The Rangers have hired Bruce Bochy as the club’s next manager, announcing that Bochy has signed a three-year contract.
There was increased speculation in recent days linking Bochy to the job, especially when Rangers GM Chris Young (who played under Bochy on the 2006 Padres) visited the veteran manager at his home in Nashville, rather than a formal interview. Interim Rangers manager Tony Beasley was the only other candidate known to receive an interview, further adding to the idea that the team had narrowed its focus towards bringing Bochy back to the dugout after three years away from the game.
In the team’s official press release, Bochy said he is “incredibly excited to be joining the Texas Rangers. Over the last several days, I’ve had extensive conversations with Chris Young and other individuals in the organization, and I had the chance to meet with [co-owner] Ray Davis. Their vision and commitment to putting together a club that can contend and win year in and year out is impressive, and I became convinced I wanted to be a part of that. If I was going to return to managing, it had to be the right situation. I strongly believe that to be the case with the Rangers, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Bochy brings 25 years of experience as a Major League skipper, managing the Padres from 1995-2006 and then the Giants from 2007-2019. During his long career, the 67-year-old Bochy has overseen rebuilding clubs, contenders, and teams that took dips in performance and then returned to contention — there have been enough ebbs and flows that Bochy actually has a career losing record, at 2003-2029.
However, Bochy’s resume also includes some major successes. The Giants won three World Series titles in 2010, 2012, and 2014 under Bochy’s leadership, as the “Even Year” mini-dynasty brought the organization back to championship glory for the first time since 1954. (Ironically, the 2010 Giants defeated the Rangers in the Series.) Bochy also managed another NL pennant winner in the 1998 Padres, which marked the last time that San Diego reached the World Series.
The hire represents a change in direction for the Rangers, as the club tended to hire first-time managers when Jon Daniels was in charge of baseball operations. (Interim manager Don Wakamatsu ran the team for 10 games in 2018, and was the only one of the last six Texas managers to have any previous MLB experience as a skipper.) Of course, Daniels was himself fired in August, shortly after ex-manager Chris Woodward was also let go.
Daniels’ firing reportedly even caught Young by surprise, as Young suddenly found himself in charge of an organization that is eager to start winning. Texas spent big last winter in signing Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, and Jon Gray, and while the team itself felt 2023 might be a more realistic target date for a return to contention, the 2022 club didn’t show much progress in posting a 68-94 record. This clearly wasn’t good enough for Davis and the Rangers’ ownership group, who didn’t even wait until the end of the season before overhauling the front office.
With Texas sitting at six consecutive losing seasons, there is certainly pressure on Young and Bochy to start delivering some better results in 2023. The Rangers are again expected to be aggressive this winter, whether that manifests itself as more splashy free agent signings, or trades for proven veterans.
The Royals, White Sox, and Marlins are now the only teams looking to fill managerial vacancies. In addition to Bochy’s hiring, the Blue Jays (John Schneider), Angels (Phil Nevin), and Phillies (Rob Thomson) all officially signed their interim skippers from 2022 for the full-time positions.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Wow, really thought he was done. Still don’t see this team as close though.
As a Rangers fan, I rarely Get to be happy about anything but I love this hire
+1. Perfect for what the Rangers need.
Bad news for Angel fans.
angelscamp, I thought the same thing. Things just got a little tougher in the AL West.
Why? The Angels are bad with our without Bochy in the opposing dugout.
Yeah I think the Angels organization has much bigger things to worry about than the 4th place division team changing managers. LOL.
This is true.
Definitely expected a different school of thought. Bochy is rock steady though, not going to be fired after a 2-10 start.
If Bochy can’t right the ship, it’s time to move the team to Albuquerque.
Why would anyone move a franchise to that s**t hole
Since when is a teams performance contingent on if they move a or not? They just moved into a retractable roof stadium.
1 million people. Top attendance per game in the PCL. Single game attendance record for minors. I can think of much worse places to move a MLB team. Its not like they said they were moving the team to true bleepholes like St. Louis or Detroit or Baltimore or Memphis or Little Rock or Milwaukee or Cleveland or Indianapolis.
If Albukirk builds a new stadium that could work. Its been many years since the Rangers upgraded their digs
Soot hole?
It would be interesting to see a metro area that is barely 1 million people come up with $600-700 million to build a new stadium. Tax on hot air balloons? Didn’t the Rangers open their new ballpark just in time for COVID in 2020?
Isotopes
Unsure of sarcasm, but… 2. It’s been 2 years.
Im assuming sarcasm on the Albuquerque comment, but just in case, Arlington is just west of Dallas which is the main hub for Ranger fans. That’s a 1.3 million population. Albuquerque is about 560k, or less than half. With that population, each Dallas resident has a per capita of around $5000 more than their Albuquerque counterpart.
Again, I’m assuming sarcasm, but my Economics background sometimes comes out. It’s like a tick. Ha.
Yeah the brand new retractable roof stadium they opened in 2020 is pretty ancient.
