JAN

29

Saturday marked the seventh anniversary of the 10-year, $252 million deal the Texas Rangers gave to Alex Rodriguez. Well, it's been almost four years since the Rangers gave up on the experiment, yet unbelievably, they're still on the hook for $3 million deferred payments to A-Rod in each of the next three seasons. The Rangers were spending money like drunken sailors during that 2000 offseason, giving $6.25 million to Andres Galarraga, $3 million to Ken Caminiti, and $4 million to Mark Petkovsek. Galarraga would play exactly 72 games with the Rangers before being dealt to the Giants for no one of consequence; Caminiti lasted just 54 games before he was released; Petkovsek put up an unsightly 6.69 ERA in 55 games out of the Rangers' pen before his major league career ended after the 2001 season. And A-Rod? Well, the numbers were certainly there, but they didn't manifest themselves in an improved record for the Rangers, and given how much Texas invested in him, it was reasonable to expect results. However, the team finished dead last in the AL West in all three seasons of A-Rod's tenure in Texas, extending a playoff drought that dated back to 1999. After the 2003 season, the Rangers sent Rodriguez to the Yanks and they improved to 89 wins in 2004, but have regressed since, and have still failed to make the postseason this millennium. In fact, Texas hasn't finished higher than third in the AL West since 1999 and after a mere 75 wins in manager Ron Washington's first season last year (the third straight sub-.500 campaign by the Rangers), clearly, there's plenty of work still to do here. The offense wasn't bad in 2007, finishing fifth in the AL in runs, but with a team OBP that ranked just 11th, there's definitely room for improvement. The fact that Sammy Sosa won't be back - even though he's not exactly an on-base machine - will hurt to an extent. On the pitching side, the situation is a mess. Texas finished dead last in the American League in quality starts and ra...

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