Nolan Ryan doesn't seem pleased with the Rangers' re-structured front office, and there are rumblings that he could leave the organization. There's no denying Ryan's stature in the game, but he's acting "like a big baby" in the view of Yahoo's Jeff Passan. The Hall of Famer has made the mistake of picking a fight at a time that he has few alternatives and limited leverage, Passan writes. Here are more links from the state of Texas…
- Rangers senior scout Don Welke is in Florida looking at Red Sox relievers, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. Welke is also scouting Yankees right-hander Joba Chamberlain, as we heard yesterday. Both Boston and New York had their own scouts watching the Rangers play today.
- The circumstances behind the Barret Loux/Jake Brigham trade between the Rangers and Cubs are outlined by MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
- Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported two days ago that there's sentiment within the Rangers organization that Ryan will stay with the club.
- GM Jeff Luhnow told Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal that the Astros are looking forward to determining which young players will become part of the team’s core. That’s part of Luhnow's motivation for passing on experienced free agents and relying on younger players. “If you take away their job and give it to a veteran, you delay finding it out. It doesn't push the organization forward," Luhnow explained.
- Though some fans would like to see the Astros spend more, owner Jim Crane pointed out that it’s not the fans’ money. “This is a private company, even though it's got a public flair to it,” Crane told Costa. “If they want to write a check for 10 million bucks, they can give me a call."
MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post
