Finalizing The Rangers Roster: 40 -2 + 6 – 4 = 40

The time has come for Rangers GM Jon Daniels to make some tough roster decisions. With one variable, it appears that we now know who will be on the Rangers 25-man roster. The problem is that at least five of them — and possibly six — are not currently on the Rangers’ already full 40-man roster.

This is where the pressure really hits and the mistakes can be embarassing. A year ago, the Rangers lost RHP Armando Galarraga during this process as they attempted to get him through waivers in order to add Jason Jennings to the roster. That didn’t work out so well. Galarraga logged 178 innings for Detroit, posted a 3.73 ERA and finished fourth in American League Rookie of the Year voting. Jennings — who had been penciled into the Rangers rotation, lasted just 27 innings and posted an 8.56 ERA.

Now, Daniels has to find a way to squeeze Kris Benson, Omar Vizquel, Elvis Andrus, Eddie Guardado and, once again, Jennings on to the 40-man roster. If the Rangers decide to keep Andruw Jones as an extra outfielder and right-handed bat, six will have to move.

Two are easy: RHPs Eric Hurley and Joaquin Benoit — both out for much, if not all of the year with arm injuries — will be placed on the 60-day disabled list. Joe Koshansky, a minor league first baseman claimed on waivers this week, is also sure to be run through waivers once again. It’s impossible to conceive of how the Rangers can keep both Jones and Frank Catalanotto, so if Jones is added, that means Cat is gone one way or another.

So that brings it down to two.  After the jump, we’ll look at the top candidates — aside from Koshansky and Cat — to lose their place on the 40-man roster this week.

Here are the guys currently on the 40-man roster who won’t be on the opening day 25-man roster:

Position Players
MI   Joaquin Arias
OF   Brandon Boggs
CF   Julio Borbon
IF    German Duran
OF   Greg Golson
3B   Travis Metcalf
C      Max Ramirez
MI   Jose Vallejo

You can rule out top prospects like Julio Borbon, Jose Vallejo, Greg Golson and Max Ramirez.   None of them would have any chance of making it through and the Rangers couldn’t possibly stomach losing any of them right now.

Boggs, of course, is a much-valued member of the organization and there’s no way he’d make it through waivers given his performance as a rookie with the Rangers last year and his extremely strong spring performance.      Arias continues to fight his way back from shoulder problems  but his performance this spring was strong enough both in the field and at the plate that he’d be a goner for sure if exposed to waivers and Duran’s versatility — he can play 2B, SS, 3B and LF in a pinch — makes him too valuable to lose right now.

The only position player I can see possibly being exposed to waivers would be 3B Travis Metcalf.    Though the Rangers are thin at the position,  Michael Young is a perennial 155-game guy, Hank Blalock can spell him a game here or there,  and Duran can hold the position down for awhile if something happens to Young.

Pitchers
RH    John Bannister
RH    Thomas Diamond
RH    Willie Eyre
LH    Kason Gabbard
RH    Tommy Hunter
RH    Luis Mendoza
RH    Guillermo Moscoso
RH    Dustin Nippert
RH    Omar Poveda

Given the fresh wound from a year ago, you can be sure that the Rangers will do everything they can to avoid exposing another pitcher to waivers if at all possible. A little bit of rule manipulation might be the best and easiest way out of this mess.

Aside from Daniels and assistant GM Thad Levine, I don’t know anybody with a more comprehensive knowledge of the rules of roster management than The Godfather of Rangers bloggers, Jamey Newberg who suggested the following:

“Let’s say Hunter needs another week or ten days to get healthy. The Rangers can put him on the 60-day DL retroactive to March 27 and then when he’s ready to take the mound again they can send him out on a rehab assignment for 30 days. It wouldn’t cost him much, if any, development time.”

So a move like that would theoretically defer the issue of who to dump — if anyone — for two months.

Otherwise, you can count out top prospects like former first rounder Diamond, 22 year old rising star Poveda and Moscoso, who was acquired in the Gerald Laird trade this winter. The Rangers can’t and won’t risk losing any of them. Gabbard is one of the few lefties the Rangers have in the upper levels right now (Mike Ballard, A.J. Murray and Derek Holland are the others) and he’s enjoyed some success at the big league level. Nippert and Eyre pitched well this spring and are suffering from what are most likely minor injuries.

That brings us to Bannister and Mendoza.

Every once in awhile, a guy busts onto the prospect map over the winter while most people aren’t looking (but opposing scouts are). The 25 year old Bannister is this year’s verstion of that guy (like Nick Masset was a few years ago). Coming back from Tommy John surgery that cost him the 2007 season, Bannister put up modest numbers in a 2008 season split between the Frisco and Bakersfield bullpens. But then he went off the the Arizona Fall League and was suddenly dealing 98 mph fastballs which, more than his results, landed him on the 40-man roster last winter. He and Pedro Strop are the top power righty relief prospects in the upper levels of the system right now and I think it is unlikely that Daniels would risk Bannister, which he surely would if exposed to waivers.

Is Mendoza the next Galarraga? That’s the question Daniels and his staff have to answer this week. There will be at least one strong advocate for him on another club when he hits the waiver wire as Seattle pitching coach Rick Adair was one of the architects of Mendoza’s ascent from organizational arm to marginal-prospect after he was acquired from Boston in 2006.

So assuming Hurley and Benoit to the DL, Koshansky being placed on waivers and Catalanotto being moved or designated (if they want to keep Jones), this is the order in which I think the Rangers will clear the two roster spots to make room for their new additions.

1. Hunter to DL
2. Metcalf
3. Mendoza
4. Gabbard