Rangers send McCarthy to Oklahoma City

MLB: Devil Rays v Rangers August 10,2007In the winter of 2006 the Texas Rangers acquired right handed pitcher Brandon McCarthy from Chicago. The cost was promising left hander John Danks but the Rangers rationalized that McCarthy’s experience in the majors (which amounted to a year and a half) and the fact the two pitchers were the same age made him the better fit for the organization.

It didn’t take long for the Rangers and anyone who thought McCarthy was the better pitcher to start eating their words. Both pitchers were less then expected in 2007 but in fairness to Danks it was his rookie season for McCarthy it was the beginning of a down spin.

McCarthy made 22 starts in 2007 since then he’s appeared in 22 total games. Danks on the other hand has won 25 games during that time, a number that doesn’t exactly describe how important the lefty with a 3.55 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP has been for the White Sox.

Obviously the trade for McCarthy didn’t work out for the Rangers.

Last season McCathy began to show promise at the end of the year making 17 starts with a 7-4 record and a 4.62 ERA. The numbers aren’t the greatest but they do represent a glimmer of hope. Things though took another disappointing turn this spring.

He allowed 11 runs in his 12 1/3 innings and walked nearly as many as he’d stuck out this spring. With other youngsters reving up for a rotation spot and the addition of Colby Lewis following an exodus to Japan there simply wasn’t a welcome mat for McCarthy anymore.

He’s been sent to Triple-A but considering other teams may still believe there is talent in his arm, and the fact the Rangers have other arms hoping to get to the majors this season it might as well been his walking papers.

The Rangers will almost certainty trade McCarthy and be certain the value in return won’t be John Danks. This January the Rangers avoided arbitration by agreeing on a $1.3 million contract for 2010 with the pitcher. Now they will look for some other team to take on that salary and maybe send them something of value in return.

John Boarman
John Boarmanhttp://www.tireball.com
Founder and Owner of Tireball Sports.

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