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.
What happened to Jon Daniels? Did he get fired? I do admit that the Rangers needed a new general manager. Chris Young is definitely a good candidate to occupy that position. He’s a smart guy.
Anybody gonna tell JD?
Interesting
AND THEN I BLESS THE LAWD AND SAID HALLELUJAH!!!!!
Please let this be the first step in a huge culture change in Texas! I LOVE IT!
This was a predictable reaction.
I don’t see how promoting the guy who’s been there for 15 years signifies a “culture change.”
It pushes JD out of the position where he makes all the moves (…losing). Losing creates a bad culture, and JD is part of the reason why we’re losing. Get Young in there to make some different moves, and maybe it will result in a winning culture. I know JD is still in charge of the operations, but he has less on a hold on the actual transactions.
That really depends. Often the POBO is still making a lot of personal decisions and the GM acts as an assistant GM
You know, Jed Hoyer has been the GM of the Cubs since 2011, but nobody ever accused Hoyer of Dumpster Divin’.
I wouldn’t assume that JD isn’t going to be making decisions.
Looking at it that way, maybe this is still a really good move despite JD still having the power. JD used to have partners like Preller and Levine who helped him a lot in their time. You know… this might be a really good move. Maybe JD just needs a partner.
A new voice in the room could certainly help.
I would call it a good move until it isn’t. Obviously, this is a different voice in the room to add to JD at the very least. I know we just love to poke holes when someone celebrates a move a team makes but at least THAT is true.
Rangers29: you always come on here with your positivity and “yeah” this and “awesome” that. Why can’t you just be like us and criticize your team for hiring people to get better?
I am a big JD fan but I also agree that what he’s been doing was stale and changes needed to be made. Even though JD will stay on as Pres, I still think he will have influence over things but Young will be able to do his job and call the shots regardless if JD doesn’t agree with it.
Yo Chev, I didn’t realize you had the same username here and on lsb lol. I haven’t connected the dots until now.
Yes sir
You guys are on Lonestar Ball? How is it? I have always followed Jamey Newberg at the Athletic, never got into LSB.
It’s good. Argumentative at times, but good nonetheless. You just have to avoid some of the big-headed people over there and you’ll be fine.
Hasn’t he been the president of baseball ops for some time?
There’s a lot of Chris Young’s in the MLB. There’s this Chris Young who used to be a pitcher, the president of baseball ops Chris Young, and the outfielder Chris Young.
Apparently the comment I was replying to was deleted. The guy said something about Daniels being promoted for failing.
All of Steve Cohen’s money, and all of Steve Cohen’s men…
Bernie Madoff will be Cohen’s GM…..
Intriguing… Now I see why he bowed out from the Mets job. I can’t wait to see what he does.
FINALLY! JD was washed up, at best. To give you an idea, the most valuable Rangers draftees to actually suit up for the team since 2010, are Joey Gallo, Alex Claudio, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. A good player, a lefty reliever, and a premium defender with questionable hitting ability. That is just awful. Someone new was needed and this rudderless franchise suddenly feels like it has a direction again. Still gonna be a while before the Rangers are good again, but at least they might actually be good again with a new GM, because it wasn’t happening with Daniels.
Now Daniels can bring that magic to the entire baseball operations department and also be Chris Young’s boss.
Now we need to rid ourselves of Kip Fagg and maybe stop drafting “cute” toolsy picks that never work out.
the last 2 years we went with high floor prospects
And look how it’s working out. Jung sounds fantastic, and Foscue… well I don’t like that pick, but he has a good hit tool. It’s the Bubba Thompsons of the world that have just pissed me off these past couple of years. They never work, maybe they’ve realized their mistakes, but I’d still like a new scouting department.
I think if bubba turns in a healthy season in AA this year he may surprise you
That’s a great call out – the scouting department needs to be upended. Fagg has been a disaster
Outside of an occasional Joey Gallo hot streak or two the Rangers haven’t had an impact first round draft pick produce much of anything since ‘01 when they landed Teixeira. The draft and development department for the Rangers has been the single biggest letdown for this organization and is the reason why they have struggled so mightily the last five years plus years.
Yup, no arguments here. The one thing that I do think we do well is international stuff.
Does he actually have any say over player personnel or is Daniels still running the show and the GM title is just ceremonial to keep him away from other teams?
JD needs to go
BuT eVeRyOnE wAnTs To WoRk FoR cOhEn
The Mets are probably TOO close to contending for Young’s liking.
Maybe it really is about being able to scorch the earth and start over, which he can easily do with Texas (Lynn and Gallo especially will fetch quality returns).
Young just didn’t want to move his three kids to New York out of the clear blue, he wanted to stay local.
but if you listened to some of the crazy Mets fans on this site they’d tell you its worth sacrificing your firstborn to play/work for Cohen.
Metsfan22 isn’t making the hire, I would take what most Mets fans with a grain of salt lol. And I like the Mets.
Bro. The reason he took the rangers Job is bc he wanted to stay close to his family. Look it up. Google is free
Yes its true Young wanted to stay local but I think he had discussions with JD about the potential of taking the GM job since he was being looked at the same position with NYM. I hope the NYM get a great GM and y’all can get NYC to shut up about the NYY, but it sounds like Young preferred to stay with an org he already worked with.