The only thing about this news, for me as a Giants fan, that bums me out is that is Giants fans can no longer think of Boch as “our skipper.” Otherwise, great move by the Rangers and cool for Bochy!
Yo DarkSide! Going to any of Game 3, 4 or 5 in Philly? Maybe we can get a friendly wager going?? Anyway, great season so far and whomever wins the NL has my support to win it all. Cheers mate!
I’m in college – playoffs are a little out of my price range. Not as confident on the series now but I’m happy they got this far and with more room to grow next season IMO.
Wya for school DarkSide?
St. Joes
The Hawk will never die!
He doesn’t have the all stars the Giants had when he took over that team. This will show how good he is as manager.
Fair point. Jung shows promise and Seager/Semien provide a solid core up the middle. Lowe took a huge step forward this season as did Garcia. Curious to see what the FO brings in this off-season.
Pitchers
Maybe he didn’t want to coach cheaters?
The 2010 Giants were far from an all all-star roster. His Giants team in 2012 were the best team in baseball, but his other WS teams were absolutely testament to how far an exceptional manager can go.
The Giants lost 91 games in Bochy’s first year as manager and 90 in his second year. In his fourth year, they won the World Series.
What about the third year? Good thing you’re posting here. If only there was a gadget which allowed one to look up information on the fly
Maybe you should search the term “SF Giants’ record 2009”? Why languish in nescience when you don’t have to?
Or even easier still:
mlb.com/standings/2009
@Arc . He inherited literally Barry Bonds (old) and Barry Zito (somewhat old) as the stars than oversaw the integration of young players and eventually won multiple WS…. please don’t make things up. You’re wrong.
Look at the pitching staff he had with the giants. Zito, Cain, lincecum, and Bumgarner. 4 pitchers in their prime. He also had a great catcher behind the plate in Posey. Right there is a better staff than anything the Rangers have because without pitching you don’t go far in baseball.
They literally were not playing when he took the job as manager. Stop trying to outsmart me you aren’t knowledgeable and are trying to justify your point with false information. Bruce became the Giants manager in 2007 and Barry Zito was available and a young Matt Cain. The other 3 players you mentioned weren’t even in the majors
If you want his 2007 starting pitching staff it is 3x better than what the rangers have now. Cain, Lincecum, Sanchez, and Zito was his starting 4. Cain, Sanchez, Zito, Lincecum were not old players as you try to claim they were. Zito was only 29. So you mislead with your comment.
I didn’t mislead. You’re inferring that the Giants were a lucrative job. They weren’t stop it now
2012 Giants had Bengie Molina behind the plate and Zito had a 4.53 ERA. a 42 year old Bonds, 40 year old Vizquel, 36 year old Klesko, and 35 year old Durham, Aurilia, and Roberts. Lincecum was a rookie and Cain was coming off a 4.15 ERA 2006 which was his first full season. They had the oldest starting 8 position players and youngest starting pitching staff in the majors.
@outinleftfield Bengie Molina retired after 2010…
As opposed to figuratively inheriting Barry Bonds and Zito.
My cat is literally watching the Phil’s and Pods on the telly machine
Meant 2007. The year Bochy took over. Not really sure why I said 2012. Too much sake with sushi for lunch?
Yep. Meant 2007, the season Bochy took over in SF.
You claim Bochy received a bad team which he didn’t. I would take that 2007 giants team over 2022 rangers any day. Its much tougher building a starting staff than position players. Only 1 player hit over .300 and OBA was horrible. Only 1 starter over 10 wins. Bochy has a lot of work in front of him to do.
Rangers need 1 top of the rotation starter and an innings eater. There was an article on this website that they will be heavily pursuing Rodon when he opts out and Perez has already said he would like to return. Their starting rotation ranked 12th in 2022 with a 3.72 ERA. Their pen is losing a big piece in Moore, but a couple of signings and they will be fine.
Where the Rangers had issues was on offense where as a team they only produced a 98 wRC+ and OPS+. Their .301 OBP was 25th.
The 2007 Giants team was the VERY worst in baseball on offense. 30th with an 81 wRC+ and OPS+. 17% worse than the Rangers in 2022. Their starting pitching staff had a 4.24 ERA that season which was down from 4.58 in 2006. Bottom line is Bochy took over a very bad Giants team.
…
Off season hasn’t even started yet. Give it time.
Only so much that can be done in an off-season. Even some big moves has them with a sub-standard SP group.
There is an article today about the Rangers “making a hard push” for Rodon mlbtraderumors.com/2022/10/rangers-expected-to-pur…, deGrom and Verlander will probably be on the FA market, and Kershaw has not ruled out the Rangers. Slotting even one of those guys in front of Gray, Dunning, and Otto would make the Rangers staff solid. Add 2 of those 4?? Whole different story.
oldredgunslinger;
Off-season moves have always been overrated.
Teams that get better do it because players that they have under contract get better. That has to do with the manager and coaching staffs.
The 2 most surprising MLB teams in 2022 were the Orioles and Guardians. They hardly made any off-season moves.
