Between the 2 LA teams, Detroit, the Yankees and the Sox, the owners are going to have to open up the budget a bit. Not upset that we lost Josh, good riddance as far as I am concerned. But with the #3 attendance in baseball and a new tv deal, we shouldn't have to act like the Rays. Boy Wonder needs get clever and find a way to improve this team. Moving Kinsler to 1B is about an awful desperate idea if I've ever heard one. I don't mind them being smart with their money and not putting bad deals on the books, but if Elvis walks and we continue to sit and watch the top FA's sign elsewhere while not winning the division is will be very unfortunate and a waste of an opportunity to win the big one.

The OWNERS said "get Josh".
Umm, it's not the Owners that are hard-nose dealing with signees.
It's happening with other GM's also. The Deal with Upton- flat blown.
"Yes, we want Hamilton and he knows that". What? Close the Deal.

@ God, Jesus you sound pissed today.

You yell at the owners to spend some money, and then say you don't mind them not throwing bad money at players. Which is it?

I would like to trade Olt, Perez and Gentry for Matt Moore. That would be fun. God, you should know if that is going to happen or not, right?

hey guys i have an idea, lets all pitch in $1 per game and the rangers can go oit and sign swisher, AJ, laroche, adams, and trade kinsler and olt for upton

We had the 6th largest payroll in the league last year. It's not exactly like the front office has been running this team like it's the A's or Rays or anything. We were told in 2010/2011 we were building to be winners for the long term. Now we're rebuilding? Kinda depressing.

Here's a serious question. I have no real criticisms of how JD has run the team, but why do all of the relationships with our FAs signing elsewhere always seem to be acrimonious. CJ, whose deal with the Angels was not exactly unreasonable, said he never even got an offer from the Rangers. Josh had claimed he would come back to the Rangers for a last offer, and apparently didn't do so. We all know about the MY relationship with the Front Office (and I know, MY's not going to get much sympathy from this crowd). It always seems to be such drama with our FAs and the front office though that I don't see with other teams. Does JD/the front office have a reputation for these kinds of relationships falling apart? Who was our last decent FA to resign with the Rangers?

I don't think we have resigned any team FA's except Napoli for a year or the arbitration guys. But I think yes JD does tick some players off. He is not a people person near as I can tell. Back when Nolan bought the team, there was talk of JD not getting along with Nolan. But I think Nolan understands the old school player mentality I think this new school mentality is different than the FO understands. Todays players want to be coddled and worshipped, which I guess anyone making that kind of cash should be. But players need to understand this is a business and the bottom line is making money. If you are not producing (MY) you will go. If there is a cheaper alternative that is better or potentially is better (MY) you are gone. There is no loyalty in baseball anymore. The days of Stan Musial and Mickey Mantle are gone. We are in the FA, go for the cash era of baseball.

I just thought of this, since JD has an obvious problem with team FA's this could be the reason everyone thinks Elvis will walk in two years. This is all becoming clear now. JD has a serious problem dealing with people he is a academic statistical type of guy. SO maybe we need to let Thad Levine negotiate all contracts with free agents?

If you remove the $65.35M the Giants paid Lincecum, Aaron Rowand, Brian Wilson, Freddy Sanchez & Barry Zito for the approximate 1.5WAR they contributed in 2012 their payroll was about $46 million.

In 2011 the Cards payroll was $90M without the $8M paid to Jake Westbrook (-.1bWAR)

In 2010, taking out Rowland & Zito again (.5 bWAR) their payroll was $65 Million

Winning isn't about spending money. It's about spending it wisely. People that can't grasp that concept are also the reason more Americans are dying in debt than ever before and the same people that can pay a cable bill but can't provide food for their own families. It's pitiful and shameful. But that isn't a discussion for these boards so I'll step away from the box.

But please, stop bitching about spending money if you don't have any valuable input or ideas on where to spend it.

I think that Daniels, Levine, Prellers, Ryan, etc.... may have a bit of arrogance about them. They've went about this off season like they're better than all the other GM's. I've got news for the brass in Arlington: Those other teams work hard at improving their teams too! If they have money, they spend it! The hell with leverage! The hell with 5 years from now! It's all about NOW

Henchmen has a very good point. I do not think this year was the first time their arrogance has bitten them in the butt. Everyone remembers the Cliff Lee deal. Honestly, I have no clear place to spend the surplus of cash that the team supposedly has.....But it seems to me that after getting rid of Young, Napoli, and Hamilton plus CJ the year prior this screams salary dump to me, much like the Marlins do every so often just not on that big of a scale. You can make the argument that this is a salary dump....Our biggest contracts minus Darvish, Beltre, and Kinsler are gone. But then we turn around and pay a few million to a broken down injured closer from a non competitive team (KC). Why did we sign Soria? THis makes little or no sense to me.

We signed Soria bc he may become the beast that he once was when Nathan is a FA next year. Signing Soria was a great move. The lack of other moves is the problem.

I think some of you are starting to get it. If you were a FA thinking of signing in Texas
Wouldn't you give some calls to certain x-Ranger(s) and ask, "Really, howZ it over there"?
Buddy, I certainly would. The fact that KT's a bit old school, well he didn't mesh with Daniels.

Is it a social thing with our front office? Seems a LOT of deals going south. Money, can't be
the excuse with Grienke, because he was our #1 focus, knowing we were up against LAD.
Does this put another question about Lee going to Philly? Go through each deal lost. I wonder.

