Texas Rangers' Offseason Checklist: Same As It's Been Since 1972

Well, it comes down to that little tiny area that every professional analyst says about every sport. We've all heard: in football, defense wins championships; in basketball, defense wins championships. Well, in baseball, defense also wins championships.

Pitching is part of your defense. And the Rangers still don't have a championship-caliber defense. At least not in the pitching department. So what can be done to get the Rangers to that next level?

Again, the answer is the same as it was 25 years ago: pitching. So, how can you acquire more quality pitchers? Well, you have to give some to get some.

Hank Blalock has, for the most part, it seems, been hurt for the last two seasons. When the team finally believes he is close to coming off the disabled list, he finds a new mysteriously-generated injury like injuring a hamstring by running out a grounder in a rehab start.

The team moved him to play first base to fill the void left by the departure of Mark Teixeira and because the organization has an abundance of talent that can play first and/or third base.

We've seen a multitude of young players this season that can be moved around to fill in the remaining infield positions of third, first and catcher (we are omitting shortstop and second base due to the fact that the Rangers have an All-Star at those positions under contract through 2012).

Max Ramirez, Gerald Laird, Chris Davis, Ramon Vazquez, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and German Duran can all be shuffled to take over the remaining infield positions. The only non-rookies of that bunch are Laird and Vazquez. So what purpose does Blalock serve? Why is the team holding on to him?

Sure, he might be classified as a "home-run hitter," but on a team that scores 900 runs per year in a ballpark that historically has some of the highest-scoring games in the league, is he really that beneficial to the team?

A common conversation in the Dallas area regarding the Rangers is:

"The Rangers have a great lineup his year; we're going to score a lot of runs."

"Yeah we are, and we'll lose every game, 15-14."

That says it all. A high-scoring lineup means nothing if you don't have the pitching. Trade Hank Blalock to free up some cap room and try to get a solid pitcher for him. The Rangers should also look at including currently disabled closer C.J. Wilson in a trade deal.

Other pitchers like Frank Francisco or Warner Madrigal can step up into the closer role next season. And every Rangers fan will tell you that the Rangers better have at least a four-run lead heading to the ninth inning if C.J. comes in to pitch.

But even if the Rangers were to offer a trade, would any pitchers want to come to Arlington? Would a quality pitcher like C.C. Sabathia be willing to play in the Texas summer heat? Don't forget, the Rangers don't have a climate-controlled remtractable roof stadium like the Astros due in muggy Houston.

The heat plays a toll on your body and has some experts saying that extended play in the Texas Heat could take some years off your playing time.

With all the current talent on the field, and all the upcoming talent in the farm system, the time for the Rangers to acquire and execute a well-pitched season is now. Probably more so now than ever because the Rangers have never had so many talented players on the field at one time who are in their prime.

The 2009 seasons figures to be another great offensive season for the Rangers. But the Rangers need to rid themselves of Blalock and Wilson to acquire more quality pitchers, and the pitching staff needs to execute to their full potential.

If they don't, it might be a good investment for Mr. Hicks to add a retractable roof and climate control to the hitter-friendly ballpark. Otherwise, we're looking at another 25 years of disappointing baseball in North Texas.

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