The Orioles-Guardians ALCS next year is gonna be crazy
Crazy watching that from the 4 walls of your asylum.
Why he wanted to go to that dumpster fire I don’t know. Maybe they try and buy a playoff spot next year that will only set them back further.
Giants weren’t “close” when Bochy was hired either.
It took him 3 or 4 years to get the Giants on track.
If the first 2 years Bochy was second guessing his decision because of the losing
and wondering if he should have stayed in San Diego.
One thing about Bochy is he knows how to use pitching. The guy knew when to use the bullpen and get the most out of a pitching staff. Now its up to the Rangers GM to give him the pitching he needs to win.
But were the Giants spending fat dollars in free agency and not building up their pipeline like TX is now?
Baseball has also dramatically changed. I bet the rangers stink until their next “rebuild”
What they’re doing now isn’t a recipe for success.
The Astros and M’s are positioned so much better for the foreseeable future.
So what is the recipe for success?
What the Dodgers and Braves are doing
Trade for big name players and resign them?
No. Draft and develop really well and then supplement that with a few key outside additions.
Wow, I really thought he was done too
It’s crazy how too heavy the Rangers on in terms of payroll, 35 million to Seager, 26 million to Semien, 14 million for Gray and then basically nothing, a couple options but no arbitration raises until 2024.
The problem is the Rangers still have a lot of heavy lifting to do even if they sign Rodon and re-sign Perez. Maybe they can get cute with some 1-2 year band aids but if they have all five players signed to relatively long contracts they are going to spend themselves out of a competitive window before they arrive
Yeah, the Rangers are still operating under a 1990’s mentality where FA signings were the way to build a club. That way doesn’t work anymore.
Welcome back to the majors.
His war is ZERO. managers don’t do anything!
Phillies fans would like a word with you on that.
So would Blue Jays fans.
They do more than fans, who somehow think they are important
would you like a wnba salary or mls salary when the fans stop watching the game, buying beer and directly contributing to players salaries?
Actually, it’s the fans who pay for everything, so they are rather important.
When MLB tells you to “come on out and support the team” they mean that literally.
Comment is so trash because sports would be nothing without the fans.
Ya so right man people can’t have a say on their favorite team somehow I feel your not that important
Ultimately, yes. Same goes for every business, The people who buy the product, in this case entertainment, pay all the costs. Should fans be making personnel decisions or setting team hitting and pitching philosophy and training methods? Not if those same fans want to watch that team win.
We aren’t making decisions but they have opinions which u do as well. To say that fans don’t matter is also saying u don’t matter to your own team which is a load of crap because u buy their merch and have a passion for your team fans r the heart and soul of team that makes players WANT to go out there and perform at there best.
Fans r a big part of a sports team
Besides why is alright all these sports radio clowns that get millions of dollars to crap on players and teams yet u don’t complain about them
Without the fans the players will have to play for free.
despicable_you;
Phillies fans that saw the mid-season change in mangers disagree with you.
LOL
So do all of us other lowly “fans” who merely ensure these teams stay in the black on a year over year basis.
Wow maybe the players started playing up to their potential as well it’s not ALL manager
“The manager does not matter” is a self-serving mantra of FO types who want to get more of said owner’s discretionary budgeted money that used to go to them. It is also repeated by those who think the game is all numbers and fume when others challenge there is more of a mix to achieving success.
Here is another one from FO types whose teams get to the postseason, but flame out……”Playoffs are a crapshoot”. That is easier than saying my constructed club relies on walks all year and feasting off back end starters/mop-up relievers. Once we face top flight arms and have to put the ball in play (or play sound D)-we are paper tigers.
Cws, it was a troll comment we know that. “Manager doesn’t matter.” Nobody who knows an iota about baseball says those types of things and means it.
The manager has been devalued in the NL because of the DH and analytics. It’s not as important of a role like old school baseball fans would hope or wish including myself.
These players would eat each other alive trying to “manage” thenselves and the team. Managers are very much an intrinsic and vital part of the game.
At least 3 fist fights per game on each team…Maybe more.
I think a manager has a whole lot more value in what they do behind the scenes, than what decisions they make during the games. Many in the media talk about the manager’s role as mostly the tactics of the game, but I think the roles of a people manager, running the day-to-day operation and strategist in between games is more important.
Another great point Cujo.
From what I’ve heard the Manager delegates the running the day to day operations of the team to his coaches. The manager is more concerned about preparing and deciding the lineup. If there’s a problem in the clubhouse and reaches the Manager. The Manager will not be happy.
Yep. People just don’t know. Baseball is para-military!!
What’s so different from watching your favorite manager now in the dugout than before or u justlike whining about the analytics as well
CWS’s comment is even worse trolling. I can picture them shaking a fist at a cloud as they posted it.
Managers don’t win games, but they can definitely lose games.
Managers can be responsible for a good clubhouse or a bad clubhouse. In game decisions are a fraction of what a manager does.
Yes Managers win games (at least the best ones do)!
Ask the Phillies and Padres who changed managers and are now in the NLCS.
