Break up the Rangers

Texas will have to pawn off some power for pitching

The Texas Rangers need some help. Everybody knows it. They need pitching, and a lot of it. The more they get -- heck, any of it they get -- the sooner they'll challenge in the American League West.

What the Rangers don't need is another slugging infielder. Or, for that matter, another slugging outfielder. They are up to their eye black in good infielders. And outfielders? Take your pick.

So, with almost two months until the trading deadline rolls around -- and taking into consideration how the lowly Rangers are getting rolled these days -- we might as well rev up the trade rumor machine right now.

The Rangers need good, young pitching. The Rangers, who lead the AL in home runs, have a surplus of power-hitting position players.

Anyone? Anyone?

Let's start with the Rangers' infield. They have a guy at first base who has clubbed 500 home runs over the course of his Hall of Fame career (that'd be Rafael Palmeiro) and one at shortstop who is the youngest ever to reach 300 career homers (the incomparable Alex Rodriguez).

In all, the Rangers, before Thursday's games, had four players in the AL Top 10 in homers: Outfielder Juan Gonzalez (who, with 17, was tied for the league lead with New York's Alfonso Soriano), A-Rod (16), outfielder Carl Everett (14) and Palmeiro (13).

Third baseman Hank Blalock has nine homers to go along with his .354 batting average, which ranks third in the AL, while second baseman Michael Young is eighth at .326.

"We've got four All-Stars in there," says young Mark Teixeira, a current Rangers infielder/outfielder and the resident slugger-in-waiting. "You can make a case for all of them. They're all playing really well."

Among infields in baseball, for sheer overall hitting prowess, the Rangers are way up there.

"I've been on a lot of good infields. I played on a good one in Baltimore," says Palmeiro, who played first with the Orioles when Roberto Alomar was the second baseman, Cal Ripken Jr. the third baseman and Mike Bordick (who would become an All-Star in 2000, after Palmeiro left) was at shortstop. "But this one has the potential to be the best."

The question is whether the Rangers can keep that infield together, given their need for pitching. Granted, A-Rod isn't going anywhere. And as well as Young has played, he's not liable to bring any big-name help in a trade.

But Palmeiro, 38, may leave after this season when he becomes a free agent, though he wants to stay.

That leaves Blalock …

It's difficult to imagine the Rangers trading Blalock, an impressive, hard-nosed young talent. But the Rangers have two backup infielders who could fill in at third, Herbert Perry and Mike Lamb.

Then there's Teixeira, the former Georgia Tech star who came up as a third baseman. Teixeira could play third, or he could be Palmeiro's replacement at first. The Rangers love the switch-hitting Teixeira's bat and are using him just about everywhere to get him experience. He's played five games in left field, three in right, 10 at third and 17 at first. He also has five games in as a designated hitter, too.

For the immediate future, the Rangers are more likely to try to get something for their outfielders, especially Everett or Gonzalez, who they probably won't be able to re-sign for 2004. There is a report out of New York that another outfielder, Ruben Sierra, is on his way to the New York Yankees, though the deal for him is said to be for another outfielder.

The long-term future is more uncertain. Manager Buck Showalter vows the franchise will be built around pitching, not a stud offense. But the Rangers won't go out and buy free agent pitching in the offseason. Owner Tom Hicks, who reportedly will lose $20 million this season on his team, is unwilling to spend any more money on free agents.

That means some sort of trade -- an everyday slugger for pitching, most likely -- is somewhere in the Rangers' future. It's almost inevitable.

At least now, the free-swinging Rangers have some players on their side to make that possible.

John Donovan is a senior writer for SI.com.

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