Jaramillo took a lot of heat last season after the Rangers failed to score 800 runs for the first time since 1995 and ranked 24th in MLB in on-base percentage while leading the American League in strikeouts. But David Brown at Baseball Time in Arlington broke down Rudy’s tenure in Texas last week, which yielded some interesting results.

The Rangers, meanwhile, don’t seem to be very far along in the process of finding a replacement for Jaramillo.

Jaramillo has been the Rangers hitting instructor since the 1995 season, and from 1996 through 2004, the Rangers ranked in the top five in batting average, runs scored, slugging percentage, home runs, and hits. Texas is also only a year removed from leading the majors with 901 runs scored.

But 2009 was a different story, as the Rangers failed to crack 800 runs for the first time since ’95, Jaramillo’s first year on the job. Texas also led the A.L. in strikeouts (1253) and ranked 12th out of 14 teams in walks (472), seeing a 20.6% drop in free passes from last year. The Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros have already been listed as potential suitors for Jaramillo.

ARLINGTON - The possibility that C Jarrod Saltalamacchia has played his last game this season grows. Saltalamacchia  has cut short his rehab assignment after two days because of recurring symptoms  of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome in his shoulder. He played two games for Double-A Frisco over the weekend, but exited both games early.

Saltalamacchia said he started feeling numbness in the shoulder in the fifth inning Sunday and, by the seventh, he had a hard time with feeling in his hands. He plans to speak with Rangers doctors this afternoon and will seek a second opinion to determine if there is any other treatment besides surgery. Surgery to remove a rib and improve blood flow to his arm would knock him out for the season.

“I’m not happy because I want to get back and help the team,” Saltalamacchia said Monday. “But I’ve got to be fair to myself and fair to my teammates. I’m not going to be activated on Tuesday, but I’m not giving up yet. Surgery is the last option; I want to see if there is anything else we can do.”

Saltalamacchia said he believes the chances of having surgery are at least “50-50″ at this point.

While the Rangers had been more cautiously optimistic about Saltalamacchia’s return than he had been, it still does create some roster issues. The Rangers would like to have a third catcher for September. Manager Ron Washington said that C Kevin Richardson, who spent a couple of days on the big league roster before C Ivan Rodriguez was acquired, will be added on Tuesday when rosters can be expanded. Since there is currently one spot open on the 40-man roster, the Rangers could add Richardson without repercussions. But, Washington also said RHP Brandon McCarthy would be activated from the 60-day DL on Tuesday to start the second game of the doubleheader. Returning McCarthy to the active roster will require moving someone else off. The options: Move Saltalamacchia to the 60-day DL or outright/release another player.The Rangers could avoid moving roster pieces around by recalling C Max Ramirez, but he’s been injured and ineffective for much of the

Having a third catcher will make it easier for manager Ron Washington to use Rodriguez as a DH against left-handed pitching and would still leave a backup on the benc in casae the starter was injured.

Rangers officials said the club had no comment on the report, but a club source has also confirmed to me that its all but a foregone conclusion the 14-time All-Star is on his way back to Arlington to serve as a backup and perhaps as an occasional right-handed DH in September. According to one report, the Rangers are sending Houston RHP Matt Nevarez and a player to be named later to complete the deal. The player to be named will be INF Jose Vallejo, according to a source.

Here are some thoughts:

1. I’m not even certain if Rodriguez was the best backup catcher on the market, but there could be no better fit for the Rangers at this point. Rodriguez still remains hugely popular in this market and the deal is likely to energize the fan base, the club and Rodriguez himself. The Rangers don’t need Pudge to be the Pudge of old. They just need an occasional start from him to keep Teagarden fresh down the stretch. Rodriguez, who has become something of a vagabond over the past two years (he’s now with his fourth club since the start of 2008), will be welcomed extremely warmly in Arlington. This is an emotional player who has always responded to fans. If there is anything left in that bat and arm, the ovation he’s going to get is going to extract it.

2. Rodriguez could serve dual purposes come September. Triple-A Oklahoma City C Max Ramirez should be back to full strength by then after missing six weeks with a wrist problem. If Andruw Jones’ production continues to tail off, Rodriguez or Ramirez could serve as the right-handed DH with the other offering backup support to Taylor Teagarden.

3. This team has made one low-cost acquistion after another this year (Darren O’Day, Jason Grilli and now Rodriguez). Testament to the work of the pro-scouting department. Just because you don’t have much payroll to work with doesn’t necessarily mean your hands are tied.

4. Remember: Don’t expect a bunch of those inside-out hits to right field. Rodriguez is hitting .238 against right-handed pitching this season and .303 (but with a paltry .313 on-base percentage) against lefties. He’s a part-time player at best.  But at this point he’s a low risk investment with potential short-term upside that didn’t cost the Rangers any top-tier prospects. It’s a smart move.

