The Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the Dallas Morning News are both reporting a couple of interesting developments on the Rangers front.
First, two-year contract offers have been made to free agent pitchers, with the S-T reporting that Matt Morris and Paul Byrd are the recipients. Barry Axelrod, Matt Morris's agent, is quoted in the S-T as comparing Morris to Matt Clement, who signed a 3 year, $21 million deal with Boston last year. If Morris wants 3 years, $21 million, I'd probably make that deal with him. But I'd be a bit surprised if you could get Morris for two years.
The Rangers are also supposedly showing some interest in free agent starters Brian Moehler and Jason Johnson. Either of them would be okay, I guess as a Plan C. Johnson is coming off a 2 year, $7 million deal with the Tigers, and has been a consistent sub-average innings-eater for a while, while Moehler had a mediocre season for the Marlins, splitting time between the pen and the rotation.
Johnson, on a one year deal for $2 million or less, would be okay, I guess. I'd much rather see that happen than trade for Adam Eaton. Moehler is more of an NRI guy. Either way, they'd be guys you'd stick at the end of the rotation, ask them to make 30 starts and throw 180 innings, and not suck too much.
Also per both the DMN and the S-T, John Hart has been given a contract extension. Apparently, another team supposedly contact the Rangers about talking to Hart about their g.m. position, and Tom Hicks seems terrified about the idea of Hart going elsewhere and everyone with the Rangers following him (which, if you recall, was supposedly the threat that led Hicks to keep Hart on instead of Fuson last year). As best I can tell, this is just more money for the John Hart retirement fund...Hicks is paying him to sit around and do nothing for the Rangers, rather than allow him to go somewhere else and do almost nothing for another organization.
Finally, the DMN says that Scott Servais is the leading candidate to take over the director of player development job that Dom Chiti held. The good news on Servais? No ties to Buck...never played for him, never was with the Yanks or the D-Backs. Servais is a scout with the Rockies, where Daniels interned and where assistant g.m. Thad Levine was working before he came over.