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Originally Posted by ksushi
Salty is regarded very highly by the Rangers, they figure he is going to turn into the next Texiera out there. He has a ton of power potential. I guarentee those talks were Laird for Coco, not Salty. I think we can do a little better unless they send prospects our way too. Besides, nothing will happen on that front until Torrii Hunter makes up his mind.
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Maybe, but Coco for Laird is way too much value to lose.
If the Rangers won't deal Salty, I'd consider asking the Rangers if they'd consider including Taylor Teagarden with Laird. Teagarden is a young catching prospect who split time between hitters' leagues in A/AA this year, but he sure did hit:
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Teagarden ran into injury problems and missed practically the entire 2006 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Still somewhat limited by his injury this year, Teagarden caught nearly one-third of his games and DHed the others. His defense remained as solid as ever and his arm strength appeared to improve as the season progressed. But the story for Teagarden in 2007 was his offense. The 23-year-old displayed the ability to hit for average (.310) and power (27 home runs) with solid plate discipline (75 walks) in 110 games between High-A Bakersfield and Double-A Frisco. Teagarden struggled to make contact at times – racking up 128 strikeouts, including 39 in 102 Double-A at bats, but he should hit enough to be an everyday catcher in the majors.
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http://rangers.scout.com/2/686465.html
Teagarden is older than Salty, so his prospect value is diminished, and he was only able to catch about a third of his games, so the aftereffects of his surgery are still an issue. The Rangers want more MLB-ready talent: if they'd consider a guy such as David Pauley, Bryce Cox or Craig Breslow along with Crisp to balance things, this might be a workable deal. Teagarden is a question mark and he's blocked by Salty, but he's a good hitter with good strike-zone discipline who can call a game well. The issue is that he's got no experience above AA and his injuries are a question--if not for that, the Rangers wouldn't need Salty.