[EmpireWF]

Wherever he is, Buck Showalter is always criticized for his style of managing. He's said to be a "micromanager" who has his hand on everything. Eventually the players get tired of this style (which is why everyone in Florida is waiting for the show to drop w/ Giradi, another "micromanager") and tune him out. Some say that's already happened.

Many Ranger fans are calling for Buck to be fired. However, team owner Tom Hicks has said Showalter will stay on as manager. There have been rumors they'll look to trade one of their young bats in the off-season.

IMO, that would be a terrible mistake. Showalter has a history of taking his teams to a certain point but not finishing. The Yankees and Diamondbacks are immediate examples. After he left, Joe Torre and Bob Brenly respectively took those teams to World Series Championship glory. I'm not saying the Rangers would win the 'Series with another manager, but they wouldn't play as flat.

[MJHMarc]

Originally Posted by EmpireWF

There have been rumors they'll look to trade one of their young bats in the off-season.

Does that mean that Hank Blalock and Mark Teixiera are on the go? I think Teixiera is a decent batter who can easily hit 30+ homeruns in a single season. I would acquire him as my first-baseman since he has been consistent since his stunning rookie year. Do you know any of the possible suitors, EmpireWF? You can exclude the Yankees if you want since that is pretty obvious.

[ThePundit]

I'm not a big Showalter guy but to be fair, Texas just doesn't have the pitching to compete.

[MJHMarc]

Ever since Nolan Ryan, I haven't seen that many good pitchers on the mound in Texas. Kenny Rogers was alright, but that was about it. What are your comments about their pitching?

[Lefty Noob]

Same thing every year. The Rangers need pitching. It was the story before they got A-Rod, it was the same thing while Rodriguez was with Texas, and its still the story now. Oh, sure, occasionally they make a token effort to fix the problem (Chan Ho Park), but they really develop any quality minor league hurlers, nor do they ever suck it up and spend the money on a true ace. Zito and Smoltz may be available after the season. They need to go out and get one of those guys. But they won't.

[EmpireWF]

Originally Posted by MJHMarc

Does that mean that Hank Blalock and Mark Teixiera are on the go? I think Teixiera is a decent batter who can easily hit 30+ homeruns in a single season. I would acquire him as my first-baseman since he has been consistent since his stunning rookie year. Do you know any of the possible suitors, EmpireWF? You can exclude the Yankees if you want since that is pretty obvious.

I've seen rumors where Teixiera may be shopped in the off-season. I haven't seen any specifics as potential trade partners though.

[MJHMarc]

The Mets can't use him since they have Delgado at first. But I heard that the Kansas City Royals would accept him with open arms!