Rangers president of baseball operations Jon Daniels has now set forth a clear strategic directive for the organization, as covered by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The veteran executive says the club’s recent youth movement will likely carry over into the 2021 season.
The Texas team looks a lot less gray of late. The roster is “younger and intentionally so,” per Daniels, who says that will likely “continue[] into next year.” If there was any doubt as to the Rangers’ near-term intentions, Daniels issued a tell-tale cautionary warning against “looking at free agency as the short cut.”
It’s tough to know what to expect from newcomers such as Leody Taveras, Anderson Tejeda, Sam Huff, and Sherten Apostel. But the Rangers believe their current crop of young talent is more “ready for this opportunity” than was the case last year, says Daniels.
There could be some rough patches along the way, but the Rangers intend to find out what they’ve got. “The biggest change is we want to allow them to grow at the major league level,” Daniels explains.
This obviously isn’t the spot the Rangers had hoped to be in at this stage of the season. The club pursued improvements over the winter and had its sights set on contention. But with a host of disappointing performances from key players, the youth movement reflects the reality that there won’t be a quick offseason fix.
Daniels is the one that needs to go. Blame it on everyone and everything else is a sure sign that your time is up.
Geez, shut up already. There are other teams you can go be a “fan” for.
the only reason there is a “youth movement” this year is because he botched a competative attempt so hard that they’re probably getting a pick in the top handful.
Did it every occur to you that the players flat out underachieved and we dealt with a lot of injuries. Our best pitcher got hurt after 1 inning and we traded a our player of the year last year because he sucked. It’s not on JD.
so what? how do you expect to compete when you’re adding guys like Lyles and Frazier?
We didn’t trade our player on the year, Danny Santana is injured.
The Rangers and Cardinals can trade obsolete Presidents of Baseball Operations. Mozeliak is about worthless
Daniels has been a train wreck since he arrived. He doesn’t have a clue. The team that went to the World Series was built before he ever got there. He has done NOTHING.
What are you smoking? Daniels made the Texiera trade that set up the franchise for a long time. He is also responsible for finding Josh Hamilton. This is my big problem with the burn JD crowd. I am with you, it wouldn’t bother me if JD was gone, but you have to acknowledge that he is the best GM we have ever had, period.
You’re literally reaching a decade back for those moves, might be time to move on.
I was responding to the “JD has never done anything good” comment. I think I’m allowed to pull old examples for that correct?
dude, he is correct on JD. You don’t have to not be a fan because you want a good GM. That’s actually a better fan because we want the team to be run by more intelligent people. JD has had way more misses than hits and is in a role that 31 other teams expect a 80/20 success/fail rate. He can’t draft well, evaluate talent well (proof is that we have one of the worst teams in the league with the 3rd worst farm team in the league). It should be one or the other not both.
Kyle Gibson is through 7.1 innings scoreless tonight… wait… 7.2 innings now. That is a good development, and he has had great control of all his pitches, while throwing more sliders and curve-balls. Let’s hope he can keep this up and become yet another great find from Texas in free agency.
As for the youth movement, Huff, Tejeda, and maybe Taveras and Apostel should all go down to AA. I think keeping them in the majors will do more bad than good for their development.
I think there are some guys in free agency that could really help this club, but it we are using 2021 as a true “retool” season, I am fine with not signing a Bauer or Brantley. Though knowing us, we will screw it up somehow.
Excuse me Kyle Gibson?! 8 scoreless innings against the Astros!
Either Gibson works fast, or you type slow lol.
Lol, he had like a 10 pitch inning.
From the glimpses i saw of the game, the home plate ump was giving the pitchers anything above the ankles.
I like it. I always thought if they wanted to speed up games and keep pitchers in games longer they should open up the strike zone, make guys swing the bat.
But it goes both ways.
BTW Kyle Gibson is back out for the 9th, and he just hit 100 pitches. If Gibson gets the CG, I will call him by his nickname Gibby.
Now 8.1 innings!
8.2 innings! Got Brantley on a punch-out!
He did it! Gibby got the CG shutout of the Astros in the Juice box!
It does. Which may have helped McCullers throw 70% strikes and seven scoreless and walkless innings coming off DL.
And it was a ball. But that was a hell of a pitched game
Still should have traded Lance Lynn
Nobody’s arguing with that.
shouldve not given up Minor for litteraly nothing.
Shouldn’t’ve left Nelson Cruz in right field.
he should stop taking PEDs
He should also apologize to the families of the baseballs he so far away from home.
i need a simple answer how Kyle Freakin Gibson threw a SHO. Gibson going more then 6 scoreless is honestly more surprising then Alec Mills throwing a no hitter.
I see potential in Gibson as another sneaky pickup by Texas, hopefully he builds off of this start. I do not however see any sneakiness in giving Jordan Lyles 8 million a year next season.
Gibson has been terrible this season lol
Yes he has been terrible, but the stuff is there (satire, I know). He has been crushed when he leaves his two-seamer right out over the middle of the plate, but when he avoids that and hanging his slider up, he does very well. Tonight was a great example of that. He was executing well, hitting more spots, and giving himself more leeway when he missed. They showed a graphic on the broadcast that said he was throwing about an equal amount of sliders as he was two-seamers tonight, a huge uptick from normal. In a (hopefully) normal 2021 season, I bet Gibson can get on a nice routine and put up more good outings in the future.
