Jon Daniels is out as president of baseball operations for the Texas Rangers after 17 years leading the club.
Team owner Ray Davis said Wednesday that Daniels was being relieved of his duties immediately after the decision was made not to renew his contract at the end of this season.
Daniels’ departure came two days after manager Chris Woodward was fired, and less than nine months after the Rangers committed more than a half-billion dollars to sign free-agent infielders Corey Seager and Marcus Semien and starting pitcher Jon Gray.
Daniels was the youngest general manager ever in the majors when he got the job with the Rangers at age 28 in October 2005. He added the title of president of baseball operations in 2013, and held both titles until Chris Young was brought in as the team’s general manager in December 2020.
“Jon’s accomplishments in his 17 years running our baseball operations department have been numerous. … His impact on the growth of our player development, scouting, and analytics groups has been immense. Jon has always had the best interests of the Rangers organization in mind on and off the field and in the community,” Davis said. “But the bottom line is we have not had a winning record since 2016 and for much of that time, have not been competitive in the AL West division.”
The Rangers went to the World Series in 2010 and 2011, then won AL West titles again in 2015 and 2016. They have since gone into the longest streak of consecutive losing seasons since moving to Texas a half-century ago. After splitting their first two games under interim manager Tony Beasley, they would have to win 29 of their last 46 games to avoid another losing season.
When addressing Woodward’s firing on Monday, Daniels said he took a lot of responsibility for the team’s performance over the last six years, and acknowledged that the Rangers haven’t been good enough in that span.
“But ultimately, this is a team effort. … When we were good, it wasn’t about me. It’s always been a team effort,” Daniels said. “We have a ways to go. We have a lot of good people here. As far as my personal accountability or situation, that’s something we’ll address down the line.”
YANKEES: All-Star closer Clay Holmes was placed on the injured list because of back soreness, part of a flurry of moves for the struggling AL East leaders.
“Not real concerned,” Manager Aaron Boone said. “We’re hoping that it’s just the 15 days.”
New York also recalled rookie right-hander Ron Marinaccio, infielder Oswaldo Cabrera and outfielder Estevan Florial from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Utilityman Miguel Andujar and outfielder Tim Locastro were sent down.
The Yankees had dropped 11 of 13 heading into Wednesday night’s game against Tampa Bay.
Following a 3-1 loss to the Rays on Tuesday, Holmes said he is experiencing some back tightness.
“There’s some stuff going on with my back and we’re just trying to figure out the best way to go about it,” he said.
ANGELS: Three-time AL MVP Mike Trout intends to return to the lineup on Friday in Detroit.
Trout hasn’t played since July 12 because of an injury to his upper back and ribcage. He faced live pitching Monday and worked out Wednesday, leaving him confident he will be able to play against the Tigers when the Angels open a 10-game trip.
ATHLETICS: Oakland released veteran shortstop Elvis Andrus.
Andrus, who turns 34 on Aug. 26, hit .237 with eight homers and 30 RBI in 106 games in his second season with the A’s. He was acquired in a trade with Texas in February 2021.
Last-place Oakland also recalled infielder Sheldon Neuse from Triple-A Las Vegas. Neuse appeared in 70 games with the A’s earlier this season, batting .227 with three homers and 21 RBI.
Andrus broke into the majors with Texas in 2009 and spent his first 12 seasons with the Rangers, making two AL All-Star teams. He is a .270 hitter with 87 homers and 703 RBIs in 1,904 career games.
He hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning of Oakland’s 5-1 win against Texas on Tuesday night.
MEDIA: Former Philadelphia Phillies manager Joe Girardi has joined Marquee Sports Network as a game analyst for the Chicago Cubs, one of his former teams.
Marquee said Girardi will join Jon Sciambi and former big league pitcher Jim Deshaies in the booth for this weekend’s series against Milwaukee. He also will work next month’s series at Miami.
“Growing up a Cubs fan and then having the chance to play for the team for a number of years, I’m honored to now have the opportunity to broadcast from the historic television broadcast booth,” Girardi said in a statement.
Marquee Sports Network is jointly owned by the Cubs and Sinclair Broadcast Group.
Girardi, 57, was the manager in Philadelphia before he was fired in June. He had a 132-141 record over three years with the Phillies.
Girardi also has managed the Marlins and New York Yankees. He skippered the Yankees to a 910-710 record in 10 seasons, including the franchise’s last World Series championship in 2009.
The Peoria, Illinois, native played college ball at Northwestern before he was selected by the Cubs in the fifth round of the 1986 amateur draft. The catcher made his big league debut with Chicago in 1989 and spent 15 years in the majors, finishing with a .267 batting average, 36 homers and 422 RBI.
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