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On Wednesday, "First Take" brought in special guest Tony La Russa to discuss long-term deals in baseball. The Rangers have a decision to make about Josh Hamilton, and potentially could lock him up for many years to come. La Russa said he wouldn't give more than a five- or six-year deal to a player of any caliber, citing the Angels' 10-year deal with Albert Pujols as one that was not worth the risk. Both Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless agreed. What's your take?

Roy Oswalt has cleared waivers, which gives the Rangers leeway to trade him. Should they take a chance on their oft-injured veteran, or try to flip him for prospects?

• mgarrison767: "No team is gonna give up the prospects the Rangers would demand to take on Oswalt. I doubt he is going anywhere this year - except maybe to the bench if his attitude doesn't change."
• mikealioto: "If the Ranger are going to try to trade him by Aug 31st they are going to trade him National League team. Not to any contender they will half run into during the playoffs. On the American league of course "
• texasluva: "I'm sorry but he can no longer get MLB players out on a consistent basis. Send him back to his farm and if he needs a couple of farm hands send Feldman to help him out."
• easchner: "He's likely going to be in the long relief role, and will likely do very well there. There's only been a couple of games where he's let in more than 1 through his first 3-4 innings. Come playoffs, it's a very nice luxury to have a fifth starter you can put in games when someone breaks down early in a game (which will happen)."
• lifer-for-life: "Not sure why the Rangers would consider keeping him around, he was a gamble that hasnt really paid off."

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The Brewers are shopping Zack Greinke around the league, as a likely short-term rental for a competitor. Jayson Stark thinks the Angels, Rangers, Braves and White Sox have the best chance of getting him. What do you think?

• gsa817: "If the Rangers really want him, they can get him. They have the best pieces. Doubt it will happen though. Greinke isn't exactly King Felix or Verlander, so Texas would be dumb to trade their future stars for him. He'll probably end up on the Angels."
• dirkfanman81: "rangers please do not give up prospects for a half year rental. id rather tough it out then basically just throw out good young prospects for him."
• zelts3: "Greinke would be fine in a big market....he's had so many articles and eyes on him lately and his last start vs the Phillies shows he can pitch well with that environment. Greinke is shut-down."
• thesonicbrew: "As a Braves fan I keep thinking back to about 5 years ago when I read one of these rumor articles about Greinke to Atlanta for, a then up-and-coming Jeff Francouer.....and the Braves passed. Ah the irony."
• Big-E28: "The Braves need to get Greinke now. We have the prospects that Milwaukee is looking for. They need a shortstop, then we'll give them Pastornicky. They need a good young arm, then we give them Delgado. Obviously the Braves are willing to trade Delgado as he was going to the Cubs, so what is the problem?"



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Nolan Ryan can say pretty much whatever he wants when he's talking about baseball, and evidently he thinks Josh Hamilton gives away too many at-bats. He might have a point -- Hamilton's having a good season, but his .290/.357/.592 line could use a lot more in the "getting-on-base" department. This could be just a motivational tool by Ryan, who no doubt has bad memories of his otherwise-excellent team losing its edge in the last minute in the 2011 World Series. Is he right?

Whether Josh Hamilton or Matt Kemp is the better long-term investment, well, that's up for debate. Skip Bayless is taking Hamilton as the right here, right now player, but would rather have Kemp for the future. Stephen A. Smith says Kemp is a no-brainer when it comes to who will produce the bigger numbers over the course of their careers. Which player would you put your faith in?

Did any of you have Josh Hamilton on your fantasy teams last night? Congratulations -- you can take the rest of the week off. No need to worry about matchups or injuries or any of that. Hamilton gave you (and the Rangers) a week's worth of production with a four-homer game in Baltimore on Tuesday night. Hamilton is the first American League player to go 5-for-5 with four home runs in a game, and the first to total 18 bases in one contest. He actually came close to hitting five homers, but he narrowly missed a hanging curveball in his third at-bat. That would have been unprecedented -- no major leaguer has reached the five-homer plateau in a game.

Will Josh Hamilton win the AL MVP award this season?