I agree that the money not being spent is disappointing and JD might be a major problem but Id like to look at it from a positive side. Ogando replaces Dempster so no major loss there. Id like a better #5 than Perez but it is time to see what these prospects can do. Im thrilled that Profar and Olt get to play. Napoli is clearly injury plagued so that looks like the Rangers dodged a bullet but catcher definitely needs an upgrade and there are options there. I would have loved to keep Hamilton but him being gone just doesnt really bother me - the Angels rotation is not that scary anymore - Blanton, Hanson, etc...are you kidding me? That is even more true if Wilson is not completely healthy. Hamilton's soap opera (and Im a big fan of his) was getting old so we now see what Martin/Gentry can do (worst case scenario) and the Angels will love their payroll in about 3 years as Pujols/Hamilton age. They better win something soon because the Vernon Wells situation is just going to repeat itself all over again - especially if Hamilton can not stay healthy. It is not over yet and I think JD/Nolan like to be challenged. I am excited to see what is next.

Billy you are definitely a glass is half full type of guy. That would be great if I had any faith at all in JD right now. But the only way I see this is as an abject and utter failure on behalf of JD and company.

But a ton of money is being spent on stadium upgrades! That makes it alright! RIGHT?!!

I don't care if they spend money, but I do want to see them attempt to improve the team. If the franchise goes into rebuild mode then so be it, so long as the end result is they are moving forward. But this team's offense as it stands now isn't close to what it has been. We have Beltre, a bunch of guys that get their stats propped up by the ballpark, and some really strong role players.

In some respects I hope they do punt and go young because they seem to have painted themselves into a corner. Mets can hold out for more. Zona can pretend it doesn't need a SS anymore. If youre Nick Swisher you still have the Mariners, Bosox and Phillies as suitors so again, you can wait out a bigger contract.

For all the talk about how smart the front office is, they seemingly have been outplayed at every turn.

"The hell with 5 years from now" Everyone thinks we have to win now! So how about we just throw all of our chips into one pot so that we would have a better chance of winning in this next 2-3 years or so...just so that in 5 years we will be a team full of old bad contracts and a bottom dweller again...sounds like a great idea. You don't become a team that is going to compete year after year after year in one night. Rome wasn't built in a day. JD see's the big picture in the next couple off-seasons who will there be to spend money? It certainly won't be anyone in LA, BOS just ate up a chunk of payroll and the Yankees are still trying to cut back. Yeah maybe things don;t look perfect now but in a couple years when the Rangers have some good young prospects come up and have their way with the FA market things will look a whole lot better. Especially going up against the Angels who will be paying both Pujols and Hamilton more than 50 mil combined well past their 35 yr seasons.

I just moved back to DFW area from LA for my work. I can't express how much of a relief it is. That place is over crowded, full of side show distractions and is a stress ball of never ending stop go traffic.

Yes their lineup is absolutely stacked on paper now, but it will be very interesting to see just how well an aging, injury prone, volatile head case like Hamilton will do on a day in, day out basis out there in that crazy environment.

Look I don't want to turn this into a "Jon Daniels is the worst GM evah" thing. He's not - not even close. But nor is he the best GM evah in the history of the world. He's got a lot of strengths, I do worry a bit though about the relationship between the players and the Front Office. They were apparently setting the team up for the long term a couple years ago, and as far as I know every free agent has walked, and in the case of many of the bigger name ones, there always seems to be some drama. Now we're rebuilding again apparently. That seems troublesome, even if only because I don't see it to nearly this degree on other teams..

Well said Dan.

Why does anyone think letting 2 players who are on downside of their careers sign for way too much money means this team is rebuilding? They have 2 of the best prospects in baseball who can play everyday now and many more ready in the minors, plus cash to spend.

Zane, very good comment. Don't lose heart, Rangers fans. This isn't over yet. All Star teams don't win championships, teams do.

Peace

I said this a couple of days ago. I'll say it again. There are significant holes in this team that need to be filled. I am not entirely convinced that JD deserves the Wunderkind reputation. His work has been really patchy. No one anticipated 2010 and I definitely did not anticipate 2012. Go back to the two great teams in the past twenty that ended up being dynasties, the Yankees and the Braves. Perhaps add the A's and the Angels also. Those teams had tremendous homegrown talent that was the core of their success. Sabermaetrics does not help much there. Please read some articles by Joe Lemire in Sports Illustrated where he analyzes the actual Major League performance of very many "great" prospects. The organizations I mentioned seem to draft an almost endless number of Major League worthy or ready players. The Texas Rangers' performance in scouting is quite bad. Even where the scouting has been good, they have either traded them away without giving them enough opportunities. The one phenomenal trade with the Braves has added a glow to JD's deal making and JeDi reputation. We need some better work. Go Rangers

being from St. Louis, we all went thru this in spades when Albert left. an effort was made, but the decision was let him go, the money just got too stupid for too long. for awhile, our fans thought the world was ending, but.... last year wound up being pretty good, we made the playoffs, one game from going back to the WS. I don't think the contract for JH is that bad, only 5 years. I would have signed him for that time frame, but trust me, given a little time, and if your FO can fill some holes with now available money (free agent or taking on a contract) you guys have a reallly good team still. at this time, it seems that you have to choose one between Andrus and Profar, trade the other for a bat/pitching and go from there. I still see the Rangers as a very good team. sometimes, subtraction becomes a good thing, even when it doesn't look that way at first. you guys now have what we have...a lot of payroll flexibility and as I remember a good free agent class next year.

Thanks for the solace Dan, but next years free agent class is one of he worst in a long time. Unless big trades are made, we're going to need to rely on our youth for a couple years.