2013 Season - Post-Mortem

[lainey12]

I've been saying for years that there was a real division within the Rangers organization between JD people and Nolan people and that JD and Nolan don't exactly like one another. For the longest time I was either questioned on this or flat out told I was lying. Then last offseason the whole Nolan issue happened which I think showed that Nolan was being pushed aside and somewhat stripped of his power. It almost caused him to leave.

Now today, one of the biggest Nolan guys in the organization, Jackie Moore, was shown the door for seemingly no reason other than because he was a Nolan guy. Wash is returning as are Magadan, Maddux, and Pettis (all JD guys except for Maddux). I can now reveal that Jackie Moore is a very close friend of mine. I've known him my entire life. As a kid, I got to be around a lot of the Oakland A's like Carney Lansford and Dave Kingman when Jackie was manager there. He's given me tons of cool memorabilia over the years. I babysat his kids when they were young and his family came to my wedding. So that's how I've been privy to some of the inside happenings within the Rangers clubhouse over the last several years. He hasn't told me anything super secret or anything which would have gotten him in trouble. But he was able to answer some of my general questions. I like JD as a general manager and most of what he's done for the team. But I've also known for quite some time that he's a two-faced snake in the grass. He's stabbed Nolan and Thad Levine in the back on numerous occasions. So when Mike Young left and went out of his way to say he loved the fans, teammates, coaches, and even Nolan and basically said he couldn't stand JD or the way he was lied to, I knew he was telling the truth. It's how I also knew Wash didn't always listen to his coaches.

Anyway, I'm just telling you all of this because many of you often wonder on here why Wash is still around, why Nolan was partially pushed out, why certain players are re-signed and why some are strangely let go. There's your reason, a major division within the upper brass and differing opinions on how things should run.

Wow. Now that's an interesting post.
Thanks for sharing

 

[WilltheThrill]

Thank you Will. Just to let you know I always took you at your word. Pretty sure most did also. It's a great story you have elected to share. Disappointed that JD is a Wash man. Will never understand why.

Wow. Now that's an interesting post.
Thanks for sharing

No problem. I've been hesitant over the last few years to reveal too much just because I didn't want to risk in any way something bad happening because of me. All it would take would be the wrong person to stumble across a post saying I knew him well and they might think he'd been leaking "company secrets" to everyone. Our conversations over the last several years and the conversations between our families mostly stayed on the positives surrounding the team- stuff about how great Beltre was, any upcoming rookies to watch for, what is Spring Training going to look like this year, etc..

During the two WS runs I got to go to every single home playoff game and sit with the players' families. I chatted with Misty May-Treanor, the entire Endy Chavez clan (who spoke broken English), David Murphy's family, and Dustin Nippert's family. On other occasions I got to go down into the player's tunnel and into the parking garage to chat with Jackie and watch the players emerge from the clubhouse and greet their families. That's how I know Mike Maddux is a big ol' country boy who wears boots and drives a huge pickup (would never have guessed that listening to his brother speak). It's how I learned that Elvis Andrus is extremely nice (actually came up to me and introduced himself and took the time to chat for a few with me, a total nobody). It's where I saw CJ Wilson and some bimbo leave together without acknowledging anyone and peeling out in his Porsche right in front of the rest of the players with their small children. They weren't amused.

Anyway, I'm no super insider and I'm sure some who post here have had similar access and experiences as I have. But I have definitely seen and heard my share over the past several years. That's why sometimes I will speak up and say so when a poster is describing someone or something contrary to what I've either been told or experienced firsthand.

Jackie is such an incredibly nice man and I'm really sorry that the powers that be thought a new direction was needed for whatever reason in his position. It will be hard though to find a more experienced replacement, that's for sure.

 

[WilltheThrill]

Oh, and Katie Hamilton is a gold-digging manipulative bitch-on-wheels if there ever was one. But you don't need to know a Ranger or have sat with the wives to know that. I think her pre-season press conference this year in which she basically spoke for Josh and talked about dumping the Rangers spoke volumes.

