The Rangers' seven-game slide is obviously cause for concern as the club looks to punch their ticket to the playoffs, but it also has skipper Ron Washington worried about his job security for 2014, writes Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram. "I'm concerned about my job," Washington said on ESPN Radio. "If that decision is made, it's out of my hands. I hope I've gained credibility for what we've accomplished the past few years. I'm not a finger-pointer. We've all got to take blame for right now four our collapse, if you want to call it that. I'm calling it a slump. I don't really think about that type of stuff. I know at some point in this game of baseball, we all may have to look for another job." Meanwhile, GM Jon Daniels tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) that Washington's job isn't in jeopardy. Here's more from around baseball..
- At the age of 41, it doesn't sound like Mariners veteran Raul Ibanez has any intention of walking away from baseball anytime soon based on his chat with MLB.com's Meggie Zahneis. "I feel very fortunate and blessed that I really, I get an opportunity to still do this," Ibanez said. "And there is no greater game, nothing else I would rather do than to play baseball."
- Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) looks at players who could be given the qualifying offer this summer and subsequently see their payday take a tumble thanks to draft pick compensation.
- Eno Sarris of Fangraphs looks at the ramifications of the possible changes to the Japanese posting system. Over the weekend, David Lennon of Newsday reported that the system could be altered this fall to allow for Japanese players to choose from the top three bidders instead of being locked into an exclusive negotiating window with one club.
