Rangers GM Chris Young released a statement last night to all free-agents in an effort to convince them to consider signing with the Rangers, one of the three worst teams in baseball over the past two seasons.
Actually, it was more plea than statement.
Actually, it was more grovel than plea.
He said, “You have the opportunity to be part of something that’s never been done in Texas Ranger baseball history. And that is to be part of a world championship team that has been built from the ground up, and you get in early.”
Is that sort of thing even important to a player? It’s not like getting in on the ground floor of a startup corporation. It’s not like starting a family. Or building a house. How can anyone guarantee a world championship?
Chris Young seems like an upstanding guy. He seems like he could be an asset to any front office. Unfortunately, Chris Young is the understudy for Jon Daniels. And Jon Daniels has zero credibility in team building capability.
Rangers fans can hope Young’s words ring true. But Rangers fans has heard this before.
The Rangers have twenty-five players to turn over before they can consider themselves playoff caliber, let along world championship caliber. They need to do one of two things. One, overpay so dramatically that the free agent cannot turn down the money. Two, convince locally grown players like Clayton Kershaw, Noah Syndergaard, or Trevor Story that there’s no place like home. Then way overpay them.
Why would any free agent who wants to be on a winning team come to the Rangers? They wouldn’t. This is a team that’s had a losing record the past ten years. And that’s with quality players like Adrian Beltre and Shin-Soo Choo and Mike Napoli and Ian Kinsler and Yu Darvish and Joey Gallo and Cole Hamels and Mike Minor and Lance Lynn.
So, there’s no reason to think the Rangers won’t be this bad for the next ten years no matter which free agents they are fortunate to sign.
So, back up the Brink’s truck. There’s a lot of rebuilding to do. There are a lot of floor opportunities available.