 

[Windingmywatch]

Not sure if this is OT here or not ... just figured the balance of the 2013 post season chats can post in this thread.

In that regard ... AJ Burnett's game came back to where we all expected it to end up in the first two innings of game one w/STL. Hope PIT can dig its way back from that kicking.

 

[Sexy]

In other news, Kershaw is amazing.

 

[fanman8825]

I've been saying for years that there was a real division within the Rangers organization between JD people and Nolan people and that JD and Nolan don't exactly like one another. For the longest time I was either questioned on this or flat out told I was lying. Then last offseason the whole Nolan issue happened which I think showed that Nolan was being pushed aside and somewhat stripped of his power. It almost caused him to leave.

Now today, one of the biggest Nolan guys in the organization, Jackie Moore, was shown the door for seemingly no reason other than because he was a Nolan guy. Wash is returning as are Magadan, Maddux, and Pettis (all JD guys except for Maddux). I can now reveal that Jackie Moore is a very close friend of mine. I've known him my entire life. As a kid, I got to be around a lot of the Oakland A's like Carney Lansford and Dave Kingman when Jackie was manager there. He's given me tons of cool memorabilia over the years. I babysat his kids when they were young and his family came to my wedding. So that's how I've been privy to some of the inside happenings within the Rangers clubhouse over the last several years. He hasn't told me anything super secret or anything which would have gotten him in trouble. But he was able to answer some of my general questions. I like JD as a general manager and most of what he's done for the team. But I've also known for quite some time that he's a two-faced snake in the grass. He's stabbed Nolan and Thad Levine in the back on numerous occasions. So when Mike Young left and went out of his way to say he loved the fans, teammates, coaches, and even Nolan and basically said he couldn't stand JD or the way he was lied to, I knew he was telling the truth. It's how I also knew Wash didn't always listen to his coaches.

Anyway, I'm just telling you all of this because many of you often wonder on here why Wash is still around, why Nolan was partially pushed out, why certain players are re-signed and why some are strangely let go. There's your reason, a major division within the upper brass and differing opinions on how things should run.

Great post Will. Very interesting. I wonder who Wash is going to hug after Ranger win's next year?

 

[ESPN Refugee]

I've been saying for years that there was a real division within the Rangers organization between JD people and Nolan people and that JD and Nolan don't exactly like one another. For the longest time I was either questioned on this or flat out told I was lying. Then last offseason the whole Nolan issue happened which I think showed that Nolan was being pushed aside and somewhat stripped of his power. It almost caused him to leave.

Now today, one of the biggest Nolan guys in the organization, Jackie Moore, was shown the door for seemingly no reason other than because he was a Nolan guy. Wash is returning as are Magadan, Maddux, and Pettis (all JD guys except for Maddux). I can now reveal that Jackie Moore is a very close friend of mine. I've known him my entire life. As a kid, I got to be around a lot of the Oakland A's like Carney Lansford and Dave Kingman when Jackie was manager there. He's given me tons of cool memorabilia over the years. I babysat his kids when they were young and his family came to my wedding. So that's how I've been privy to some of the inside happenings within the Rangers clubhouse over the last several years. He hasn't told me anything super secret or anything which would have gotten him in trouble. But he was able to answer some of my general questions. I like JD as a general manager and most of what he's done for the team. But I've also known for quite some time that he's a two-faced snake in the grass. He's stabbed Nolan and Thad Levine in the back on numerous occasions. So when Mike Young left and went out of his way to say he loved the fans, teammates, coaches, and even Nolan and basically said he couldn't stand JD or the way he was lied to, I knew he was telling the truth. It's how I also knew Wash didn't always listen to his coaches.

Anyway, I'm just telling you all of this because many of you often wonder on here why Wash is still around, why Nolan was partially pushed out, why certain players are re-signed and why some are strangely let go. There's your reason, a major division within the upper brass and differing opinions on how things should run.

