The Rangers have hired Chris Young as their new general manager, Ken Rosenthal and Levi Weaver of The Athletic report. Jon Daniels will stay on as the team’s president of baseball operations.

This is out-of-nowhere news, as there was no indication Daniels would step aside as the Rangers’ GM this offseason. It’s a role Daniels has held since 2005. While Daniels is now 43, he became the youngest GM in league history when he got the job at the age of 28. The Rangers have since earned five playoff berths and won two American League pennants, though they have fallen on hard times in recent years. The team hasn’t finished above .500 since 2016, and it will reduce payroll heading into 2021, making an immediate return to contention even more difficult.

The Rangers are hoping the addition of Young to their front office will make it easier to return to relevance sometime soon. The 41-year-old is a former major league right-hander and a Princeton alumnus who began his career with the Rangers from 2004-05 before Daniels traded him to the Padres. Since he hung up his spikes in 2017, Young has been working in the MLB office, first as the league’s vice president of on-field operations, initiatives and strategy. He took on an even bigger role this year after chief baseball officer Joe Torre moved into an advisory position.

Young recently interviewed for the Mets’ GM job, but he dropped out of the running because he did not want to relocate his family. The Dallas resident will now get an opportunity to help lead a local franchise.

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