I think the players, fans, ownership, media would disagree with your statement.
Do you really think changing managers is the only change that led to success for those teams? You are reducing a multitude of variables to just one. Not how this works.
I thought he was retired. Wow.
That was the cover for the Giants firing him because he doesn’t care about their analytics. Boch manages with his gut and years of experience, not some nerd’s printout. The retirement was the nice way of letting him go. Lol!
Some nerds point of view? So experts who study the sport are nerds to be ignored? What ridiculous, ignorant nonsense.
Just like with Dusty, you can’t argue with the results. Great higher by the Rangers
You can argue with the results with Dusty. All the rosters he has inherited have been absolutely LOADED.
He must have really missed baseball
Well that’s incredibly unexpected
Super excited about the news that the Marlins are hiring Connie Mack and the White Sox are hiring Casey Stengel.
Y’all know you can interview candidates under 80 right?
He’s only 67. lol
I can always come to this site if it’s pedantics I’m looking for.
Well, Alkie, there’s a big difference between 80 and 67, so I wouldn’t call it ‘pedantic’.
Or you can come to this site for information.
Dusty Baker is 73. Joe Maddon is 68. Brian Snitker is 67. Buck Showalter is 66. Maddon’s the only one of the three whose team didn’t make the playoffs.
You gotta have a team first
Guys that age aren’t going to be interested in managing a team that isn’t certifiably playoff bound.
I believe it’s spelled ‘Yous’, but ‘Yous’all’ is an acceptable alternative. I’m here to help.
Alkie, the Rangers already tried a couple of young guys, and the teams sucked.
Bochy is twelve years younger than the leader of our country.
Yes…..
But Mr. Bochy will have to work every day.
I assume Mr. Bochy is lucid, so he has a very huge advantage.
HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. Indeed Sam.
Or possibly a yuge or bigly advantage?
,,,,I generally ignore troll comments with zero basis in facts, but could not resist this one…
I don’t think Kershaw will go to the Rangers. But he has stated that there is appeal to playing where his lives so he can spend more time with his wife & kids. It’s pretty much the Dodgers or Rangers for Kershaw until he retires.
No Rangers. Just Dodgers.
Jack McKeon confirmed to interview for Marlins job.
Can he pitch?
2208, He has been tinkering with a knuckle. About 45-48mph…Nasty movement though..
Great hire! Wonder if he brings Flannery with him.
Good call or Posey might be a coach
Posey is part of the ownership group of the Giants, he cannot do anything with any team without divesting himself from the Giants.
Posey is now in the ownership group for the Giants.
Does this increase the odds of Kershaw signing with Rangers?
They were zero to begin with and I’m not sure why hiring Bruce Bochy, a guy with no historical ties to Kershaw or the Dodgers, would change that.
Yes, contrary to @jimthegoat’s amazing take.
Bochy is known to let a pitcher run, Dave Roberts pulls starters almost every time before the 3rd time through the order. Bochy doesn’t subscribe to that.
Kershaw homecoming and a manager that actually treats starters with some respect does increase the chances.
0% would be reserved if the Rangers were not in the mlb.
At minimum the odds are ~3% because there are 30 clubs kershaw can choose from.
Analytics drive the decisions to pull pitchers after the second time through the order. Increasingly, analytics and the GM control what used to be the manager’s decisions. Who’s to say Bochy will even be allowed to let pitchers “run” three times through the order?
Chris Young is a former starting pitcher for Bochy with the Padres.
Young had his best year with Bochy as his manager.
In fact, the year after Bochy left, Young makes his 1st All Star team.
Bochy’s managerial style and coaching staff improves the performance of his players.
Bochy was hired by Young for the Ranges managerial job based on their prior and present “relationship”.
Bochy does not take any managerial job unless he can “call his own shots” and make his own decisions as Manager.
Chris Young knows that and would not have hired Bochy and Bochy does not take the Texas job unless they have that understanding.
Kershaw has a 0% chance he goes to the Rangers for his 16th season. Kersh himself has said hundreds of times he doesn’t want to go play for a non competitive team. He understands that his body won’t allow him to pitch as deep into games as he once did and once he feels he is not beneficial to his team he will retire. Because of this he doesn’t want a multi year contract and is just playing year to year.
Rumors circulated last offseason he will go to the Rangers because Chris Woodward is the manager and he has a previous relationship with Kershaw from the Dodgers. Those rumors were 100% incorrect. Yet Bochy who has no connection with Kersh other than he managed against the dodgers for years as a padres and giants manager will now entice Kersh to go play for the Rangers?
Kersh is also now starting to see how “unique” it is to have a career with one organization.
Kersh, if he plays next year which he indicated at the end of the year was something he was leaning towards doing, will do so in a Dodger uniform.
Bochy was never the Padres’ manager while Kershaw was in the majors.
Good post Zerbs!!
@SFBay314 How about… If Kershaw signs with the Rangers I’ll delete my account. And if he signs with anyone else you delete your account. Come on buddy. Put your money where your mouth is.