I’ve read much of Mets fans and it’s entirely normal for fans to get excited about their team when something good happens to them. There have been some crazies out there but nothing unusual. What’s ALSO very normal is for the fans of the OTHER 29 teams to lash out at the team with the newly excited fans.
Happened with Padres fans this season, happened with the Braves when they emerged from their rebuild and it happened with the Phillies when Middleton said they were about to spend stupid money.
He would need to rent in NYC. A first-time GM with presumably a new POBO in 1 year when Alderson retires and a very public owner who is willing to spend the cash (or at least says he is). When they don’t start winning quickly, they’re going to need a fall guy – and a first-time GM without the fans backing him looks like the favorite.
Jon Daniels is from Queens, and I’m sure he’d stick with TEX because he’s been there 16 years — how many rebuilds? You won’t get very far with his record in NYC. Sure, his kids…who still won’t be able to see him because he’s working 90-hour weeks trying to not blow the #2 overall pick. But sure, his kids…not job security.
Time for a Younger approach…
Some things deserve a thumbs down and that was one of them.
Did he not want to relocate his family, or does he think the Rangers have potential for a brighter long term future than the Mets?
The Mets don’t have a bright future they have a bright PRESENT because they have the best bullpen and lineup and pitcher in the National League, which is why they powered to a last place finish.
It was mentioned in the reports of him turning down the Mets that location and not moving his children was a major factor.
Like I said in the article about him turning down the Mets… the Mets are still a dumpster fire!
He turned down the new billionaire Mets and their reloading for the Hometown rangers and a total renuild… love it. All Cohen’s money dont matter. Front office people turn him down. All the big name FA will turn him down. Same old NY Mets dumpster Fire… just new owner and more money
I’m the first in line to make fun of overzealous Mets fans but this comment is just stupid. You’re being stupid. Don’t be stupid.
People won’t get on their knees and beg to Cohen and the Mets to take them in if they have 3 young kids in the DFW and don’t want to un-root them all just to move to NY.
They really kept this one close to the vest. I guess it explains why Young withdrew from consideration from the Mets
Naw Naw
With Jon Daniels staying on as team president I wonder just how much autonomy Young will have in bringing in his own crew in Player Development and Scouting?
Perhaps Daniels just wants to have someone else to take the blame when the oncoming payroll reduction causes many more years of irrelevance. He can always fire Young and re-hire himself down the road.
Good for him. He was able to keep his family in Dallas and still get a GM job.
Perhaps it’s Jon Daniels time to go. I haven’t seen much of anything good happening there in a few years.
Best BBQ I’ve ever had is at Hard 8 in Grapevine, TX. I go whenever I’m in Dallas for business.
Why don’t they just call him the Assistant to the President of Baseball Operations? Daniels is going to make all the decisions.
I saw somebody saw on a local blog that this may cue JD getting hired into the NYM GM position, which I thought was hilarious. It probably won’t happen, but I’d love it lol.
No way. JD ain’t leaving TX to go be a GM elsewhere unless he’s getting ownership stake in a team or Commissioner duties.
He said it on the lsb thread lmao.
Yeah that’s not surprising
Chris Young is one of the smartest people I have ever met. Used to love talking to him about baseball and about politics when he was with the Padres. He should be a great GM for the Rangers. Congratulations.
… hold up… When/how have you been able to just sit down and talk with Chris Young?
He played with the Padres for 5 seasons. When you do as much charity work as my wife and I do, you get a chance to talk to a lot of athletes.
Great to hear. I’ve read nothing but great things from all the beat/national baseball writers on Young. I’m excited as a Rangers fan.
That’s good to hear. Young seems like he will help make some good decisions for the franchise.
I’ll take “Things that didn’t happen” for $500 Alex.
And Chris Young finally gets revenge for being traded in 2005. Take that Jon Daniels!!
Such a historically bad trade losing him and Adrian Gonzalez for a bad season of Adam Eaton. Surprised Daniels survived that one long enough to succeed 5 years later.
I forgot it was for Adam Eaton (that Adam Eaton). Oh man.
I guess that leaves Fred Wilpon as the new Mets GM.
Blueish hue
Organizations with a President of Baseball Operations(PoBO) means the GM is basically what an Assistant GM is in organizations without a PoBO. How much control Young has remains to be seen. Daniels is still in charge today just as he was yesterday. Rangers fans who don’t like Young can only hope that Young brings in a new perspective that Daniels will listen to. If not, nothing has changed.
*Daniels* not Young.
Now that they have a proper GM, I’m sure teams will be banging down the door with Lance Lynn offers. Young could make a nice first impression by shaking down a team for a good return on LL.
The Rangers are irrelevant. Therefore, Young becoming GM is irrelevant.
That’s funny…. a red Sox fan calling someone irrelevant
I had the opportunity to meet and have deep conversations with Chris Young multiple times during when he was rehabbing with the Nationals in 2013. He is a very smart guy and a very nice genuine person. I’m glad he is getting this opportunity. Best of luck to him!