Richard Durrett with a piece on Jon Daniels
by Adam J. Morris on Mar 9, 2010 12:05 PM CST
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PrintOver at the ESPN Dallas site, Richard Durrett has a lengthy feature piece on Jon Daniels that focuses on his tenure with the Rangers, and some of the behind-the-scenes stuff involved in him becoming the g.m., the Beckett/Lowell trade that didn't happen, and the decision to go all-in on rebuilding and committing to the farm system.
A very good piece, that you should check out...
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Great piece
it is interesting that the take on the Beckett/Lowell deal is that JD took too long to act as opposed to just having been played by the Marlins in their pursuit of Hanley Ramirez. Neither makes you look good, but I think it is somewhat more frustrating if the deal was actually on the table.
Go Rice Owls!
It could be a little of both
It could be the Marlins were trying to get a deal done with someone and if Boston was hesitating, they were going to look at other offers like the Rangers. When JD wasn’t accepting it right away, the Marlins call back Boston and give that another shot.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
Oooh, that's interesting
that’s an arm that is pretty much guaranteed to be on the opening day roster, right?
"we’re a bunch of knee-jerking yahoos who like new and shiny things." -- FirebatM3 July 10, 2009
I doubt he is guaranteed a spot
is he out of options and does he need to go on the 40-man?
A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.
Yanks designated him
since they signed The Ho. He definitely has to go on the 40. He may have options, I don’t know for sure. If he did, I would think other teams would have offered the Yanks more than just cash.
"we’re a bunch of knee-jerking yahoos who like new and shiny things." -- FirebatM3 July 10, 2009
He's used three options
So yes, I think he’s out of options. 25-man roster or waivers.
"we’re a bunch of knee-jerking yahoos who like new and shiny things." -- FirebatM3 July 10, 2009
maybe the Rangers think they can get him through waivers
at the end of ST much like they’ve done for Cruz and Byrd.
A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.
dont forget
We have two exceptions — the Dominican guys. So we really have 42 on the 40 right now. Two have to go by the end of the Spring.
"we’re a bunch of knee-jerking yahoos who like new and shiny things." -- FirebatM3 July 10, 2009
Either or a LUGo nees to be on the team though so
Mendoza gone, Poveda 60 day DL
"I was going to say, 'You’re gay for Elvis.' But then I realized that I, too, am gay for Elvis." ~Adam J. Morris.
I think they have already said he will stay at extended
ST when they break camp. I can’t see a reason why he wouldn’t open the season on the 60.
Vladimir Guererro - 2010 AL MVP
If hes gonna be ready to go to Frisco at the beginning of May
Like has been reported is a possibility, then I see no need to 60 him. You got Mendoza and Arias who are out of options along with this new guy who all will most likely come off the 40 since none look to make the Opening day roster.
Plus Hurley is at 1.109 days of service time as is right now. When you are on the 60 day DL you accrue service time. I don’t know for sure but I believe another 60 days of service time would push him over the 2 year threshold. No need to do that unless you have to IMO
Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.
You can still put him on the 60 day DL
and have him start doing rehab outings in early May.
And while the service time would be easier to deal with if Hurley wasn’t DL’d, it still isn’t going to be holding the team back from gaining roster flexibility and keeping other players.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
yeah -- Hurley to the 60 is an easy decision to make IMO
Poveda is a given
A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.
if they put Poveda
on the 60 day DL, they’d have to pay him the major league minimum salary and he would earn ML service time.
by Randy Richardson on Mar 9, 2010 4:23 PM CST up reply actions
I meant that either Arias or someone else like him is going be on the roster
"I was going to say, 'You’re gay for Elvis.' But then I realized that I, too, am gay for Elvis." ~Adam J. Morris.
I don't see how he's a sure thing at all
why people keep assuming this team is devoid of talent befuddles me.
Go Rice Owls!
I wasn't assuming that at all
I think there just has to be another shoe going to drop. There are more talented players on this Ranger team than spots. And I think Ramirez is a nice bullpen piece.
"we’re a bunch of knee-jerking yahoos who like new and shiny things." -- FirebatM3 July 10, 2009
Fangraphs article on Edwar from March 1st when the Yanks designated him
by octoberty on Mar 9, 2010 12:49 PM CST up reply actions 4 recs
Very interesting
good upside arm
Freude, schoener Goetterfunken,
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische dein Heiligtum.
