Gose . . . to Eleven.
It’s been the kind of week or two that hasn’t afforded me much time to write, or to sleep, or to get to feeling better, which is not your problem, but it meant the Winter Meetings went on without much of my attention, which was probably fine with the Winter Meetings but definitely not my own preference.
Things have come together enough that I was able to finish season one of “Stranger Things” last night, and to write this morning, I’m happy to report.
Despite generally being occupied otherwise, I was able to listen to the Rule 5 Draft unfold Thursday morning. And as I did, there was one name I was worried I’d hear.
On November 20, when Texas and the rest of the league needed to add draft-eligible players to their 40-man rosters or risk losing them via Rule 5, I wrote that five Rangers players, for me, were on that tier that might have commanded roster spots in other years but not this one, when so many players had to considered for the limited number of spots: righthanders Sam Wolff, Scott Williams, Jairo Beras, Edgar Arredondo, and Emerson Martinez.
But I wasn’t that worried about them Thursday morning. Whether because of readiness to contribute in the big leagues or injury status or upside or some combination thereof, I doubted any of those five would be drafted or, if drafted, would stick on an Opening Day roster somewhere else.
About 10 days later, word got out that Texas had signed outfielder-lefthander Anthony Gose to a non-roster deal.
Now, it’s common for clubs to lay low on announcing off-season non-roster deals until after the Rule 5 Draft, so that those players (at least officially) remain free agents and thus aren’t draft-eligible. After the draft yesterday, for instance, the Rangers announced minor league deals with utility infielder Hanser Alberto and veteran reliever Kevin Jepsen. You can look back at almost any year and find press releases on non-roster deals within hours after the draft.
I suppose Gose and his representatives might have pushed not only to get their deal with Texas done before December 14 but also have the move registered with the league, because — even though he presumably couldn’t land a big league contract this winter, from Texas or anyone else — it would benefit his career for obvious reasons for him to be draft-eligible. He’s not the typical Rule 5 player — like career minor leaguer Carlos Tocci, an outfielder picked fourth yesterday by the White Sox (from Philadelphia) at the Rangers’ cash-infused request, and immediately traded to Texas — but one with extensive big league experience, and now a very intriguing wrinkle to tack onto the profile.
I was worried another team might call Gose’s name yesterday. It wouldn’t be an ideal situation, one would think, since he’s surely not ready to deal his 98 with big league hitters 60’6” away, but he can be a fifth outfielder and pinch-runner and, presumably, get a lot of side work in with big league pitching coaches — and probably find himself on a minor league rehab assignment or two during the year for some nagging physical issue, getting some unleveraged innings of mound work in that way.
With Texas, none of that would have been necessary. Without knowing whether he had an opt-out date in his non-roster deal if not on the active big league roster (at the end of spring training, or May 1, or June 1, or whenever), he’d at least have been eligible (and certainly earmarked) for a minor league assignment out of Rangers camp.
But I was worried some Demogorgon might swoop in swipe Gose, which is pronounced “goes.”
Over the first half of the draft, most clubs made picks, but then things started slowing down. Two teams (including Texas) passed, and the Angels took a player. Not Gose. Two more teams passed, one made a pick. Four passed, one picked. Two more passed. Houston was up, as the next-to-last club eligible to make a first-round pick.
“The Astros select Anthony Gose, and would like him listed as a pitcher.”
The Astros, who lost Delino DeShields to Texas three Rule 5 Drafts ago and who — temporarily — lost righthander Mike Hauschild to the Rangers in last year’s draft. (He was back with Houston before April ended, and would go on to have the worst of his three AAA seasons.)
Houston special assistant Kevin Goldstein said after the Gose pick: “Obviously, because of his lack of experience, it’s going to be a bit of a longshot, but we decided to take the gamble because the upside was so good. . . . I could see him maybe coming in at the end of the games and doing a little defensive work, but we want him to focus on pitching. . . . If he’s going to be in the big leagues right now, we want him to make the team out of the bullpen.”
Gose has 10.2 innings of Class A pitching experience.
But stranger things have happened.
Maybe Gose will be back. He’d have to clear league-wide waivers first (reference: the Angels were hoping to get Darren O’Day back after the Mets Rule 5’d him in 2008, but when New York decided he couldn’t hold a spot on its active roster late in April 2009, the Rangers intercepted him on waivers and inherited the Rule 5 roster requirement — and hours later had him pitching in the 11th inning of a game in Toronto, famously wearing Kason Gabbard’s jersey), and given Gose’s ability to impact a big league roster in various ways, that wouldn’t be a lock.
But maybe he’ll be back.
Just like a former number 11 for the Nippon Ham Fighters. Maybe he’ll be back, too.
Maybe Yu Darvish will end this off-season with Texas, unlike the Fighters’ most recent number 11, who eluded the Rangers’ committed reach and about whose possible elbow issue the Angels are claiming a lack of concern.
The Rangers wanted Chris Martin’s teammate Shohei Ohtani, but they’re pretty happy with the 31-year-old reliever, too. A two-year deal (paying a reported $4 million, with as much as another $1.1 million in games-finished incentives) was announced this morning for Martin, who over the last two seasons in Japan posted the lowest ERA (1.12) and allowed the fewest baserunners per nine innings (6.11) among relievers in the NPB, permitting only 11 earned runs in 88.1 frames.
Martin, a native of Arlington and product of Arlington High and McLennan JC and Pete Incaviglia’s independent 2010 Grand Prairie AirHogs, is back.
On that note there won’t be a specific reference to “Stranger Things” here. Netflix has muddied the whole idea of a statute of limitations on spoiler etiquette.
My Thursday went from Gose to Eleven. Bad to good. Here and gone, to . . . .
No spoilers.
Many have told me since last night that if I liked season one of “Stranger Things” (it was awesome), I’m gonna love season two. Netflix being what it is, I suppose we can start digging in right away, and my guess is we’ll do that. I’m fired up.
I’m fired up about the next Rangers season, too, though that one’s gonna have to wait three and a half months.
Maybe by then, Anthony Gose will be back. The Demogorgon doesn’t always win.
