Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler was on ESPN 103.3 FM's "The Ben and Skin Show" on Tuesday morning and talked about a variety of topics, including the rivalry with the Angels and the departure of C.J. Wilson. Some of Kinsler's thoughts:
On the team as it is currently constructed in light of the Angels signing both Albert Pujols and Wilson: "Our team is so solid. Our pitching staff is as good anyone's in the game and we all believe that. We trust oursleves. We believe in ourselves and we believe in our starting rotation and that we don’t need to make a move to overpower the Angels. We’re good where we’re at."
Kinsler joked that hopefully he's in Wilson's head already and that maybe he's "confused" Wilson enough that it could help the second baseman when he faces him.
He did talk about Wilson's departure:
"It's tough. It’s tough to lose a pitcher of that kind of caliber. We talked about it last year with Cliff Lee. It’s tough for a team to lose a guy [like that]. You already have that guy [and] you've kind of relied on him. But we have people in place.
"We have talent. There's talent all the way through this organization. This organization is not just a one-hit wonder or two-hit just two years in a row. We're going to be here for a long time, regardless of if people are leaving and coming and going. That's the life and nature of baseball. There's constant moving parts and C.J. was one of those moving parts. We wish him the best. We're happy for him. He signed a huge deal. He's at home. And we're happy for him to throw balls right down the middle so we can hit them over the fence."
On the Rangers-Angels rivalry: "I think it’s the biggest rivalry in baseball, period. Yankees-Red Sox -- you can say they've got the most history, but as far as on the field talent and what both teams bring, Rangers-Angels has to be the best rivalry in baseball right now."