Interesting post. Look if someone is cunning and two face in this business I don't think it should be a surprise to anybody. To me if someone is like that but is delivering results on the field, rink, court etc then by all means I'm ok with it. Look we all need to realize that sports is a cut throat business with millions and millions of dollars at stake. I like and respect Jackie Moore a lot but I don't believe he was just released because he was a Nolan guy. Some change had to be made and if it wasn't going to be Wash it had to be his right hand man to give a little more perspective on in game strategy. The Nolan/JD saga won't end well here. I think it's inevitable that Nolan will be gone very soon even before the start of the heavy winter hot stove.

 

[PDay8810]

Interesting post. Look if someone is cunning and two face in this business I don't think it should be a surprise to anybody. To me if someone is like that but is delivering results on the field, rink, court etc then by all means I'm ok with it. Look we all need to realize that sports is a cut throat business with millions and millions of dollars at stake. I like and respect Jackie Moore a lot but I don't believe he was just released because he was a Nolan guy. Some change had to be made and if it wasn't going to be Wash it had to be his right hand man to give a little more perspective on in game strategy. The Nolan/JD saga won't end well here. I think it's inevitable that Nolan will be gone very soon even before the start of the heavy winter hot stove.

Well said....Spot on post

 

[ashcan]

Oh, and Katie Hamilton is a gold-digging manipulative bitch-on-wheels if there ever was one. But you don't need to know a Ranger or have sat with the wives to know that. I think her pre-season press conference this year in which she basically spoke for Josh and talked about dumping the Rangers spoke volumes.

Are you telling us it was her call when it came to Josh re-signing here?

 

[ashcan]

Interesting post. Look if someone is cunning and two face in this business I don't think it should be a surprise to anybody. To me if someone is like that but is delivering results on the field, rink, court etc then by all means I'm ok with it. Look we all need to realize that sports is a cut throat business with millions and millions of dollars at stake. I like and respect Jackie Moore a lot but I don't believe he was just released because he was a Nolan guy. Some change had to be made and if it wasn't going to be Wash it had to be his right hand man to give a little more perspective on in game strategy. The Nolan/JD saga won't end well here. I think it's inevitable that Nolan will be gone very soon even before the start of the heavy winter hot stove.

Everybody loves Nolan, the good ol' boy from Texas, the legend, the folk hero. Now, did he turn the thing around, or was it JD? Who wanted Wash fired a few years back? Nolan? Did JD step in because Wash was the philosophy change that Texas had craved for so long? I remember watching Jackie Moore as a player. Was he part of the good ol' boy, same-old-Rangers network that produced only 1 playoff win in local franchise history? What about the Chuck Greenberg thing? Nolan wanted him gone. Didn't he also want Josh Lewin out? These guys were foreign, IMO, to what Texas had been used to. Nolan wanted a more traditional "announcer" like Milo Hamilton, correct? I loved Josh Lewin and thought he gave Texas a new ness. Why did the big money boys ultimately give JD the power last year?
We all want success, but it breeds a lot of jealousy. Everyone wants credit and that seems to be what we have here. We went to back-to-back World Series. Regardless of outcome, that's one of helluva an accomplishment. But now we fight. Now we divide and conquer. Now we start the erosion of the current regime. Maybe its' all about philosophy. JD seems to have some Belichik, "yeah you were good for us once but we need to move on" in him. Nolan, just like Jed down the street, is a loyal old boy from the south. MY was overpaid years ago and counted to much against the line. (Maybe Beltre should watch his back?)
Great insight Will theThrill. You're right Refugee, it probably won't end pretty. It's sad because we're still on a great position to chase a title. Hell, as a Rangers fan, I can never recall a time when we perennially have been mentioned as a possible World Series contender. That's so new to Rangers fans and maybe that's what JD is trying to get us used to by letting go of that old Rangers past.

 

[WilltheThrill]

Are you telling us it was her call when it came to Josh re-signing here?