5. Not sure how the money will be worked out. Rodriguez is owed about $300,000 in salary, but he’s on the brink of a number of incentive thresholds. He has 344 plate appearances at this time and will get $200,000 when he reached 350. He gets another $200,000 at 375. Other incentives for 400, 425 and 450 seem unreachable. If he plays in seven more games, he’s also due another incentive bonus for reaching 100 games. So there could be up to close to $1 million remaining in payment.

ARLINGTON – Amid increased internet chatter Wednesday that Tom Hicks’ sports group – Hicks Sports Group – financial woes are deepening and that the club has borrowed money from MLB’s rainy-day fund, team officials took a strange approach.

They went silent.

The chatter arose Wednesday after a local blog reported hearing on a national radio broadcast the team had borrowed $15 million from MLB to make its most recent payroll obligations and to fund ongoing operations. Asked about the reports, Hicks referred questions to team spokesman John Blake, who said the team would have no comment on the financial situation. Club president Nolan Ryan declined to comment after the Rangers’ 9-7 win over Los Angeles, which pulled them within a half game of the Angels in the AL West.

Club sources, however, said the team has paid its employees for the most recent pay period and that Hicks remains in control of the organization.  According to a source familiar with the situation, the Rangers are continuing normal operating procedures and have financial resources to sign both draft picks and international free agents. The source, however, did not mention the possibility of increasing payroll at the trading deadline.

According to a source, a scenario has been in place for several weeks that would have allowed the Rangers to borrow from the MLB fund. It would not mean MLB would take control of the club, but under those circumstances, it’s likely MLB would have much more say on spending matters. The Rangers top two draft picks, LHP Matt Purke and RHP Tanner Scheppers, are both demanding bonuses well in excess of the current MLB-recommended “slotting” system.

Since late March, when Hicks announced a willingness to sell a minority stake in the club, the problems have widened. Hicks went into default over an interest-only payment on a $525 million loan to his U.S. based sports operations. Earlier this season, he acknowledged a willingness to sell a controlling interest in the team and has talked to potential investors such as Ryan, Houston-based Don Sanders and car dealer David McDavid. In June, the Rangers laid off a little less than 10 percent of their front office staff in an attempt to further trim costs.

Last week, GM Jon Daniels said he had not explicitly been told the club would be unable to add payroll at the deadline, but the Rangers were proceeding as if taking on extra financial commitments was not a viable option. The Rangers did not get involved in trade talks for versatile former Ranger Mark DeRosa, who Cleveland traded to St. Louis last week. DeRosa was still owed about $3 million in salary at the time of the trade.

The BBC is reporting that Royal Bank of Scotland will refinance a debt of £350 million that was due to be paid in July. There are, however, still negotiations ongoing with Wachovia, which also is due part of the loan.

What I found most interesting from the BBC story is this:

“The RBS revelation comes days after Liverpool co-owner George Gillett agreed to sell one of his major assets in a deal which would ease financial pressures at the Premier League club.

He is selling his 80% stake in the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens ice hockey team, in a deal reported to be worth at least $550m (£332.9m).

His fellow Liverpool owner, Mr Hicks, has also been looking to sell off elements of his own sporting empire – which includes Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers and the NHL’s Dallas Stars.

The sales will help provide financial guarantees to RBS and Wachovia that Mr Gillett and Mr Hicks have funds available for the operation of the football business.”

The last paragraph basically says that Hicks and Gillett are selling off their North American holdings to continue to operate the English Premiership team. Hicks, however, has maintained from the very start that his Liverpool dealings have no impact on his decisions with the Rangers/Stars and vice versa.

From email, Hicks sends this response: “We have been working closely with RBS for several months on both an extension and a permanent financing, and have their commitment to do so. Our new Managing Director, Christian Purslow, is leading the negotiations for us, and we anticipate finalizing everything during the next few weeks. Liverpool had a record year financially and came within a few points of winning the English Premier League for the first time in 20 years.”

We’ll have more on The Depot blog.

Rangers GM Jon Daniels said the club would make no comments about whether a player was placed on waivers or cleared.

Assuming he cleared, the Rangers now have the option of assigning Padilla to the minor leagues and should they do so, Padilla would have the option of refusing the assignment and taking free agency. More likely, however, Padilla will simply stay in the Rangers rotation.

UPDATE: More than an hour after the deadline has passed, I believe it is safe to assume Padilla has cleared waivers. The Rangers are listing him as their probable starter for Sunday’s game at Boston. Daniels declined to comment on whether this week’s move has prompted interest from other clubs. Atlanta, however, is reportedly looking to upgrade its starting pitching and has been researching Boston RHP Brad Penny. – Evan Grant