The Rangers and Kershaw are a poor fit. The Dodgers can pay $25m for 120 innings per year and fill in with quality arms when needed. The Rangers don’t operate on that budget and have a gaggle of invalids, has-beens and never was-es for depth.
No one other than the Mets and Yankees can spend as much as the Dodgers.
The Rangers are 7th in revenue, so they can certainly afford a couple of $25 million plus starters. If I had to bet on it, I would say they go big on Rodon 6/195 and deGrom 4/160
They most certainly are not 7th in revenue. They are 4th just in the AL West.
They are. Forbes, Statista, and the Athletic agree on 7th in revenue.
His take was better than yours actually
Kershaw is injury prone also that’s why dodgers kinda baby him. Your take makes no sense
Highly unlikely he ever goes to TX when the dodgers still want him back:
Hiring Bochy doesn’t hurt the odds at all though. A 3x WS winning manager garners respect at the very least. But the team simply isn’t as talented as Kerhsaw has no reason to go there unless he simply wants to live in Arlington.
Reminds me of Charlie Morton a few years ago when he was linked to the northeast b/c of his wife an family. Didn’t work out there either.
Unless he is dead set on playing closer to home, probably not. Does anyone know how old his children are?
I love Bochy, but I have to wonder if he’s open to baseball analytics running the game. Literally running the game. Maddon said all the right things when he was hired, but turned out to loathe in-game analytical decisions. I hope the best for Bruce, but time will tell if he’s able to accept being the middle man at times.
Boach will consider & utilize input from the front office analytic dweebs…… when appropriate – Boach will not take a knee to them period.
Neither did Maddon.
How do u know stop acting like u know because u don’t bochy won’t take a knee? What r u talking about
dirkg10;
One of the reasons the Giants new FO let Bochy go was that he was pretty far behind the times in using analytics. The Giants new PoBO was pretty much analytics driven. It was difficult for him and the FO to get together on things.
(That was diplomatically put.)
Now, all teams use analytics to some degree – some more than others. The Rangers don’t seem to be using them intensely as say the Astros or Rays do. Am sure Mr. Bochy and the FO will get along fine. He’s more of a fundamental manager as opposed to a technical one.
Bochy was working the handedness matchups well before it was trendy to do so. He balances in analytics but he isn’t a slave to it like Kapler and Roberts
‘Managers were once entrusted to determine the team’s lineup, pitching staff, and even a significant portion of personnel decisions. Over the past decade, however, the front office has become more involved in those decisions, oftentimes making those determinations for managers altogether. In the excerpt from Maddon’s book, Bochy expressed frustration with less control of the team but also acknowledged that it has made some aspects of the job easier.
“You need a different style of leadership today,” Bochy said. “A manager has to sell it. You can’t just tell a guy what to do. That’s why relationships are so important… In some respects, leadership can be a little easier and less stressful because a lot of times the player knows it’s not the manager’s call.”
si.com/mlb/giants/history/sf-giants-bruce-bochy-ma…
Sounds like Bochy understands that the job description has changed.
Amazingly, however, as decent managerial candidates are slowly picked up, the Yanks stay with Boone who can’t even figure out who plays SS, or who leads off in their order by the ACLS GM 3.
He’s used a completely different lineup in each of the three games. Baker used the same one through six in each game.
I pity the fans who spent for vastly overpriced seats to watch this mismanaged, poorly constructed, overmatched team complete their collapse and then have to watch the Astros celebrate winning the pennant in our city.
As for Judge, I suspect Hal might be secretly delighted to see him do his best impression of an A-Rod postseason choke job. The fans will be less resentful when he’s allowed to sign elsewhere, saving Hal a ton of money — which Cashman will then misspend.
What baffles me the most is how he finally benched IKF. It’s like he’s just lost and only puts the best product on the field when he has no other option.
What annoys me to death is hearing all the postseason cumulative stats of the Astros, and specifically, Alex Bergman’s HR total without the context of his cheating year(s). They gush all over the guy and it’s a joke.
Anyway, my biggest Yankees issues:
1) No offense – terrible, terrible ABs & plate approaches, as individuals & a team
2) Misplays that [always] turn and bite back twice as hard (ie, missed fly ball turns into two-run HR)
3) Keeping the Astros’ key players from hitting us while letting Chad McCormick beat them….alone
4) The excuse-making – Contrary to contemporary ideology, the playoffs are *not* a “crapshoot.” At least, not like this. That’s the excuse Yankees brass wants us to buy into, but the players are repeating it while they’re getting stomped. They look like a WC team, or worse. Their offense makes every opposing pitcher look like a Cy Young candidate. It’s….inexcusable, yet the “crapshoot” verbiage has pervaded the post-game pressers. No, they just suck.
There’s truth to the notion that playoffs are unpredictable, so, to that extent, they are a crapshoot. But that can be said of any series at any time in the season. Weak teams beat strong teams occasionally. A normally good pitcher will have a bad outing, key players will be injured or slumping, etc. It happens.
But none of that excuses terrible on-field management, lousy roster construction, or players who choke under pressure.
