I am in the process of moving my blog to WordPress. It has been tedious, as I’ve had to manually transfer each entry to save the permalink. So, I apologize for posts like “Rangers Interested in Oswalt” appearing as new. I’ll eventually get this figured out!

Hi everyone. I am in the process of moving Chicken Fried Baseball to WordPress, so I apologize for any downtime that may occur.

It seems like many observers are confused by the Rangers trade for Mike Napoli, and what it means for designated hitter Michael Young, and first baseman Mitch Moreland.
While I’m sure the Rangers would be happy to move Young, I don’t expect it to happen. Jon Daniels defended the trade by saying that Napoli “adds versatility”. Does adding a DH represent “versatility” to …

I was as amused as most Rangers fans and commentators were when the Vernon Wells trade went down. My writing time has been scarce lately due to work constraints, so I resisted my urge to write a post about how Mike Napoli would be a perfect fit for this team. A trade for Napoli wasn’t going to happen anyway, and the Rangers would probably have re-signed Vlad by …

I was watching the Rangers’ 2010 highlight video, “It’s Time”, and noticed that John Rhadigan was the Emcee at the “welcome home” Ballpark ceremony in early November. I wonder if he has been in the team’s plans longer than we know. In any event, Rhadigan was announced as the new play-by-play guy to replace Josh Lewin. I’m fine with this move, and am looking forward to …

Jon Daniels never masked his disappointment in the Rangers inability to re-sign Cliff Lee. He also never hid his optimism that he could still put together an improved team without the ace. When Lee signed with Philadelphia, Daniels stressed that the best route to another pennant might be to improve depth by augmenting the bench, team defense, and bullpen. This week’s news that the Rangers are in …

The Rangers are on the verge of finally making the big splash fans have been waiting for this offseason. In one quick shot, the signing of Adrian Beltre will improve the team both offensively and defensively.
Most fans would probably be surprised at just how good Beltre was in 2010. He was an all-star, and helped the Red Sox remain competitive by putting up a WAR of 7.1. …

2010 is over. So far, the Rangers have followed the best season in team history with a pretty boring offseason. Well, maybe not boring, but definitely lacking in the kinds of exciting moves that help fans increase their optimism heading into the next season.
Fortunately, exciting winter moves don’t always precede exciting summers. While Yorvit Torrealba, Arthur Rhodes, Brandon Webb, and Yoshinori Tateyama aren’t going to …

Last offseason, the Rangers signing of Darren Oliver was a clear indication that management was giving the idea of moving CJ Wilson to the rotation serious consideration. I’m not positive they would have made that move had it not been in their plans.
Yesterday, the Rangers signed Arthur Rhodes to a guaranteed spot in an already stacked bullpen. Is Jon Daniels giving serious thought to moving Neftali Feliz to …

Well this sucks. Ron Washington’s from-the-gut prediction didn’t happen. After all the talk of Rangers & Yankees payrolls, Texas’ proximity to Arkansas, Cliff and CC’s vaunted bromance, seventh years, and taxes, Cliff Lee gives his former team a steep discount so he could pitch in Philadelphia. Pretty shocking. Also shocking – the Rangers may have outbid the Yankees, and that it doesn’t appear the …

Apparently, I’m not the first one to draw the connection between the Steinbrenners and Francis from Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. Hank Steinbrenner commented the other day, that “because of his stature, it would behoove Cliff Lee to play for the Yankees”. It got me thinking about the organizations sense of entitlement, and basically, spoiled brat-hood. In the current context, I guess Cliff Lee represents the awesome …

Today was the second straight morning I’ve woken up thinking Cliff Lee was in the bag. Unlike yesterday, there was no contradictory news awaiting me when I opened my computer. So, we’ll sit and wait some more.
If you are getting bored waiting for any Cliff Lee news to come down the pipe, I recommend checking other team’s blogs at the Baseball Bloggers Alliance. I’m a member of …

I would offer Lee a six/seven year, $145-155 million deal, including a $20 million signing bonus to be paid out over three years.
You would have to be a pretty good accountant to figure out how the numbers will precisely impact Lee’s bottom line. I’m not even a bad accountant, so here’s my best shot.
My offer to Cliff Lee:
2011. $22 salary with $10 million bonus2012. $23 salary …

I woke up this morning thinking the Rangers had Cliff Lee in the bag. The 6 year, $140 million offer by the Yankees was less than I expected. Well, if it sounds too good to be true…
In light of report that the Yankees have added a seventh year to their offer, the Rangers are headed to Arkansas today to try to get a deal done. I don’t …

In 1988, the Rangers made waves at the winter meetings by trading Mitch Williams for Rafael Palmeiro and Jamie Moyer, laid the groundwork for a deal that sent Pete O’Brien and Jerry Browne to Cleveland for Julio Franco, and signed Nolan Ryan. Twenty-two years later, it’s now Nolan Ryan’s turn to make the big splash, and sign Cliff Lee.
If you’re a Rangers fan, you …

With the Winter Meetings are set to begin on Monday, here is a brief look at the Rangers signings so far this offseason.
Yorvit Torrealba
Yorvit Torrealba should represent a marked improvement in production over what the Rangers got last year from their backstops. Planted at the bottom of the order, Torrealba’s slash line of .271/.343.378 from 2010 should help end the struggles the offense had turning the order over …

I hope the speculators are correct when they predict that the Cliff Lee saga will conclude at the winter meetings. The daily headlines, despite no news, is getting a little old.
Today, the New York Post ran a story that the Rangers interest in Zack Greinke is evidence that Lee will sign with the Yankees. Obviously ridiculous. Nobody has ever thought that Lee’s return …

The catcher search continues, as both John Buck and Victor Martinez are officially off the market. Miguel Olivo is available via free agency, as are AJ Pierzynski, Yorvit Torrealba, and Bengie Molina. If you stopped watching the Rangers when the regular season ended, re-signing Bengie would seem like an outlandish proposition. I think the best option may be to trade for a younger backstop.
Now that …

Sorry for the absence, but the lack of significant news and my travels have left CFB with little content over the past week and a half. After a brief stop in Orange County California, I have landed in the Philippines, where I will be until March.
The offseason is in its infancy, and the most exciting news thus far has been the early-breaking story that the Rangers are planning to …