State of the Rangers

The Texas Rangers plans to move into a new stadium this season were largely ruined by COVID 19.  More on that later.  The team reached a peak in 2010 when they lost to the Giants on the World Series and have been in a slow decline since.  Whether a recovery is around the corner or further decline remains to be seen.

Ownership:

The Rangers current ownership group is lead by co-chairmen Ray Davis and Bob Simpson who acquired the team for $586 M in a bankruptcy auction on 2010.  There Forbes valuation is currently $1.65 billion.  As for the new stadium, the city of Arlington's investment is capped at $500 M and projected costs are around $1.2-1.3 billion.  This has resulted in 2 separate capital calls to investors, again per Forbes, which makes the delayed season and likelihood of playing in empty stadiums fairly disastrous for the ownership group.  Talk about bad timing! Payroll has recently declined from upper 1/3 to middle 1/3 again per Forbes.  Whether that is by design or the normal ebb and flow of a rebuild/reload is unclear.

Grade C.

Management:

GM Jon Daniels has been at the management helm since 2005 when he became the youngest GM in history at age 28.  He has had his ups and downs but did get the team to the World Series against the Giants in 2010. We all know how that turned out!  Right now, it's a bit unclear if Daniels is orchestrating another rebuild or treading water.

Chris Woodward is entering the second year of a 3-year managerial contract.  Last year he led the team to a 78-84 record.

Grade C.

Current Roster:

Starting Nine:  Robinson Chirinos C, Ronald Guzman 1B, Roughned Odor 2B, Todd Frazier 3B, Elvis Andrus SS, Willie Calhoun LF, Danny Santana CF, Joey Gallo RF, Shin-Soo Choo DH.

Bench:  Jeff Mathis C, Greg Bird 1B, Nick Solak IF/OF, Isaiah Kiner-Falefa IF.

Starting Rotation:  Corey Kluber RHP, Mike Minor LHP, Lance Lynn RHP, Kyle Gibson RHP, Jordan Lyles RHP.

Bullpen:  Jose LeClerc RHP(Closer), Rafael Montero RHP, Jesse Chaves RHP, Joely Rodriguez LHP, Brett Martin LHP, Luke Farrell RHP, Edinson Volquez RHP, Juan Nicasio RHP.

It's pretty tough to see any clear direction here with a hodgepodge of aging vets and one dimensional youngsters.  Danny Santana is probably the best all-around player.  The Rangers have made a concerted effort to build a rotation through signing mid-level free agents to 3-4 year contract and have had some success with that strategy.

Grade C.

Farm System:

When Josh Jung is your #1 ranked prospect, you probably don't have one of the top farm systems in the game.  Another head-scratching draft did not add much.

Grade D.