Jon Daniels

A Eulogy for the 2014 Texas Rangers

The signs were there on opening day. Tanner Scheppers, the Rangers' starting pitcher, was making his first major league start, not because he'd stated a case that he deserved to start the first game of the season, but because of injury. The bullpen, similarly beset by injuries, would melt down in sp ... More >>

Baseball Jesus Has Forsaken the Texas Rangers

O Baseball Jesus, why hast thou forsaken us? Just since yesterday, we have learned that Jurickson Profar will be out 10-12 weeks, Geovany Soto will be out 10-12 weeks and Yu Darvish, the projected Opening Day starter ... might not be available Opening Day.

Ron Washington Goes Off Rangers' Script, Admits Running Team "Into the Ground"

The Rangers just wrapped up their 2012 post-mortem press conference. It was by and large quite boring, probably by design. You can imagine the team's PR gurus urging the team brass to keep it vague, uninteresting, answer-free. For the most part they succeeded. GM Jon Daniels and president Nolan Ry ... More >>

Why (and How) the Rangers Should Go All In as the Trade Deadline Looms

What a week for Your Texas Rangers. Nolan Ryan and Ron Washington took turns publicly ripping Josh Hamilton for the alarming lack of discipline he's displayed at the plate, increasing the likelihood that he'll be headed elsewhere this offseason. Fans booed the slumping slugger at home for the firs ... More >>

This Week in Rangers Spring Training: Wash, JD and Nolan on Yu. Then, The Main Darvish.

All week it's been leading up to this: Yu Darvish's first spring training press conference, held today, wherein we discover what the newest Texas Ranger loves about the U.S. and Nolan Ryan and Greg Maddux. Straight outta Surprise, the Rangers have actually been sending video dispatches all week for ... More >>

Rangers GM on Hamilton's Addiction: "This Is Not a Baseball Story." This is Real Life.

An hour and a half after Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton met the media to address the fact that, yes, he did have a few drinks earlier this week, team general manager Jon Daniels hopped on the phone with local media. Hamilton took no questions; Daniels had no choice. And almost immediately, a ... More >>

Are Yu Kidding Me? The Texas Rangers Are About to Open the Bank Vault For Darvish.

​In winning the well-publicized bidding for Yu Darvish shortly after 10 Monday night, the Texas Rangers have positioned themselves to sign the famous Japanese hurler to one of the riskiest contracts in baseball history. And unless the 25-year-old right-hander immediately establishes himself among ... More >>

Exploring Texas Rangers' Options as Wheelin' and Dealin' Begins at Hilton Anatole

Photo by Sam MertenThe scene yesterday afternoon in the lobby of the Hilton Anatole.​Likely bracing for the departure of free-agent hurler C.J. Wilson, the Texas Rangers have already inked former Minnesota Twins closer Joe Nathan to a two-year, $14.5 million contract and announced Neftali Feli ... More >>

Cruz-ing to Another World Series: Rangers-Tigers ALCS Game 5 Preview and Open Thread

Photos by Sam MertenNelson Cruz giving me a free ticket to the gun show last year.As the trade deadline approached in July 2006, it seemed inevitable that Jon Daniels would make a bold move to bolster a mediocre offense in his first season as general manager. He targeted the best hitter on the mar ... More >>

A Rangers Repeat? History Suggests Odds Are Long.

One Hit Wonders

Michael Young: Still Here. Still Hitting.

​Don't know what else to call it, I'm just getting a weird vibe here in Surprise, Arizona. The defending American League champion Texas Rangers somehow only have two starters (C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis) inked into the rotation. Their elite closer (Neftali Feliz) might be a starter but ... More >>

Check That, Neftali Feliz Now Wants To Be a Starting Pitcher

​After watching Neftali Feliz hurl an impressive first four innings of Monday's 5-4 exhibition win over the Los Angeles Dodgers here in Surprise, Arizona, I sat down with general manager Jon Daniels to find out exactly where the 22-year-old fireballer fits in this season. Closer? Or starter? ... More >>

Jon Daniels To Be Rangers GM Through 2015

Sam Merten​The Texas Rangers just sent word: General manager Jon Daniels, who was only under contract through this season, today signed a four-year extension -- the financial terms of which were not announced. Hard to believe, but should Daniels stick around through the 2015 season, that would mar ... More >>

Making the Best of a Bad Situation: What Texas Should Do to Resolve Michael Young Mess

