Eric Gagne is officially a member of the Texas Rangers now. He was removed from the disabled list today as starter Jamey Wright took his place there. This means that sometime soon (maybe over the weekend) we’ll be seeing Gagne for the first time in a long time.

This means that current closer Akinori Otsuka will be, once again, put back into the setup role. Rangers fans are probably excited to see this happen, I’m just interested to see how hes going to fare now that he’s off the juice with the Rangers. How are the few years off going to treat his arm and his stuff? The Rangers and manager Ron Washington have faith in him, I however, am not so quick to place my trust in him. His outings with the Double-A affiliate did not go as smoothly as hoped and he managed to post a 3.38 ERA in his few appearances there.

So now we’ll get to see what Gagne can really do. Were those years in Los Angeles a fluke? Gagne way atrocious as a starter, and I mean ERA hovering around 5 bad. He went to the closer role and found his spot, posting three straight seasons with 45+ saves. That was three years ago, however, so we’ll just have to wait and see how this season plays out to see if the Rangers made a big mistake.

Sammy Sosa launched his first home run of the season against Boston Red Sox reliever J.C. Romero yesterday. This was the 589th home run of Sosa’s career and his first since 2005. This is noteworthy not only because it was probably the first clean (non-corked or roided) home run of his career, but also because it signifies that Sammy Sosa is back.

Maybe we should shift our focus from Barroids chase for Aaron to Sammy chasing 600. When Sammy hits his 12th home run of the year he will become only the fifth player to reach the 600 home run club, and that is something we can all celebrate. Plus, now all the kids can watch Sosa celebrate and practice his hop down the first base line, and we need more gloating by young kids.

I really am happy that Sosa is back in the game. He was always fun to watch, he had all sorts of emotion and energy that most players don’t bring to the table. I haven’t been able to see Sammy yet this year, but I’m assuming he will have the same child-like energy that he always did when he took to the outfield at Wrigley Field. This is a guy who looks like he actually has fun playing this game, something that isn’t common enough in the bigs right now.

For the entire month of March, the Sportable Staff will look at one Major League Baseball team a day. We?ll look at their lineups and pitching and in the end, assess their playoff chances. Previews will be done by division, starting with the American League East. Each new division will also feature a new podcast devoted entirely to that division.

Slammin’ Sammy Returns to Texas. The Rangers hope that the return of Sammy Sosa to their roster (possibly opening day lineup?) will mean a revitalization of their team. Of course, it might help if Sosa were a pitcher, the position which the Rangers have struggled the most with in recent years. The Rangers finished last year 80-82, a record that earned them 3rd place in the tough AL West, they look to improve off their solid year last year and close in on division leaders Oakland and Los Angeles.

Bats.
There will not be a shortage of bats for the Rangers in their infield. Lead by Mark Teixeira and Michael Young, this is an infield that can simply hit. Hank Blalock at 3rd has had ups and downs, but looks to regain his confidence this year and get back to 25-30 home run status. Second baseman Ian Kinsler had a fine rookie year and as long as he can avoid a sophomore slump, can round out one of the better hitting infields in baseball. Their outfield has a few questions, but they’re hoping that (and the DH spot) is where Sosa can step in. Brad Wilkerson is a good fill in player, but if he gets the starting job in left field, the Rangers are going to need another serious bat to make up for his shortcomings. 40 year old Kenny Lofton is looking to continue his playing days, and I think he can do that, and fill in the leadoff role very nicely. He may have lost a step but he is a great leadoff hitter and can still move around the bases at terrifying speeds. If Sosa earns his way onto this roster and gets the starting job, then this team will have put together one very solid lineup.

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Hosts: Sonny, Ryan, Kevin, and Rich: This episode focused solely on the American League West. We expect it to be a close race with the usual contenders: the Angels and Athletics. Will Oakland be able to rebound from the loss of Barry Zito? Or will Anaheim ride Vladimir Guerrero to the playoffs?

You can snag Episode 15 here.

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Prepare yourselves, ladies and gentlemen, for the triumphant return of Slammin’ Sammy Sosa. Sosa and the Rangers agreed to a minor league contract effectively bringing the 37 year old slugger back from his year hiatus out of baseball.

The slugger who hasn’t seen the field since he was released from the Orioles in 2005 looks to build upon a disappointing near end to his career. Sosa smashed a whopping 14 home runs in 2005 and hit an outstanding .221 in the process. How does a man go from 40 home runs in 2003 to 14 in 2005? I don’t claim to be a strength expert but it might have had something to do with him quitting his extra curricular activities in the off season. On the same note, i wouldn’t be opposed to Sosa coming back to hit 35 bombs, but that may be just because watching Sammy hit jacks is still one of the most pure things in baseball.

In all likelihood this signing will probably fizzle out by May and Sosa will be back looking for a job again. Regardless of if he is on juice or not, he still can’t hit the outside slider and he’s had to deal with a number of nagging injuries. Tip your hat to the Rangers, however, for taking a gamble on Sosa. If Sosa and closer Eric Gagne pan out, this could go down as one of the best off season of risky signings by Rangers GM Jon Daniels.

Its been two and a half years since Eric Gagne has been able to toe the rubber for the Los Angeles Dodgers while being completely healthy. He’ll get his chance again this year, only this time it will be in Arlington, Texas. Gagne and the Rangers finalized a one year deal worth $6 million dollars, with incentives escalating up to an extra $5 million. He has also been named the Rangers closer, replacing Akinori Otsuka and moving Otsuka into the set-up role.

The big question of course is the health of Gagne’s arm, which has flared up continuously over the past few years. Theres no doubt that if he is healthy, he is filthy. From 2002 to 2004, Gagne was the best in baseball, including a 2003 year in which he racked up 55 saves and posted a godly 1.20 ERA. Best known for his eye goggles and a hat that looks like it got run over by a tractor, Gagne could be the bargain of the offseason. His 98 mph fastball combined with his changeup that can drop down into the low 70’s make him one of the best relievers in baseball when healthy. Whether he can remain healthy is the $6 million dollar question.