Jon Daniels can opt out of his contract with the Rangers after this season if the team’s ownership changes, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Rangers' ownership transfer is in flux, but the 32-year-old GM tells Rosenthal that he isn’t thinking of opting out.
“That’s not even remotely on my mind,” Daniels said. “All of the focus should be on the team and what they’re doing.”
Daniels, who became GM after the 2005 season, is under contract through 2011 if there's no ownership change. The 50-35 Rangers lead the AL West and Daniels says he loves it in Texas. If the group led by Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan buys the team, the out clause will likely amount to nothing, Rosenthal reports.
The Rangers say they are focused on improving their team by the trade deadline. They have already acquired Bengie Molina and are looking for pitching, too. If they hope to add Cliff Lee, they should act soon; the Yankees appear to be close to acquiring the left-hander.
not really familiar with texas’ franchise. can anyone tell me why they’re having such a hard time selling a first place team full of young studs. Anybody want to invest with me? I have 11 dollars.
I think it was because they have contracts of players that arent playing for them anymore(namely A-Rod) that they cant pay that forced them to file for bankrupty… Thats as much as I know anyways
The sale is being held up because the current owner defaulted on $525 million in loans. The creditors want the teams sale to pay for the debt even though the owner accrued the debt with his other business ventures, not with the team. The Rangers filed for bankruptsy in order to sever the unpaid player contracts from Hicks’s busniess’s debt. The proposed new ownership is willing to pay the $75 million owed to A-Rod and others. The creditors of the larger debt, however, are arguing they should be getting all the money from the sale of the team.
The sell of the team has to be approved by the previous owner Tom Hicks’ debtors. They are not fans of Chuck Greenberg, Nolan Ryan and co.’s proposal. At the moment, they are that group has exclusive rights to negotiate a sale. Now because of the stalemate, the courts were brought in to settle it, and the decision is for an auction to be held.
Well I’ve got $250, so we are that much closer.
Their GM is 32 years old but has been the GM for 5 years? How’d a 27 year old become general manager of a MLB team? I mean, good for him… but it makes me want to reevaluate my life.
Note: There are about 40 creditors that are owed money by Tom Hicks. Initially, it were the main creditors that pitched a fit about the Greenberg group (not because of Greenberg … if he was offering $75 million more, they’d love him). Now, it looks like the creditors not owed that much will be left out in the rain. The team will be auctioned off in a week to the highest bidder.
Daniels was in the Rockies organization and is definitely a bit of a wunderkind.
As a Rangers fan, if Daniels and Nolan Ryan should leave due to ownership change, it would probably devastate the already iffy fanbase that have started to buy back into the organization and the magnetic players at the Major League level. If this team has direction (as it does), Dallas/Fort Worth fans can get into it as evidenced by the 45K they draw on weekends. If they blow things up and the team struggles, it would be a franchise already more destitute than it already is. On like a Montreal Expos/LA Clippers level.
Mark, as a Rangers fan since their inception in 1972, I agree with you. It’s imperative that Ryan stays with this team. Finally, they seem to be heading in the right direction. This is arguably the best all-around team they’ve ever had, and they figure to get only better in the years to come with the right ownership group in place.
Yes I completely agree. It’s just not fair… Can you imagine if this were happening to the Yankees? MLB would probably cancel the season or something. Or ESPN would have to hire new “experts” to talk about it.
Just get the damn thing over with. Let Ryan & Greenberg have the fricken team for godsake.