Trading Jarrod Saltalamacchia Could Be a Bad Move

Over the last few years the Rangers have made some pretty good personnel moves: the signing of Vladimir Guerrero, The Cliff Lee Trade, Edinson Volquez for Josh Hamilton and of course the famous Mark Teixeira Trade. They have also made some bad ones: Chris Young for Adam Eaton, Alfonso Soriano for Brad Wilkerson, and John Danks for Brandon McCarthy.

The most recent move by the Rangers was trading catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia to the Boston Red Sox for right hand pitcher Roman Mendez, first baseman Chris McGuiness, a player to be named later and cash considerations. The move was done because they were disappointed in Saltalamacchia’s performance, but it was also done to bulk up their roster as they make a serious run for the post-season.

Getting to the post season in Major League Baseball is probably more difficult than other professional sports such as the NHL or the NBA, so making deals that help a team in short-term is commonly accepted. However; are the Rangers hurting themselves in the long-run by parting with a catcher who has the potential to be one of the best in the league? Will this move join the list of regrettable trades made by the Texas Rangers?

Saltalamacchia was part of one of the greatest trades in recent Rangers history: The Mark Teixeira Trade. Mark Teixeira is one of the greatest players in the game today, but in Texas he was unhappy. He was loathed by fans, his team mates, and radio talk show hosts. He even turned down an eight year $140 million contract. So the Rangers cut bait and traded him to the Atlanta Braves for players that included Elvis Andrus, Netali Feliz, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia. I do not have to explain how these players have impacted the Rangers. The team’s current record and competitiveness explains it enough.

Saltalamacchia was a great player in Atlanta and has had some great moments here in Texas. Despite the accolades, Saltalamacchia’s stint with the Rangers has been difficult at best. Since arriving in Texas, he has lost and regained the starting catcher position, been sent down to the minors on several occasions, but most importantly he has spent most of his time on the disabled list (DL). This season he has only played two games for the Rangers and has spent the rest of the season on the DL or in Triple A Oklahoma.

It’s understandable that the Rangers were tired of the inconsistency, but when he did play Saltalamacchia showed signs of potential. His career averages runs like this: 23 home runs, 94 RBIs, and a batting average of .251. Although those numbers are middle of the road, Saltalamacchia has a lot of intangibles that do not show up in the box scores. He is an excellent defenseman, a leader in the club house and is clutch when you need him.
Not only does he have potential, he deserved an honest chance to develop it. Although he has been hurt most of the last two seasons and has supposedly kept injuries to himself, he really deserved the chance to play an entire season with the Rangers. In this author’s opinion, the Rangers should have given their investment a little more time to grow before cutting their losses.

You do not need to look too far into the past to see how the Rangers parted with future investments too early. Most notable is White Sox Pitcher John Danks and Giants Ace Barry Zito. There are many other examples, but the list is long and we would be here all day. Although it’s hard to say if Saltalamacchia is going to turn out like these players, the Rangers will be kicking themselves in the teeth if he does.

Another concern is who the Rangers plan to fill at the catcher position. Bengie Molina has done a great job this season for the Rangers, but he is 36 years old. How many years does he really have left? Gerald Laird had a lot of potential too, but he has moved on to bigger and better things in Detroit. Parting with Saltalamacchia might leave a huge hole at catcher for the next couple of seasons when they are ripe to be contenders. We can only hope there are some great prospects coming up through the farm system.

In the end, the Rangers have to make moves that they think will get them to the post season. If they really thought Saltalamacchia wasn’t their answer at catcher then they had to make the move. I just hope it doesn’t turn out to be a bad one.