Ha! It is a new era. The Rangers trade cash for a player.
To the Yankees no less. Are we sure Mark Cuban isn’t part of the new ownership group? Did we give up our mid-level exception too?
I’ll miss the moths-in-the-pockets days of Hicks.
by 3hacks on Mar 9, 2010 12:57 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Hmm
Kind of like this. Basically no downside and a little upside.
by Brett Perryman on Mar 9, 2010 1:15 PM CST up reply actions
I think it's just wrong
how teams like the Rangers use their obvious monetary advantage over small market teams like the Yankees to steal good players from them.
Baseball has GOT to do something about this!!
by elvis1isking on Mar 9, 2010 1:18 PM CST up reply actions 3 recs
Well done
"Dying ain't hard. It’s living in the wake of a thorough public humiliation that’s hard.--JDT217
Marlins fans look at this so much differently than we do.
That close to having hank Blalock and John Danks instead of Hanley Ramirez.and Anibal Sanchez. And I doubt Danks would have been taught the cutter in Florida.
I was always upset
that Daniels dithered so much over that trade. Had he pulled the trigger quickly, the team would be so much better off.
"I don't condone steroids or any other type of growth hormones or anything else, but I could care less, and, for the most part, I don't think the fans give a (bleep). The people that care about it are the people that probably don't like baseball," - Jim Leyland
We certainly know
we’d be better off.
"I don't condone steroids or any other type of growth hormones or anything else, but I could care less, and, for the most part, I don't think the fans give a (bleep). The people that care about it are the people that probably don't like baseball," - Jim Leyland
20/20 Hindsight
Don’t forget Lowell was seen as a guy who was completely done and a pure salary dump. He ended up being an integral piece of the Red Sox, but at the time he was seen as an albatross to the payroll.
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Mar 9, 2010 1:12 PM CST up reply actions
Yeah, I don't blame anyone for balking on Lowell.
Same as I don’t give the Red Sox credit for getting him when they didn’t even want him.
Still would have been nice to have pulled off in hindsight, though.
I'm torn
Obviously just talent wise, even if Lowell had done nothing you get Beckett for Danks who you ended up trading for McCarthy and Blalock who gave us big bags of nothing the last couple of years. Payroll wise, have to wonder what the 12.5 million a year going to Lowell would have done to the rest of the roster seeing as how we have been sitting at around 58 million a year. Lowell, Millwood, and Padilla would have taken up almost 67 % of that.
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Mar 9, 2010 1:36 PM CST up reply actions
No, I think there was plenty of reason to find it a defensible, even close to obvious, trade.
Lowell didn’t look like any great shakes, but neither did Blalock.
I was just saying there was plenty of reason to not want Lowell in the deal.
Agree on that
Lowell was coming off a 658 OPS season in which he looked like complete toast. He would have been a decent throw in if it weren’t for the 12.5 million he was making.
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Mar 9, 2010 1:39 PM CST up reply actions
I wanted the deal badly
I thought at worst Lowell would be about like Blalock, and I wanted Beckett here badly.
Add to the dawdling on this deal that we later dealt Danks for McCarthy in a deal I hated, hated, hated even back then… I was Josey-like in may complete and total dislike for JD. If he had been fired before the Teix trade then back then I would have been fine with that — and that firing probably would have been worse than the non-Beckett deal AND the Danks deal combined.
Glad Donuts was able to stay around… he’s won me over the last couple of years for sure.
Oh, I once hated JD, too.
Unlike some people, I’m able to look at the more recent good and get over initial feelings.
Still probably not as high on him as a lot of people here, though.
I don't get on him for the Danks deal, though.
At the time that looked pretty nifty. I don’t know how they could have known that Danks would be awesome with a cutter or that McCarthy was so fragile.
Not sure if it was hindsight
when I was for it when it happened. Blalock was already 2 years removed from a good season at the time.
"I don't condone steroids or any other type of growth hormones or anything else, but I could care less, and, for the most part, I don't think the fans give a (bleep). The people that care about it are the people that probably don't like baseball," - Jim Leyland
But Lowell
making 12.5 million was a major problem considering the payroll limitations and we were carrying Millwood and Padilla at the time.
