jones). They needed to stock up for the playoff drive in a tough NL East. On the other side of the coin, the Rangers added two stud prospects and cleared a ton of payroll. Win-win here, although I give the edge to the Rangers in this one.
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Salty, Elvis, and Teixeira: Broken Down
Salty, Elvis, and Teixeira: Broken Down
Focussing on the principals of the deal, here’s a few thoughts and observations on the deal:
What this really boils down to, for me at least, is the home/road splits for Mark Teixeira. We all know that Rangers Park is one of the better hitter’s parks in the big leagues, and this is hardly the case over in Turner Field.
Teixeira is hitting .331 at home this season vs .264 on the road. For his career, his home OPS is .954 vs .847 on the road. Included in this sampling is a .302 avg & .576 slugging at home vs a .264 avg & .489 slugging on the road.
With this ballpark, I think the Rangers can afford to go out and get a mid-level 1st baseman, stick him in the line-up and get a decent home OPS out of him. Prospect Jason Botts (OF/1B) is having a great season in AAA, with 78 RBI, a .544 Slug & a .435 OBP (with 80 walks). While his production may not equal Teixeira’s, his $350,000 salary should allow for a decent stop gap solution, freeing up cash. If he works out, then the Rangers can rightfully claim that they saved a boatload of cash. If he falters than the Rangers can aquire a free-agent 1st baseman in the off-season for a lesser cost. Win-Win here.
On the other side of the coin, Salty & Andrus are two big time prospects. The Rangers have had a revolving door/platoon situation going on since Pudge left Arlington. With a power bat and improving defense, hopefully Salty can become the full-time solution behind the dish and has future all-star written all over him.
The other main principal in the trade was SS Elvis Andrus. Known primarily in prospect circles, Elvis is still close to a month away from his 19th birthday and is already at his fourth minor league level, high A Myrtle Beach. Last season at this time Elvis was in low A at the age of 17. Formerly the Braves #2 prospect (with Salty being #1), Elvis is know for a quick bat and strong defensive abilities. With a couple of more years of experience, Andrus has the chance to become a top flight prospect.
I think this trade will work for both teams, as the Braves aren’t getting any younger (and may lose Andrew Jones). They needed to stock up for the playoff drive in a tough NL East. On the other side of the coin, the Rangers added two stud prospects and cleared a ton of payroll. Win-win here, although I give the edge to the Rangers in this one.
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