A year ago, the Texas Rangers could barely afford to purchase enough baseballs to get through the season.
Friday, they struck for their most significant midsummer acquisition in years, a man who will throw those baseballs, they hope, deep into October.
Did the Rangers just acquire the deed to the American League West along with ace Cliff Lee?
Lets just say this: Entering Friday, the Rangers own the biggest divisional lead in baseball, a cushy 5½ games over the Angels. That 5½-game lead matches Texas biggest divisional lead at any time since it won the AL West by eight games in 1999. And through Friday, their 50-35 record equaled the best mark through 85 games in Rangers history.
And, they just acquired the best pitcher available at this summers trade deadline, a man who leads the AL in ERA (2.34), compete games (five) and was nails for Philadelphia last October (4-0, 1.56 ERA over five postseason starts).
The Rangers, bankrupt in cash but not in spirit, are playing for keeps.
They took a pound of flesh from the Angels over the winter, quite literally, in grabbing Anaheim castoffs Vladimir Guerrero (whom you will see in Tuesdays All-Star Game) and Darren Oliver (a hugely important lefty reliever).
Every day, those moves are helping Texas and hurting the Angels at the same time.
Now here comes Lee, the kind of pitcher you lean on in stretch-run starts and short October series … and the caliber of whom the Angels simply have failed to acquire since way back when Bartolo Colon was in his prime.
The Angels whiffed on Lee last summer when the Phillies got him at the trade deadline, they fanned on CC Sabathia two winters ago when the Yankees signed him as a free agent and they bid farewell to John Lackey last winter when the Red Sox out-bid them.
Now the Rangers, with their strongest team in years, grab the best kind of insurance possible against another summer of wilting in the oppressive Texas sun.
And they do it in time to squeeze probably four extra starts out of Lee before the July 31 trade deadline.
“I have a lot of respect for the Angels and the other clubs in our division,” Rangers general manager Jon Daniels was saying at Fridays news conference in Arlington. “Were not taking anything for granted. The Angels came in as the team to beat and I still feel that way. We have a lot of games left with them on our schedule. …”
You know what Angels manager Mike Scioscia told me when I asked him whether the Rangers this season have their deepest and strongest team in years?
“I think without a doubt their pitching staff is,” Scioscia said. “They have power arms in the back end reminiscent of [Francisco] Cordero. … Their starting pitching is getting them to a certain point in games, and the offensive side is scoring a lot of runs.
“And defensively, theyre as good as any team in baseball. They really have range.”
Will Cliff Lee put the Rangers over the top in the AL West? (AP) Now, heres the important part: Scioscia told me that in Anaheim, a full eight days before the Rangers added Lee.
That should tell you everything you need to know about how the Angels, winners of five then and now.
As for how the Rangers view the Rangers, when Texas manager Ron Washington was asked how his players reacted Friday when the deal became official, the skipper broke into a broad grin, made a fist with his right hand and pumped it.
No words needed.
The answer is, darn right theres a very good chance that the Rangers acquired the deed to the AL West along with Lee.
This is the Rangers biggest midseason deal since scooping up John Burkett from Florida in 1996, or Jose Canseco from Oakland in 1992.
And this has a chance to be Texas biggest midseason deal ever, because not only have the Rangers not won the AL West since 1999, theyve never advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs.
With Lee, the team that today owns the third-best record in the major leagues (trailing only the Yankees and Tampa Bay) now has an excellent chance to go even deeper, to the American League Championship Series and possibly even, gasp, the World Series.
Now how, you might ask, being that the Rangers sale has been delayed for months because of their financial issues, can they even make a move like this? When the latest news from bankruptcy court is that the Rangers will go up for public auction on July 16 in bids that will be controlled by major league baseball?
Well, their budget for 2010 has been set by major league baseball, and in receiving in excess of $2 million from Seattle to help offset the $4 million and change owed Lee, the Rangers say they stayed within that budget.
Secondly, from baseballs perspective, a strong Rangers club will be good business in attendance, television ratings, what have you. In other words, you spend money to make money.
There already were New York-based reports Friday that the Yankees were livid that the Mariners double-crossed them on Lee, engaging in talks for a package including catcher Jesus Montero and coming close to a deal before doubling back to the Rangers one more time.
Sad, isnt it, when the Yanks dont get they want?
There also were reports that some clubs were livid that the Rangers were allowed by baseball to make this move despite their dire financial straits.
Asked whether he expects a backlash over finances, Daniels quipped, “My guess is there will be a lot of unnamed sources, but I dont expect any phone calls.”
Right now, thats the least of Daniels worries. His charge is to put together a baseball team, and let the money people worry about the bankruptcy judge, and give him credit. Hes doing a wonderful job with that.
The Rangers, who acquired catcher Bengie Molina last week, add Lee to a team that currently ranks third in the AL in runs scored and fourth in ERA. The Rangers are airtight defensively. Josh Hamilton is a force and Guerrero is second in the majors in RBI.
“We struck gold with that one,” third baseman Michael Young told me last week regarding Vladdy and, well, anybody sense a theme here?