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Mar 9, 2010 1:37 PM CST up reply actions
Daniels wasn't being hit with payroll limitations at that time.
picking up Beckett would have saved us from picking up either Millwood or Padilla who we acquired after JD screwed the pooch on the Beckett/Blalock deal
"I don't condone steroids or any other type of growth hormones or anything else, but I could care less, and, for the most part, I don't think the fans give a (bleep). The people that care about it are the people that probably don't like baseball," - Jim Leyland
JD had some really bad
early years.
"I don't condone steroids or any other type of growth hormones or anything else, but I could care less, and, for the most part, I don't think the fans give a (bleep). The people that care about it are the people that probably don't like baseball," - Jim Leyland
Exactly.
Again I state it, “Youngest GM” ever. You aren’t just born a great GM. He’ll take a few bad ones, as long as he is willing to learn.
"grilled cheese punches like a bitch" -Gdawg
"i feel like k-rod after a save." -by reagan on Jan 23, 2010, that glorious day Hicks was out of our lives.
Yep
He still needs to show a little more adeptness at picking up ML talent, but he probably needs some access to a higher budget before he can show that.
He has done a great job with prospects though.
"I don't condone steroids or any other type of growth hormones or anything else, but I could care less, and, for the most part, I don't think the fans give a (bleep). The people that care about it are the people that probably don't like baseball," - Jim Leyland
JD & Payroll
Yeah, an expanded payroll wouid help absorb mistakes but he hasn’t exactly inspired confidence with the money he has been given.
Remember, we’ve had a small market payroll the last three years and 1/3 of the entire payroll in those three years was spent on VPadilla, Cat, Gagne, Lofton, Broussard and JJennings.
What’s to say he’d do any better if he had $ 80-85 million to spend instead of the $ 70 million he had from 2007-2009?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
Lofton and Gagne
were much better uses of money than picking up the option on Hank last year.
That was stupidity.
"I don't condone steroids or any other type of growth hormones or anything else, but I could care less, and, for the most part, I don't think the fans give a (bleep). The people that care about it are the people that probably don't like baseball," - Jim Leyland
If it makes you feel better
sub Hank F for Lofton and then also realize Bobby Abreu went to the Angels for $ 1 million less than Blalock cost.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
I stand corrected
on the Millwood, Padilla thing. Forgot how early in the decade Beckett was traded.
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Mar 9, 2010 2:00 PM CST up reply actions
Thanks for the link.
Good stuff. Great GM and getting better with experience.
by Rangers100 on Mar 9, 2010 1:01 PM CST via mobile reply actions
Daniels' single greatest quality
is his willingness to look failure squarely in the eye, admit it, and learn from it. In a culture full of spin and excuses, his candor and Truman-esque buck stops here mentality is refreshing.
Now don’t screw this up, Daniels.
Freude, schoener Goetterfunken,
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische dein Heiligtum.
Agreed
And that quality is having a trickle down affect too.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
My question is how much he's learned from his failures.
Again, I’m generally encouraged by his willingness to recognize his mistakes. And I realize his hands were tied at the deadline last season. But at some point he’s almost certainly going to have to make moves to acquire big-league talent at a cost, and I can’t say I’m fully confident in his ability to make those moves.
(Not that my confidence matters one iota.)
Well, JD made a lot of moves before the 2008 season (signing Bradley, trading for Josh and Broussard
and signing JJennings) that were a mixed bag and didn’t help us win. He didn’t do anything before 2009 other than make the decision to sign Blalock’s option.
Given his early colossal failures, that’s what makes being successful in 2010 a big deal for him.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
Pretty much how I feel
He has to finish the job. He has to now do what Melvin was able to do — take a strong core and add the right pieces to it to put the team in position to make the playoffs.
Here’s where it gets tough to judge, though. We cannot judge a GM strictly by results. As I said a few days ago in the ranking GMs post, a guy can make the right trade at the right time for all the right reasons and it could still work out horribly wrong for a number of reasons. Judge him by how sound the move seems on principle, not by the results.
The team certainly has the assets necessary to fill needs.
Freude, schoener Goetterfunken,
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische dein Heiligtum.
Concur
I thought the Carlos Lee trade would put us in the playoffs for sure. Didn’t work out…
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Mar 9, 2010 2:15 PM CST up reply actions
Not in terms of the playoffs, no.
But Daniels did a nice job not putting all his eggs in one basket.
