Stark: Marlins want Mike Olt in any deal
But reports out of Miami continue to show the asking price is particularly high. Johnson probably didn't increase his stock with his five-inning performance against the San Diego Padres. On the up side, he allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits with four strikeouts. On the down side, he walked six and didn't pitch as deep into the game as he wanted.
But here's how Stark termed the situation when it comes to Johnson, the Marlins and the Rangers. He says the conversation has to start with Mike Olt:
We checked back with one of the baseball men who pegged the odds of Johnson going nowhere as "95 percent" a few days ago. He told us Sunday he'd now raise those odds to "98 percent," given the asking price and concerns of all the teams in this mix.
Texas, in particular, seems especially cautious about Johnson and the hefty package it would take to get him, no matter how much the Rangers might need an ace. The Marlins have told Texas there's nothing for those two teams to talk about unless third-base prospect Mike Olt's name is on the table. And so far, the Rangers haven't been willing to lay Olt's name on any team's table, for any sort of deal. So the chances of those two clubs matching up seems like a major long shot. But the Rangers still sent a scout to see Johnson pitch on Sunday. So those chances, clearly, aren't zero.
Would you include Olt in a deal for Johnson or is that too high a price to pay for a guy who has had an inconsistent season, has seen his velocity drop a bit and had the shoulder issue last season?
You can read Stark's entire report here.
Richard Durrett
ESPNDallas.com
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Richard Durrett
Richard Durrett joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. He writes about colleges, the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers. Richard spent nine years at The Dallas Morning News covering the Rangers, Stars, colleges, motorsports and high schools.
Tim MacMahon
Tim MacMahon joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. Tim covers the Cowboys and Mavericks. He has covered the local sports scene from high schools to colleges to pros during his six-year tenure at The Dallas Morning News. MacMahon is a graduate of UNT.
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UPCOMING GAMES
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEX | 31-17 | 15-7 | 16-10 | W2 | |
| SEA | 20-28 | 11-10 | 9-18 | L7 |
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEX | 31-17 | 15-7 | 16-10 | W2 | |
| SEA | 20-28 | 11-10 | 9-18 | L7 |
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEX | 31-17 | 15-7 | 16-10 | W2 | |
| ARI | 27-21 | 13-11 | 14-10 | W1 |
TEAM LEADERS
| WINS LEADER | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Yu Darvish
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| OTHER LEADERS | ||||||||||||
| BA | I. Kinsler | .302 | ||||||||||
| HR | N. Cruz | 11 | ||||||||||
| RBI | N. Cruz | 34 | ||||||||||
| R | E. Andrus | 30 | ||||||||||
| OPS | M. Moreland | .908 | ||||||||||
| ERA | Y. Darvish | 2.84 | ||||||||||
| SO | Y. Darvish | 91 | ||||||||||
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