If he can bounce back, he would be a good trade candidate. He’s getting payed a lot of money for the results he is giving so far.
Let’s hope he’s yet another one of the free agent pitchers Texas manages to revive. I hope this is a normal thing for Texas to just pick up bad veteran pitchers and revive their careers.
Youth movement would be better if they traded Lynn, Elvis, Odor, etc for prospects.
Elvis will stay, Rougie will be traded for another bad contract guy, and Lynn will be dealt for some good prospects.
BTW, Chris Archer seems like a very likely option for the Rangers to pick up in free agency. He would go along with:
Lynn
Gibson
Archer
Allard
Lyles
I could also see Odor getting moved for a pitcher with a large salary, and replacing Lynn’s spot in the rotation.
I mean, I would definitley not sign Archer for more than league minimum. Struggling and coming off TOS surgery.
I would make the gamble of signing Archer to 3 mil a year for two years. I seriously see him as a bounce back guy, and if not he’s your 5 starter making 3 mil a year. Fine.
How did Gibson throw a shutout? Simple, the Astros did not know what pitches were coming in advance.
“Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do.”
– Benjamin Franklin
Just a desperate GM trying to keep his job, proposing a rebuild are the best way to buy more time.
It appeared this past offseason the Rangers were attempting to compete. Let’s call this interview Daniels had for what it is; he’s trying to save face and save his job.
Lance Lynn is still a Texas Ranger. Evan Grant decided to use his fluff piece to focus elsewhere, misleading casual fans but not the diehards. A lineup is young. That’s nice. Diehards will do a little digging to find out this process might not be one to trust.
Gibson had a good game. But it is ONE GAME. He has been terrible up until now. Until he can string together 5 similar performances, school is still out on him.
The Rangers have an uphill battle. The are the weakest team in the division. The Angels ownership are determined to spend to make sure Trout doesn’t demand a trade. The A’s and the cheaters still have a a decent group of players. The Rangers could be in for a long rebuild. They clearly didn’t get enough for Darvish and demanded alot for Lynn. The farm system is depleted.
Agreed, the AL West is weak, and the second place team shouldn’t make the playoffs unless one of the teams makes an unlikely incredible run over the last 10 games.
I agree JD needs to go. Not a huge fan of youth movement yet, because legitimately TAveras only one who looks ready. White, Tejeda, Huff, King are not ready for the pressure. Guzman better but not sold yet. Allard stinks at present. I think risk on Archer worth it, gather him in plus Arrieta or Bailey if Lynn gets traded and perhaps pick up Wacha, Woods as insurance. I think at least one of J.Bell, Dominic Smith, Miquel Andujar, Clint Frazier or maybe JDM needed plus one or two of Luchesi, Wilson/Toussaint/Wright/Davidson from ATL needed a veteran C like Castro or Castillo and Ozuna as FA need to be signed. If JD can make that happen then maybe you have something until Jung, Huff, Apostel, Tejeda, White are ready. Proposed line up for next year.
LF D WAters or Pederson
CF Taveras
RF Gallo
DH Ozuna
1B D Smith or J Bell
2B Solak
SS Andrus
3b Isaiah Kiner Falefa
C Trevino
Rotation
Arrieta
Archer
Gibson
Wilson from ATL
Cody
If you want to take one swing for the fences get deal done for Bryant or Arrenado/Story
What did I just read?
If you couldn’t get Waters for Lynn at the deadline, how are you getting him this offseason? Also how would you acquire Bell or Smith?
This reads like the ramblings of a madman.
Mets have Degroom,, but Syndegard is coming back from injury,. Porcello and Stroman both free agents and Matz is nothing special. The Mets have their 1B for foreseeable future and D. Smith is avg OF at best. If Rangers do trade Lynn, I imagine acquiring a 2 or 3 starter and a couple of prospects would get them to pick up the phone. Rangers get support for Gallo and Mets get reliable mid rotation starter.
Bell would be harder to acquire, but he is coming off down year and much like Texas Pittsburgh could you use virtually anything. A mutually beneficial deal for both teams should be acheivable.
You do realize that all of these players and prospects that you are hoping to pick up are going to cost prospects in return don’t you? To get Waters, D. Smith, Wilson or any of the other guys you mentioned you will have to give up prospects of at least equal value in return.
No way the Mets give up Smith + for Lynn, he may be an average at best OF, but if the Mets move him they are left with other decidedly average fielding LF’s like JD Davis or Jeff Mcneil .I like Lynn, but with the new multi billionaire owner in place my guess is the Mets will throw unimaginable amounts of money at Bauer instead of trading one of their young MLB guys for Lynn
I love the youth movement. It may be a little rough for a year or two but there is a lot of talent here and watching these young guys grow into big leaguers is exciting. It will make for a better team in the near future
I want to hear him say “continue[] into next year” out loud to hear what those brackets sound like.