Rangers Acquire Bengie Molina From Giants
<< Trade Central 2010
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| The Rangers entered the season with a catching corps that seemed like the envy of baseball. But when none of their three young backstops seized the everyday job, the organization sought out veteran Bengie Molina in a trade with the Giants. Texas sent righthander Chris Ray, a reliever who has appeared in 35 games this season, plus high Class A righthander Michael Main, the club's first-round pick in 2007, to San Francisco to acquire the 35-year-old Molina. The bankrupt Rangers also will receive about $2 million in the deal to help offset Molina's salary. In first place in the American League West, ahead of the Angels by four and a half games, the Rangers determined that their catching situation was no longer tenable. Before acquiring Molina, they had installed 34-year-old career backup Matt Treanor as regular. Signed as a minor league free agent last offseason, he stumbled upon playing time because the trio of Max Ramirez, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Taylor Teagarden had combined to hit a squalid .168/.295/.257 in 101 at-bat for Texas. Treanor has batted .237/.315/.378 in 156 at-bats and is on pace to zoom past his previous standards for playing time. The Giants now can shift top prospect Buster Posey, who is hitting .289/.314/.381 through 97 at-bats, from first base to his natural position of catcher. |
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| Giants Acquire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michael Main, rhp Age: 21. Born: Dec. 14, 1988 in DeLand, Fla. Ht.: 6-1. Wt.: 170. Bats: R. Throws: R. School: DeLand (Fla.) HS. Career Transactions: Selected by Rangers in first round (24th overall) of 2007 draft; signed June 19, 2007.
Main already has made more starts and thrown more innings in half the 2010 season than he did in either '08 (cracked rib) or '09 (two-month bout with mononucleosis). Though a bit undersized for a righthanded starter, his premium athleticism and quick arm produce consistent low-90s heat and a solid slider and changeup. Main leaves the California League ranked among the leaders in innings and WHIP, partially allaying concerns about his durability, while his 3.45 ERA ranks ninth in the hitter-friendly circuit. He also served up a league-leading 14 home runs—11 of them at home—suggesting that further refinement in command is necessary. As further testament to Main's athleticism, he could have been drafted as an outfielder with the way he impressed many amateur scouts with his bat speed and 70 foot speed. |
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| Chris Ray, rhp Age: 28. Remaining Commitment: 1 arbitration year ('11) prior to free agency ($975,000 in '10). Contract details courtesy of Cot's Baseball Contracts.
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| Rangers Acquire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bengie Molina, c Age: 35. Bats: R. Remaining Commitment: $2 million (signed 1 year, $4.5 million deal with Giants in January). Contract details courtesy of Cot's Baseball Contracts.
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<< Trade Central 2010
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