The Rangers have needed pitching for several years and now they are finally making a serious effort to improve it. Texas signed Kevin Millwood, the AL ERA champion just last season, to a 4 year, $48 million deal with a club option for a 5th year. The last time the Rangers gave a pitcher this monstrous of a deal, it was Chan Ho Park and he did not exactly pan out. I am guessing Millwood will not be worth the money either, though he should be better than Park.
Millwood definitely got a huge contract, but considering that he has Scott Boras as an agent and the market for pitchers this offseason, the deal could have been much bigger. The scariest part of the contract is the length, as it is highly unlikely that Millwood will continue to perform at his current level when he is 35, especially considering his medical history. Still, Texas was able to make Scott Boras budge slightly, which is remarkable.
I wanted the Mariners to get Kevin Millwood and I am unhappy that an A.L. West team signed him, but Texas can have him at that price. It is an awfully risky deal. With signings like this and the 5-player super swap with the Padres, I wonder if John Daniels will be the Rangers' GM when Kevin Millwood's contract expires. It is possible Daniels is just trying to make a splash, especially considering how young and green he is, but continuing to make deals like this will run the organization into the ground. Texas has a Texas-sized budget, but it's certainly not Yankee-sized.
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