That was fast.
Usually I am skeptical when a team hires a very old manager rather than a young bilingual up and comer. But Bochy is an excellent hire and get this team three starting pitchers and they will be ready to compete. Just make sure that they don’t next trade for MadBum as that ship has long since sailed, or should I say sunk. Well ok maybe they still need deGrom, Rodon and Kershaw to top the cheaters, and Kershaw will return to the Dodgers.
Congrats to both parties! Go get um Boch. Now to find a Texas-sized hat for that noggin…
I believe his hat size is XL/Bison.
He could have had the Houston job if he wanted it a few years ago when they hired Dusty.
Scratch one off of my preferred White Sox managerial candidate list. It appears Bochy didn’t even get an interview with the ChiSox, let alone the gig.
AaronSapoznik;
Mr. Bochy is a strong fundamental manger. I doubt he would have wanted to try to manage that roster, and I doubt that the Sox FO and owner would have been comfortable with him as their manager.
“You don’t mind a diminished skills clause, do you, Bruce?”
“Uh, let me get back to you, Jerry.”
Bochy managing the White Sox would have been a managerial youth movement…
After the whole fiasco with Tony LaRussa did you really think they were going to go with another “seasoned” manager.
@duhawk83
The White Sox front office, with strong input from owner Jerry Reinsdorf, tried the exact opposite approach with former 3B great Robin Ventura two managerial hires back. Ventura had zero coaching experience, let alone any managerial acumen.
The White Sox best hire was the one in between, Rick Renteria. He expertly navigated their 3-year rebuild with a resume that was solid in player development that included overseeing the final year of the Cubs own one in 2014. Renteria deserved a chance to finish out the remaining year on his contract after he got the White Sox to the postseason in 2019, breaking the team’s long playoff drought that dated back to 2008. Instead, Rick Hahn decided to fire RR and a week later was told to hire JR’s pal Tony La Russa as his replacement.
Bochy left the door open to manage again when he left the Giants. I’m mildly surprised that it’s with the Rangers, thought if he came back it would be with a team that’s a little closer, but good for them, and him.
It does seem surprising it would be with the Rangers—and Boch will have a long way to go with that pitching staff—but he’ll be fun to watch away from The Bay. I wish him luck.
According to the article, Bochy lives in Nashville. Dallas is relatively close to his home. At last compared to San Diego and San Francisco.
At Least…
Bochy is a great fit for the Rangers. Just like Baker was for the Astros. Look for the Rangers to become competitive once again.
Great hire for the Rangers. One thing that nobody has that Bochy brings is the maneuvering of the bullpen arms to put players in good situations. Does this mean the bay area won’t see the commercial with Bochy acting like navigation to get to tacos anymore?
Bochy will be limited though now since he can’t change pitchers every hitter. And he doesn’t have a good bullpen like he had in San Fran
Rangers pen was 12th in MLB in 2022 with a very respectable 3.72 ERA and the ones coming back in 2023 are extremely young so you can expect improvement. They will miss Moore if he leaves, but he may resign in FA. Then there is an entire offseason to add the pieces they are missing. How about adding Knebel and Strahm to Hernandez, Barlow, Burke, LeClerc, Martin, and Hearn? Or just add Knebel and see how much Santana, Sborz, and Tinoco can improve..
Great move!!! Hopefully this will transition them into winning and a winning culture instead of a fanbase that argues with each other and cries about the Astros being better all the time.
Wrong career record in the article
Guarantee they had to talk him into this, which means big moves will come this offseason. No way he would come back into coaching to coach a losing team. Guarantee they have more big signings this winter or trades to improve for him.
Interesting. Two teams in AL West now have ex-Astros backup catchers as their managers- Servais with Mariners and now Bochy with Rangers. Can’t argue with Bochy’s track record – he will be good for them if/when they get some really good players on their roster. They have 5-6 good ones but I’m sure they will build their roster over the next 2-3 years. As a Stros fan, look forward to the In-state rivalry being one again sometime in the next few years.
Congratulations and Welcome back to MLB managing Bruce Bochy!
Bochy was also the backup catcher for the Padres team that played the Tigers in the 1984 World Series!
I am surprised that Bochy he did not take the Padres managerial job this year before they hired Bob Melvin from the A’s?!
Does anyone know the “back story” on why he did not take the Padres job?!
Would love to hear that interesting story!
Congrats to Bruce Bochy!
Guess he got tired of playing golf and wanted back in on the action of Managing!
Bochy was also the backup catcher on the 1984 NL pennant winning Padres managed by Hall of Famer Dick Williams who lost to the Tigers in World Series.
Bochy’s record is misleading since he spent 11 years managing very lousy Padres teams that just did not have the talent to win until 1996-1998.
Does anyone know why Bochy did not take the Padres job before Bob Melvin was hired?!
Would love to read the backstory on that!
Test!
I bet this will play into Kershaw’s decision to go to Rangers
There is no “Kershaw’s decision to go to Rangers.” And why would hiring a manager who Kershaw has no historical ties to change that?
