Is It Time to Say Goodbye To Neal Cotts and Alexi Ogando?

The Texas Rangers have now had 17 players go on the disabled list this season. That does not include Prince Fielder, who is hoping to avoid going on the list for the first time in his career. Seventeen, and it is only mid May. So it is understandable that the Texas Rangers would expect more from the guys that are healthy and playing, right?

The Rangers are getting good outings from pitchers like Aaron Poreda (2.45 ERA), Jason Frason (2.45), Shawn Tolleson (3.47), and Joakim Soria (2.40). The Rangers also have some pitchers in the minors who are doing very well. So is it time to cut ties with Neal Cotts (4.58) and Alexi Ogando (7.64)? I believed that the bullpen was the right place for Ogando when spring training started, but it looks like that was not the best choice. Are they injured? We won’t know until they admit something.

Alexi Ogando is the worse of the two right now, and that is saying something. When you blow as many saves a Cotts has so far this season, you are not exactly the favorite pitcher on the staff. My opinion is that this season should now be one of rebuilding, which I will write about a little later. With that being the case, the Rangers should move on from Cotts and Ogando and bring up some young arms to fill out the pen, some young arms that will struggle in some games and will be brilliant in others.

Maybe Ogando and Cotts can turn it around, but they are the the future of this franchise, guys like Wilmer Font, Luke Jackson, Roman Mendez and Nick Tepesch are, and I believe that it is time to call up some of the younger arms and release some of the ineffective ones. Am I wrong? Let me know!