All I'm saying is what I know for sure, and that is that she most certainly wears the pants in that family and was the driving force behind all of that "we will go where God wants us to go" and "Josh deserves a rich contract so we can give more to others" talk. She's basically Hillary Clinton circa 1998, willing to overlook any infidelities by her famous husband as long as her end-game needs (Hillary Clinton-power, Katie Hamilton-money) are met. The Rangers' wives are a close-knit group who do a lot together and Katie Hamilton was the one wife who no one could stand.

So while ultimately Josh had to sign on the dotted line to go to Anaheim, I'm sure she played a part in that decision too. She found the big dumb beast with mush for brains but all the talent in the world and saw dollar signs. It's why I don't hate Josh Hamilton. I just think he is incredibly stupid (bordering on mentally slow) and naive. He doesn't understand why the fans booed him, he doesn't understand that he should keep his mouth shut and choose his words carefully when he does speak, he doesn't understand that if he starts taking a ton more pitches that he will be walked frequently which will eventually force pitchers to give him pitches to hit... in short, he just doesn't understand a lot of things.

 

[WilltheThrill]

Everybody loves Nolan, the good ol' boy from Texas, the legend, the folk hero. Now, did he turn the thing around, or was it JD? Who wanted Wash fired a few years back? Nolan? Did JD step in because Wash was the philosophy change that Texas had craved for so long? I remember watching Jackie Moore as a player. Was he part of the good ol' boy, same-old-Rangers network that produced only 1 playoff win in local franchise history? What about the Chuck Greenberg thing? Nolan wanted him gone. Didn't he also want Josh Lewin out? These guys were foreign, IMO, to what Texas had been used to. Nolan wanted a more traditional "announcer" like Milo Hamilton, correct? I loved Josh Lewin and thought he gave Texas a new ness. Why did the big money boys ultimately give JD the power last year?
We all want success, but it breeds a lot of jealousy. Everyone wants credit and that seems to be what we have here. We went to back-to-back World Series. Regardless of outcome, that's one of helluva an accomplishment. But now we fight. Now we divide and conquer. Now we start the erosion of the current regime. Maybe its' all about philosophy. JD seems to have some Belichik, "yeah you were good for us once but we need to move on" in him. Nolan, just like Jed down the street, is a loyal old boy from the south. MY was overpaid years ago and counted to much against the line. (Maybe Beltre should watch his back?)
Great insight Will theThrill. You're right Refugee, it probably won't end pretty. It's sad because we're still on a great position to chase a title. Hell, as a Rangers fan, I can never recall a time when we perennially have been mentioned as a possible World Series contender. That's so new to Rangers fans and maybe that's what JD is trying to get us used to by letting go of that old Rangers past.

I think there is plenty of "blame", if you want to call it that, to go around for the division in the front office and the team's slight decline from powerhouse WS contender to top-10 fringe playoff team. Even my good friend Jackie Moore, who I consider to be an exceptional baseball mind, probably made his share of blunders. Heck, we all do in our day-to-day lives and jobs. But the way I see the main players in all of this, which I admit is not only based on what I've been told and witnessed but also just on my own opinions, is like this:

Nolan- good ol' boy with an excellent sense of what it takes from a player's perspective to win in this game. Preaches a no-nonsense, go after them, pound the strike zone, screw innings limits, old school baseball mentality. I think he got rid of Lewin because he wanted more baseball talk and less pop culture humor. I think he is a stand-up guy with excellent values and is a wonderful ambassador for the team. Jackie Moore and Mike Maddux are both cut from the same cloth. However, I don't necessarily think Nolan is a brilliant mind when it comes to trades, building a roster, and analyzing all players.