Kershaw has had plenty interactions during all-star games especially and was once asked about bochy and he said many things enough to question if bochy was trying to convince kershaw to join his team
Since Kershaw has continued to play for the worst manager all these years, he likely doesn’t base his decision on the manger at all and this hiring will likely have nothing to do with his decision.
Ya me too I’m failing to see how bochy hiring has any impact on kershaws decision ?? Also funny how people think that bochy equals automatic success texas needs pitching flat out that is their biggest concern
Got a sneaking suspicion Bochy leaving SF wasn’t his choice.
I just read that the new regime (Farhan?!) was much more analytically driven than Bochy.
And, Boch said he was tired, having back problems, needed a break to get his health back on track(also has had a heart attack and some issues there).
So, if he can “write his own ticket” (Rangers?!) then he would go back to managing after a few years off.
Must not have had a good financial advisor if he blew through all his earnings already and had to take the Rangers gig to avoid bankruptcy
Did not read or hear that!
I’m his financial advisor. We blew it all on coke and women.
My knees hurt just thinking about 3 years of Bochy shuffling his way out to the mound.
Hard game to let go for some.
Good luck, Bruce !
I was hoping the pirates would of fired Shelton and hired bochy
Not sure why Bochy would take this job?They are not contenders and doubt he needs the money.
DodgerOK;
Because in this lifetime, we all like to do what we do. As one gets older we can be more selective about what situations we put ourselves in.
It appears Mr. Bochy sees something in the Rangers current roster and prospects in the high minors; the ownerships track record of being hands-off as far as Baseball Ops goes; and the people in the FO that he’ll be working with.
I don’t know that the Rangers go to the WS next year, or even the playoffs. But I do know that Cleveland turned it’s organization around when they brought in Terry Francona as a manager. He knew what it took to win. The younger FO listened to him and they worked together. I can see similar things happening here.
I’ve written that the Rangers have been in circles for years. This hire can change that. It’s not so much what they do in 2023 as the trajectory the team goes in. Mr. Bochy will give that entire organization direction (something his past employer seems to have lost).
Or maybe the money was too good to resist??
Some people just get bored and/or lonely in retirement.
Maybe he likes a challenge. He’s already a HOF Manager
Dodgers contended and considered best team, yet they are watching playoffs on TV again.
Meanwhile Giants won 3 WS under Bochy with teams that were considered non-contenders for winning WS again!
Get ready to see how a bullpen is managed. This man is a master.
Belt and MadBum to Rangers in 3….2…..1.
Congrats Boch!
That’s fine.
But the first thing that has to stop is teams stealing at will off of their pitchers. All of their catchers had awful percentages for throwing out base stealers (I believe the weworst in MLB…by far). That was turning the momentum of games around and was demoralizing to the team.
SFBay, your words are encouraging. I liked Woody, but he had no clue how to manage the bullpen.
Arizona would scream with pleasure to move MadBum contract.
O please
Bootlick much
I said when he was interviewed it was his job to say no to. You don’t interview that caliber of manager if he wasn’t going to be the guy
Great…and we’re stuck with Dave Roberts!
White Sox should have been all over Bochy.
He wouldn’t have fit with that roster and FO.
He would have if the front office would have been hands off. But they do have a tendency to meddle, so perhaps you’re right.
Ozzie to sign 3-year contract with ChiSox by end of October!
OK I researched it.
In 2021, Padres were on track to make the playoffs, but the team collapsed and folded at the end of the season.
First time manager Jayce Tingler was set to be fired.
Even Padres players in the clubhouse were going to Preller and the Padres Ownership group with no confidence votes in Tingler and wanted him out.
Word was out that Padres Ownership’s first choice for Manager (and fans)
was former Padres Manager Bruce Bochy.
Except many around baseball Front Offices and Managers in dugouts around the league said that the word was out around the league that no way Bochy goes back to the Padres reporting to/working with AJ Preller has a reputation as a micro manager and too involved with the field Manager’s decisions etc.. (analytics?!)
People in the know stated that they would have to pay Bochy a ton of money to
work with Preller…and that sparks would be flying in San Diego if Bochy took that job.
Instead, Preller pivoted to the Oakland A’s, got permission to interview Bob Melvin and went in that direction.
Bochy managed New Rangers POB Chris Young in San Diego as a starting pitcher. So, they have a long term relationship of trust and mutual respect. Young will not step on Bochy’s toes and will let Bochy manage and make his decisions without interference.
Young played for Bochy for 1 year.
Great hire. Now they need pitching.
Might we offer them Pablo Lopez for a bat? A Garcia?
Or a E Cabrera swap for N Lowe
Cabrera for Lowe lmao
The rangers should absolutely sell high on Nate Lowe.
He’s simply not as good as his stats showed this year. He won’t maintain a 363 BABIP. That’ll normalize and he’ll become a simply above average 1B but not some kind of budding star.
I’ll take it on the chin if I’m wrong though. I’d want more than Cabrera but would def sell high on Lowe if a team is biting.