•  
  66%
  Yes
•  
  34%
  No

(Total votes: 54,601)

How many home runs will Josh Hamilton (14 HRs) hit this season?

•  
  3%
  Fewer than 30
•  
  32%
  30-39
•  
  51%
  40-49
•  
  14%
  50 or more

(Total votes: 59,417)

Which was more impressive?

•  
  72%
  Josh Hamilton's four home runs in a single game
•  
  28%
  Philip Humber's perfect game

(Total votes: 159,613)

Where will Josh Hamilton be playing at the start of next season?

•  
  80%
  With the Rangers
•  
  20%
  With another team

(Total votes: 54,509)

In just his fifth multi-homer game, Josh Hamilton became the 16th player in MLB history to hit four home runs in one outing. It's the first four-home-run game baseball has seen since 2003. Who are the other 15 men to have hit a quartet of homers in a single game? Take our quiz now!

Seeing as they're all major league hitters, the Mariners can be expected to score runs in bunches from time to time. Just not all that often, and certainly not in the debut of the Rangers' marquee offseason pitching acquisition. Yu Darvish struggled mightily in his first start in the majors, giving up four runs in the first inning to an anemic Seattle offense, but he settled down later on, which could suggest that it was just nerves. Can Darvish handle MLB?

How worried should Rangers fans be about Yu Darvish's rough start against the Mariners?

•  
  48%
  Not worried
•  
  10%
  Very worried
•  
  42%
  A little worried

(Total votes: 59,281)

What do you expect out of Yu Darvish this season?

•  
  15%
  He'll excel
•  
  68%
  He'll adjust
•  
  17%
  He'll struggle

(Total votes: 4,080)

Which is the better team?

•  
  41%
  Rangers
•  
  59%
  Tigers

(Total votes: 76,683)

Opening Day -- well, Opening Night, really, and we technically already had one of those in Japan, but who's counting? -- is finally here, as the Cardinals will take on the Marlins tonight in the first stateside regular-season MLB game. It's bound to be an exciting season with so many players having changed teams, but has the power structure been altered significantly?

Vote: Pick each division and pennant, and the winner of the World Series

Rank: Baseball's best teams? | Top players in the game?

Which team is more likely to make it back to the World Series?

•  
  21%
  Cardinals
•  
  79%
  Rangers

(Total votes: 63,581)

Which of these players would you most want on your team?

•  
  6%
  Miguel Cabrera
•  
  17%
  Roy Halladay
•  
  6%
  Felix Hernandez
•  
  39%
  Albert Pujols
•  
  32%
  Justin Verlander

(Total votes: 64,564)

Which of these AL East teams is most likely to miss the playoffs?

•  
  54%
  Red Sox
•  
  15%
  Yankees
•  
  31%
  Rays

(Total votes: 38,308)

Which is the best team in the American League?

•  
  23%
  Yankees
•  
  14%
  Another team
•  
  21%
  Angels
•  
  21%
  Rangers
•  
  21%
  Tigers

(Total votes: 66,943)

Which is the best team in the National League?

•  
  10%
  Marlins
•  
  10%
  Giants
•  
  46%
  Phillies
•  
  8%
  Reds
•  
  26%
  Another team

(Total votes: 63,887)

C.J. Wilson tweeted Mike Napoli's phone number, and Napoli's not happy about it. Was Wilson's prank harmless or out of line?

• carloshobbs: "Way too serious Rangers fans! Wow! Let it go and just let them take care of it when they face each other."
• Pylon Phaneuf: "who cares, Napoli is a millionaire. Just buy a new phone."
• PS_28: "Wilson has secured his place as the next Barry Zito. The baseball gods usually keep to the diamond but even they do not approve of this level of off the field lameness."
• CheckPlease7777: "Good job, CJ! I thought it was funny and Napoli just acting like a baby. (please don't apologize)"
• CompDiddy: "CJ will play great all year for them since they won't make the playoffs. He should stick to what he does best; brag about irrelevant nonsense, quote samurai proverbs, and race go carts."
• Clark_and_Addison99: "Wilson's "joke" is a text book example of using poor judgement. I hope Napoli can light Wilson up at the plate this season. "



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