JD- I think he is an incredibly smart guy with a great business sense about him. I think he is most definitely shrewd/two-faced which sometimes is a huge plus and other times a big minus. I think his knowledge of the game is fairly limited and his athletic abilities are non-existent (meaning he had no sports background of any kind before college). He is basically the anti-Nolan. He doesn't have a solid feel for the game but he does know how to wheel and deal and he has surrounded himself with smart baseball guys. He comes off as very cold and detached (rarely even smiles) while Nolan is the lovable old cowboy. Overall, I think he has been an excellent asset for the Rangers. I guess I just don't blindly worship the guy like others. Some people see the two World Series teams, Beltre, Yu, Nathan, etc. and think the guy can do no wrong. But people forget the Alfonso Soriano for Brad Wilkerson trade. They forget the Chris Young/Adrian Gonzalez for Adam Eaton/Aki Otsuka deal. They don't realize that the Andrus/Feliz for Teixeira mega-deal which essentially served as the turning point for the franchise was offered to JD by Braves GM John Schuerholz as a desperate last-ditch effort to acquire a star player and win a WS in his last season as Braves GM. JD simply said yes. People forget about the multiple other failed acquisitions by JD like Milton Bradley, Jorge Cantu, Cristian Guzman, etc.. He's had about a .500 batting average as GM, which is still very good. Solid GM, but not infallible.

I just see a major battle for power and control going on and a concerted effort by JD to slowly push Nolan and his people aside so that he can have 100% say and build the team how he wants with little to no resistance. Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning-News had a good article today about the need for either the relationship to be mended so that there is no more backstabbing/conflict or for one of them to be shown the door. I can't say I disagree.

 

[RevSader]

I think there is plenty of "blame", if you want to call it that, to go around for the division in the front office and the team's slight decline from powerhouse WS contender to top-10 fringe playoff team. Even my good friend Jackie Moore, who I consider to be an exceptional baseball mind, probably made his share of blunders. Heck, we all do in our day-to-day lives and jobs. But the way I see the main players in all of this, which I admit is not only based on what I've been told and witnessed but also just on my own opinions, is like this:

Nolan- good ol' boy with an excellent sense of what it takes from a player's perspective to win in this game. Preaches a no-nonsense, go after them, pound the strike zone, screw innings limits, old school baseball mentality. I think he got rid of Lewin because he wanted more baseball talk and less pop culture humor. I think he is a stand-up guy with excellent values and is a wonderful ambassador for the team. Jackie Moore and Mike Maddux are both cut from the same cloth. However, I don't necessarily think Nolan is a brilliant mind when it comes to trades, building a roster, and analyzing all players.

JD- I think he is an incredibly smart guy with a great business sense about him. I think he is most definitely shrewd/two-faced which sometimes is a huge plus and other times a big minus. I think his knowledge of the game is fairly limited and his athletic abilities are non-existent (meaning he had no sports background of any kind before college). He is basically the anti-Nolan. He doesn't have a solid feel for the game but he does know how to wheel and deal and he has surrounded himself with smart baseball guys. He comes off as very cold and detached (rarely even smiles) while Nolan is the lovable old cowboy. Overall, I think he has been an excellent asset for the Rangers. I guess I just don't blindly worship the guy like others. Some people see the two World Series teams, Beltre, Yu, Nathan, etc. and think the guy can do no wrong. But people forget the Alfonso Soriano for Brad Wilkerson trade. They forget the Chris Young/Adrian Gonzalez for Adam Eaton/Aki Otsuka deal. They don't realize that the Andrus/Feliz for Teixeira mega-deal which essentially served as the turning point for the franchise was offered to JD by Braves GM John Schuerholz as a desperate last-ditch effort to acquire a star player and win a WS in his last season as Braves GM. JD simply said yes. People forget about the multiple other failed acquisitions by JD like Milton Bradley, Jorge Cantu, Cristian Guzman, etc.. He's had about a .500 batting average as GM, which is still very good. Solid GM, but not infallible.

I just see a major battle for power and control going on and a concerted effort by JD to slowly push Nolan and his people aside so that he can have 100% say and build the team how he wants with little to no resistance. Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning-News had a good article today about the need for either the relationship to be mended so that there is no more backstabbing/conflict or for one of them to be shown the door. I can't say I disagree.

Milton Bradley was not a failed acquisition. You could not be more wrong about that one.

I've tried very hard to keep my distance and not respond, but this power struggle stuff is a fabrication from guys like Galloway. Your good friend Jackie Moore can believe whatever he wants about why he was let go, but this is conspiracy theorist level stuff, man.

