It’s safe to say whatever magic Jon Daniels had, it’s just about gone.
Last year, he could hide behind a gaggle of injuries. I am not sure what his excuse this year will be.
He chose not to do anything when Darvish went down last August. He made no attempt to replace him. Maybe he figured he could slide Milwaukee’s “ace” in without anyone noticing.
We noticed.
Last season the Rangers lost 95 games. Right now this team is less enjoyable to watch than that team. At least in 2014 we had something to cheer for. We had an underdog story. We had a collective rallying point. We had players to root for who weren’t supposed to be here, and they surprised everyone by performing. Odor, Rua, Smolinski, Rosales.
What worries me most about this year’s club is we have so many players who shouldn’t be here, yet I think Jon Daniels actually thinks he has assembled a major league team.
He came into the season without a left hander in the bullpen. He came into the season with two Rule 5 draft picks. Who assembles a roster like that?
It’s almost like we are watching the first year of an expansion team. This is like the first years of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
The team Jon Daniels has assembled, the team he has systematically imploded, brick by brick, player by player, since 2011, is 15th in the American League in batting, 11th in the American League in ERA, and 14th in the American League in defense.
And last in the American League West.
He brought back Michael Young as an advisor. He’s bringing back Josh Hamilton as a left fielder. How much longer until we see A-Rod back in a Rangers uniform?
You say, “Wait, you have to respect what Jon Daniels did in 2010 and 2011. He assembled two World Series teams.”
True. And Adam Sandler used to make good movies too.
Sandler made Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore and The Waterboy and was hailed a comic genius. Then he thought he was a filmmaker. Then he made Little Nicky. Then The Hot Chick. Then 50 First Dates. Then Click and Grown Ups and Jack and Jill and That’s My Boy and Grown Ups 2 and Blended.
Failure after failure after failure after embarrassing failure.
Jon Daniels is the Adam Sandler of GMs. His latest movie is opening to scathing reviews. I haven’t seen the whole thing, but I am pretty sure I know how it will end.