Photos by Sam Merten​Even before Michael Young demanded to be traded, the likelihood that he'd swap uniforms before the expiration of his contract in 2013 seemed like a long shot at best. Despite a résumé that includes six All-Star nods, a batting title, an (undeserving) Gold Glove and five cons ... More >>

My (Fausto) Carmona: Plan B Now That Cliff Lee and Zack Greinke Are Headed Elsewhere

Trading for Fausto Carmona would help ease the pain of losing out on Lee and Greinke.​Since we can all feel OK about losing out on the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, it's fair to evaluate Jon Daniels' Plan B, especially with the trade of Zack Greinke -- easily the best pitcher to be had on the marke ... More >>

Do the Rangers' New Owners Have the Money and Will to Build on a Winning Formula?

Ron Washington, Once a "Teacher," To Remain Rangers' Leader. At Least For Two More Years.

Sam Merten​Texas Rangers GM Jon Daniels and skipper Ron Washington hopped on a conference call late this afternoon to discuss Wash's two-year contract extension -- "a formality as much as anything," as Daniels put it. The general manager said it was "clearly the first order of business" in the pos ... More >>

The Ballad of Ron Washington

Over on ESPNDallas.com, Richard Durrett tells the tale of how Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels came to hire Ron Washington instead of one of the four other contenders for the skipper's gig following Buck Showalter's ouster: Manny Acta, John Russell, Trey Hillman or Don Wakamatsu. Washington ... More >>

Colby Lewis: Another One of JD's Genius Moves

Sam MertenJon Daniels​Back on July 11, I spent a couple innings with Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels inside a luxury suite at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington as the team finished a lousy four-game series with the Baltimore Orioles. His team would lose that day and limped into the All-S ... More >>

Nolan Ryan's Latest Rangers' Prediction: "I'll Take the World Series in Seven."

Photos by Sam MertenNolan Ryan bites his lip after predicting that the Rangers will win the franchise's first World Series Championship this year.​Team president Nolan Ryan predicted a World Series victory for the Texas Rangers during a rally held this afternoon at the home plate gate outside ... More >>

The Texas Rangers Thrive while Owner Tom Hicks' Sports Empire Crumbles.

As Rangers Look to Add Another Game to Division Lead Tonight, a Reminder of the Architect of This Surprising Bunch

Photos by Sam MertenAll-Stars Josh Hamilton and Elvis Andrus​As Richie mentions in this week's paper version of Unfair Park, the Texas Rangers could be headed toward their winningest season in franchise history, as they nabbed their 50th win of the season last night and increased their lead to ... More >>

Atta Boy, Jon Daniels

​Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels took a lot of crap early in his career. Altogether now ...    Chris Young and Adrian Gonzalez to the San Diego Padres for who?! If you remember the answer is Adam Eaton, you have an idea of just how far Daniels has progressed. As if sque ... More >>

The Texas Rangers try to Sweep Ron Washington's Drug Episode Under Their Well-Worn Rug

Moves by Rangers at Winter Meetings Has Our Baseball Weenie Harden-ing

Meet the Rangers' new ace: Rich Harden​Despite the financial restraints stemming from the team's unresolved ownership situation, Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels skillfully inked the most dominant free-agent starter at this week's Winter Meetings in Indianapolis without adding payroll ... More >>

Rangers’ GM Jon Daniels Has Matured Into One of Baseball’s Best Brains

Jon Daniels: "Go For it" or "Stick To It"?

​Two years after sitting down with Texas Rangers' general manager Jon Daniels for this positive story with the negative headline, I had a long chat with him last week. Daniels deserves tons of credit for Texas' No. 1 farm system, for strokes of genius like Andruw Jones and Darren O'Day and El ... More >>

The Hapless Texas Rangers Turn to their Farm System

Texas Rangers' Up and Comers

After a decade of patience, Rangers' fans again believe they're about to be rewarded

Grading Rangers GM Jon Daniels' Third Year

As we mentioned yesterday, Jon Daniels is entering his fourth year as Texas Rangers general manager. He started off with a bang in year one, trading Alfonso Soriano in his first move and dealing Chris Young and Adrian Gonzalez less than two weeks later. Unfortunately, he received very little in retu ... More >>

A Christmas List for Jon Daniels

Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels, who spent most of last week his colleagues in Las Vegas for baseball's Winter Meetings, has been relatively quiet as the offseason reaches the halfway point. Thus far, he has dealt Gerald Laird to the Detroit Tigers and Wes Littleton to the Boston Red Sox f ... More >>

Sure, the Texas Rangers Are Fun and All. But There's Still Some Fixin' To Do.