Yeah
slick move to grab Cruz in that deal. Still at the time, I thought adding Lee to hit behind Tex was going to catapult us right into the playoffs.
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Mar 9, 2010 2:19 PM CST up reply actions
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
“We cannot judge a GM strictly by results”
I will agree that there are a few different ways to evaluate the job a GM does but by a large, large margin…the results at the major league level trump everything else.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
Sure, to a point
but the word “strictly” is important here. Of course you judge them by the win column, but you also recognize that even a team that looks like a solid contender, coming off a world series appearance like the 2009 Tampa team can have lots of things go wrong and it doesn’t work out. Certainly doesn’t make me think any less of their front office.
They put the team in position to win, the team didn’t win. It happens every year. Judging Daniels — or Ryan or anyone else in the front office — strictly on the number of wins alone is asinine. You are guilty of constantly trying to make things simple, black & white. They are not. Ever.
Freude, schoener Goetterfunken,
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische dein Heiligtum.
"We cannot judge a GM strictly by results."
If I made a list of the 10 things I most wish fans would realize, this would probably be on it.
Here are my ten
In no particular order:
1 the above point just discussed
2 luck plays a HUGE role in a team’s success (or lack of) in any given year. It is also a big factor in any player’s success from year to year, more than most realize.
3 Managers play only a tiny role in how many games a ball club wins and loses. Talent is everything.
4 the newfangled stats are worth learning about and they’re just not that mysterious
5 to evaluate hitters, don’t use average or rbi, look at wOBA, or at least OBP and OPS
6 to eval pitchers, throw out wins, saves, and ERA. look at FIP, xFIP, tRA, and/or SIERA, look at K and BB rates and scouting reports. Check BaBIP and strand rates for luck.
7 Small samples suck
8 know about park factors
9 spring training stats are worthless
10 baseball is endlessly entertaining no matter how much you learn
Freude, schoener Goetterfunken,
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische dein Heiligtum.
Nice. Good question.
I have 5:
1) The “wave” really isn’t that interesting. Being a) poorly educated, and/or b) bored with the game doesn’t change the reality of this.
2) You aren’t obligated to dress like you are 10 or below the poverty level just because you are going to a baseball game.
3) It’s just a t-shirt/ball/bat/etc. It’s OK to act like it’s not a really, really big deal if you don’t get it. Yes, I realize someone shot or threw it at you. Yes, I realize the fellers at the bar/factory/government office/etc. would think it’s cool you caught/retrieved it. But really, it’s going to be OK. I promise.
4) 95% of baseball fans think their team’s owner sucks and is a really bad person. 5% think their team’s owner is currently tolerable and not a really bad person… yet.
5) Most people probably won’t think less of you as a person if you like NFL football, and that’s a real shame.
!!!
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
Salty' scratched, sore shoulder
aandro Dr. Keith Meister thinks Saltalamacchia’s soreness is nothing serious. Loosening of scar tissue.
Of course that was the
initial thought on Nathan too.
by Brett Perryman on Mar 9, 2010 1:29 PM CST up reply actions
That piece is eerily similar to the Braves of the mid- to late-1980s.
Before Schuerholz, when Bobby Cox was their GM. When Cox moved upstairs, they were miscalculating their competitive window, then they decided to tear it all down and go from there. Dale Murphy was their Mark Teixeira (or Michael Young, depending on how you look at it).
My dad is a long time Braves fan who follows the Rangers as well (partly because of me).
He has said repeatedly the Rangers right now remind him of where the Braves were right before they got good.
He says the Rays fit that better but don’t seem to want to spend the money to be the Braves II, which sounds right.
Is Josey just waiting in the bushes....
….to spring out with his two cents?
"Congrats Rangers fans, you just found your replacement for Mark Teixeira. Just a crazy, crazy steal." -Goldstein
x
Why?
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Mar 9, 2010 1:47 PM CST up reply actions
Not!!!
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Mar 9, 2010 2:12 PM CST up reply actions
ahh, the Beckett trade
nice to hear straight from Daniels on this…
Bububub…Marlins used JD all along!
"Clearly, I've been wrong. VY is awesome." - AJM
Apology accepted
http://www.lonestarball.com/2007/8/29/113623/432#2678128
:)
"Clearly, I've been wrong. VY is awesome." - AJM
by Longhorn on Mar 9, 2010 2:57 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
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