 

[UK Cowboy]

Milton Bradley was not a failed acquisition. You could not be more wrong about that one.

I've tried very hard to keep my distance and not respond, but this power struggle stuff is a fabrication from guys like Galloway. Your good friend Jackie Moore can believe whatever he wants about why he was let go, but this is conspiracy theorist level stuff, man.

I agree with Rev on this. There are two sides to every story, and if you are a coach or assistant coach on ANY pro team that doesn't at least make the playoffs, you can never be surprised when the Hammer drops.

 

[MajorCharlesRane]

Daniels is the brains. Nolan is the heart. They are worlds apart on how to approach baseball. I highly doubt they are best friends. However, I think it is very healthy to have 2 wildly different perspectives in business. I bet they have a lot of respect for each other. After all, they both want to win.

No GM is perfect. Fans, sports columnists, etc., get to spend the rest of their lives reviewing old trades to see who ended up with the better deal. Looking back on old trades, I think people tend to forget about the context of the situation when the trade was made. I think Daniels has done wonders with this team. Before Daniels showed up, the Rangers were perceived as a minor league team by the mainstream media. Part of that was because they never had good pitching.

WilltheThrill--I have to disagree about the Texeira trade. You think all Daniels had to do was say yes? Lol. Daniels wasn't even happy with the initial offer and got the Braves to throw in Feliz.

Milton Bradley was pretty good on the Rangers. His time with the Mariners on the other hand...lol. Daniels decided not to re-sign him and it was definitely the right call.

Jorge Cantu? You are bringing up Jorge Cantu? Lol. That was not a "career defining final piece of the puzzle" type trade. That was a "lets get another super cheap guy for the bench just in case" type trade.

Smoak was traded in the Cliff Lee deal and hasn't exactly set the world on fire. He's roughly got the same stats as Moreland. I'd say another good move by Daniels.

His biggest screw up would probably be Adrian Gonzalez.

I can't really fault him on Chris Davis. I lost track of how many tries he got. Lol.

 

[WilltheThrill]

Daniels is the brains. Nolan is the heart. They are worlds apart on how to approach baseball. I highly doubt they are best friends. However, I think it is very healthy to have 2 wildly different perspectives in business. I bet they have a lot of respect for each other. After all, they both want to win.

No GM is perfect. Fans, sports columnists, etc., get to spend the rest of their lives reviewing old trades to see who ended up with the better deal. Looking back on old trades, I think people tend to forget about the context of the situation when the trade was made. I think Daniels has done wonders with this team. Before Daniels showed up, the Rangers were perceived as a minor league team by the mainstream media. Part of that was because they never had good pitching.

WilltheThrill--I have to disagree about the Texeira trade. You think all Daniels had to do was say yes? Lol. Daniels wasn't even happy with the initial offer and got the Braves to throw in Feliz.

Milton Bradley was pretty good on the Rangers. His time with the Mariners on the other hand...lol. Daniels decided not to re-sign him and it was definitely the right call.

Jorge Cantu? You are bringing up Jorge Cantu? Lol. That was not a "career defining final piece of the puzzle" type trade. That was a "lets get another super cheap guy for the bench just in case" type trade.

Smoak was traded in the Cliff Lee deal and hasn't exactly set the world on fire. He's roughly got the same stats as Moreland. I'd say another good move by Daniels.

His biggest screw up would probably be Adrian Gonzalez.

I can't really fault him on Chris Davis. I lost track of how many tries he got. Lol.

I was listing a lot of his acquisitions. I never said they had to be major deals. I was just citing examples of how not everything JD touches turns to gold like some people want to believe. Not sure why you're bringing up the Cliff Lee deal, as that was a major win for JD. I never said he didn't make some great moves. In fact, I said that overall he has been a great asset for the team. If you go back and look at every last trade or acquisition he's made, it's pretty close to an even .500 W-L. His "wins" though have been much more positive than his "losses" negative, so yeah he's definitely come out ahead overall.