Your Texas Rangers' pitching staff and its major-league worst 5.26 ERA continued to prove last night that it rarely has the ability to keep opposing lineups in check, even when the opponent is the worst team in the American League. But the offense continued to do its part, helping Texas rally to gra ... More >>

Past the Halfway Mark, the Texas Rangers Look Like Contenders and Pretenders

While the All-Star Game is two weeks away, Your Texas Rangers are officially past the halfway point in the season and sit seven and a half games back of Los Angeles in the American League West following last night's drubbing at the hands of the New York Yankees. Which means it's that time of year wh ... More >>

Rangers GM Jon Daniels is the Future of Baseball. The Rangers, Less So.

Or: Thanks, but no Danks. Clearly, the folks at Fast Company are not Texas Rangers die-hards; certainly they weren't among those who cast their votes in this April poll pitting Rangers general manager Jon Daniels against his Minnesota Twins counterpart, Bill Smith, for the title of "worst GM." (Dani ... More >>

Reaction to Rangers’ Reaction

Arm-Chair Managing in the Hours Before Ron Washington's Fired

It's less than a month into the baseball season, and the Texas Rangers have already hit rock bottom. Texas is tied with the Washington Nationals for the worst record in the bigs at 7-19, and team president Nolan Ryan is scheduled to meet this weekend with a different Washington (Ron) and general man ... More >>

Can Nolan Ryan Save the Texas Rangers? Again?

Holy Contract Extensions! Or, Tom Hicks' New Dynamic Duo.

Ask the General Manager

We can think of a million questions for Jon Daniels, none of which we'd care to repeat in public at the moment. Got any questions for Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels? And, no, "How do you keep your job?" is not acceptable in this instance -- at least, not if you want your question used on ... More >>

MLB Balking at Rangers' Asking Prices

Boy Blunder

Is baseball's youngest general manager man enough to rebuild the Rangers?

Rangers Redux

Desperate for an assist from Dallas, the Rangers implement yet another rebuilding plan

Lil' Nellie All Growed Up

You might not know this, but Donn Nelson was a pretty good college ball player too. Last week, Tom Hicks re-signed wonderboy Jon Daniels to run the Ranger’s sinking (though surprisingly more buoyant of late) ship through 2009, even though the team has one of the worst records in baseball and Danie ... More >>

Tom Hicks: Wait Till Next Year … Or The Next ... Or The Next ...

Tom Hicks and Jon Daniels Can't Wait to Meet You!

Your Texas Rangers have the worst record in the majors: 26 wins and 43 losses. So of course owner Tom Hicks would give general manager Jon Daniels a contract extension through the 2009 season; only makes sense, when you think about it. And if you're in the mood to ask Hicks, "Like, WTF, dude?" do f ... More >>

The Lone Ranger

Whenever we see a picture of Chris Young in a Padres uniform, we cry just a little. Then we drink and cry some more. Then we drunk-dial Adam Eaton. Since firing Texas Rangers manager Buck Showalter a week ago, general manager Jon Daniels has been quiet about a replacement. Hitting coach Rudy Jaramil ... More >>

The Hunt for Dead October

The Rangers will probaby finish the season below .500. For that, you have these two men to thank, among many. And, no, that's Jon Daniels at left, not Tom Hicks' bat boy. Alas, another fall without baseball has arrived in the metroplex. I took a masochistic field trip to the Texas Rangers' home fina ... More >>

The Texas Strangers

Don't look now--no, really, don't look, you might miss the Mavs in the NBA Finals--but your baseball team is somehow in first place into June. I say somehow because, considering the moves that have backfired, what the Texas Rangers are accomplishing would make David Blaine do a double-take. Consider ... More >>

Rangers Get the Finger. Again.

You gotta love the Texas Rangers. No, seriously, you have to. They need your affection, because going on 35 years of misery and misfortune, someone up there in the most exclusive luxury suite has it in for them. Since 1972 we've been screaming for the Rangers to get some pitching. New general manag ... More >>

Doogie Howser, G.M.

A young dog teaches the Rangers to forget old tricks