And yes, even Daniels has admitted that he was caught off guard by Schuerholz's offer for Teixeira which was loaded with prospects. JD was most certainly in the right place at the right time there. My point is that he wasn't some evil genius who brilliantly brokered the deal of a lifetime to build a contender but rather someone who was in the right place to capitalize on another GM's win-now screw the future over zealous offer.
He deserves praise for it, but some like to portray it as only a move he could have made.

 

[WilltheThrill]

Milton Bradley was not a failed acquisition. You could not be more wrong about that one.

I've tried very hard to keep my distance and not respond, but this power struggle stuff is a fabrication from guys like Galloway. Your good friend Jackie Moore can believe whatever he wants about why he was let go, but this is conspiracy theorist level stuff, man.

You are right about Bradley. I shouldn't have tried to label him as a bad acquisition because he did have a few really nice seasons with Texas and kept on his best behavior. I guess I was just thinking more along the lines of guys who were brought in who didn't really play a big role in either building for the team's future or bringing it immediate success. Still though, it was unfair to include Bradley in that list. He belongs more on the positive side of the ledger. Good call.

However, you can call the power struggle between Nolan and JD a conspiracy if you like, but I happen to know it is as 100% real as it gets and have known it for many years. This wasn't just something that Jackie Moore invented or used as a crutch this last week to explain his dismissal. This division between JD and Nolan and their respective "people" has been well-known among the Rangers inner circles and was even brewing during the WS years. The two are not fond of one another. At all. Randy Galloway is an idiot for sure, but even he knew about it. Kevin Sherrington wrote a lengthy piece on it last week. Richard Durrett has written about it too. These guys are not all inventing the same rumor. I have been told about this power struggle since Day 1 of the Nolan-JD coexistence. Why would Jackie or anyone else fabricate such a "conspiracy theory" that many years back? Why was Nolan reassigned to a lesser role? Why was he on the verge of leaving the team. I might not be the most insider or knowledgeable Rangers guy on here, but I can assure you that Nolan and JD coexist about as well as the Yankees and Red Sox- cordial when they have to be but that's about it. Believe it or don't, but that's how it is.

 

[WilltheThrill]

Anyway, I didn't mean to hijack this thread and make it all about who and what I did and didn't know within the inner workings of the team over the last several years. Just thought I'd at least explain how I've come by some of the tidbits and water cooler talk I've claimed to know like I always promised I would once I could.

I think this thread was more meant for offseason chatter and not dredging up the past, so my bad there.

Back on topic- The more I think about it, the more I see David Price in a Rangers uniform next season. It's not what I would necessarily want per se, but it makes too much sense not to happen. The Rangers need offense in the worst way and would love to dangle Profar to land a legit OF stud. But I just don't see the likes of Stanton or CarGo being made available (though I wish they would). So I think JD will do the next best thing and further strengthen the rotation. The trading partners match up well. TB needs a better future SS than Yunel Escobar and Profar would be cheap, which they love. Rangers could add Price to go along with Darvish, Holland, and maybe Garza to form the AL's best rotation. Then add a couple of bats like McCann, Napoli, Beltran, etc. via free agency to upgrade the offense. Thoughts?

 

[PDay8810]

Thoughts? You asked....

I wouldn't trade Profar. Not for keeping Ian at 2nd I wouldn't. I'd look to move Kinsler this offseason. This idea of a 13 HR, 270 hitter with a great walk to SO ratio playing 1B is the last thing I do.

I throw money towards McCann and make him take a lesser offer not to come to Texas.

 

[jta4437]

Thoughts? You asked....

I wouldn't trade Profar. Not for keeping Ian at 2nd I wouldn't. I'd look to move Kinsler this offseason. This idea of a 13 HR, 270 hitter with a great walk to SO ratio playing 1B is the last thing I do.

I throw money towards McCann and make him take a lesser offer not to come to Texas.

Problem is, no one takes Kinsler off your hands, you're pretty much stuck with him, at least not in the sense you get anything sort of value for him, unless you eat almost his whole contract

Otherwise, I wholeheartedly agree