The Marlins would not trade Cabrera for Lowe. It would take more than Lowe.
Unless they find a taker for the Semien and Seager contracts, a new manager won’t put this team anywhere in playoff contention. Why not trade for Giancarlo Stanton while they’re at
If you’re saying the Rangers can’t win with Semien and Seager, then we don’t agree.
Semien sucks and Seager alone can’t carry a team just look at Ohtani and Trout and where their team is
I could go along with you if you simply say they are overpaid, but using words like “sucks” is a stretch I’m not willing to take.
Most, if not all players who make that much money are overpaid. If you don’t play to the level of what the contract expects then I think it’s proper to use that as a metric to assess if a player is good or not
In 2022, Semien had a 5.7 WAR and was 8% better than average at the plate. Seager had a 4.1 WAR and was 19% above average at the plate. That means they were very good. Would it be great if they played up to their hitting of the last 3 seasons when they were both closer to 30% better than average? Absolutely. Did they suck? Not by any stretch of the imagination,
Not unless Texas gets pitching they will not win with them
Yanks2 – That’s laughable. Bochy is damn good manager. He will have the Rangers winning in short order.
Rangers clogged up their payroll with an overpaid has been and a SS whose not worth anywhere near his contract. Bochy being a great manager has nothing to do with the Rangers being contenders as much as their lack of payroll preventing them to make any helpful moves does
You’re crazy. It’s only a clogged up payroll if owner lets it. Good managers like Bochy pick where they want to manage. They don’t have to interview for every opening. Time to swallow that bitter pill. Better yet wait till your Yankees and their one dementional MVP season ends tommorow.
Ehh ok?
The fact that you think their payroll is clogged up tells me you don’t know much about the Rangers payroll.
175mm and 7 years for Semien and like 320m for 10 years of Seager. Both albatrosses
The totals are irrelevant, The amounts per year are all that matter, and the Rangers have a ton of money available to spend on pitching with a bunch of young talent also on the horizon. Calling their contracts an albatross after one good, but not great, individual season is also a ridiculous leap. Regardless, you’re going to be surprised at how quickly the Rangers turn from losing season to real challengers over the next 2 seasons.
The totals are entirely relevant as they both count towards the current year luxury tax regardless of if the deal is front or back loaded. Plain and simple, Semien is like a better Anthony Rendon and Seager is too good to waste his prime years on a team that finished like 30 games below .500. But still wasn’t worth the years and dollar amount
Not when you have huge broadcasting rights Local and National. And a new ballpark. Lots of revenue streams. Also the Rangers stated they’re spending more $$$$$ this off season.
Wow talking trash about an organization that’s been doing it a lot better and longer than the texas rangers haha too comical
The Rangers have just $121 million on the books for 2023 and that is IF they pick up all the options and after arbitration. They are a big market club with big market revenue. Their owner says he expects their payroll to work its way up to closer to the CBT threshold in the future. Its at $233 million for 2023. Their payroll is not clogged.
For CBT purposes, the Rangers projected payroll for 2023 is $123.4 million. That is $110 million below the CBT. threshold. The Rangers are a big market club with commensurate revenue. They have lots of money to spend.
Just to clarify, the CBT threshold is at $233 million for 2023.
The Rangers’ local broadcasting revenue is very much league average. The ballpark is new, but it is empty. The Rangers are a middle market revenue team. The Angels, Mariners and likely the Astros bring in more revenue per year than the Rangers.
For clarity on this, the Rangers cable deal with Bally is 20 years at $1.6B or $80m per season. This money is subject to revenue sharing. The Rangers own 10% of Bally, so there is a portion of that shielded from revenue sharing. The Mariners deal is 18/1..8B or $100m per year. But, they own 70% of their cable network. It’s not far flung to state that the Mariners bring in double the cable revenue than Texas.
Many point to DFW’s population and assume that the Rangers are a big market revenue team – that is 100% not true. There are many people there, but baseball is an afterthought to most in the region. It’s a summer distraction before Cowboy’s season. It is a day capper after a trip to Six Flags. That’s why the Rangers have never spent in the $200m range.
Not a big market revenue team.
The Rangers averaged 24k per game in a bad year.. When they are competitive, they draw, and the prices of tickets at the new ballpark are significantly higher than the old. These owners know that if they can put a competitive product on the field, the crowds will show up, and the revenue will go through the roof.
I went to three games in the new park in 2021. It’s a beautiful place inside, but I didn’t get the same big league feeling I always got in the old park. Said another way, the atmosphere sucks. On top of that, every time I walked downstairs to buy two beers (there were no vendors roaming the bleachers), it was over $27, and they wouldn’t take cash. Every time I bought two beers at the old park, it was a twenty dollar bill, including tip.
I didn’t go to any games this year, and I don’t see myself going back any time soon. Big League ball games are no longer meant for the little guy.
The Rangers TV deal, signed 12 years ago, is $80 million per year. That puts them in the top 10. Fox also paid another $250 million for over-the-air rights for 10 of those years starting in 2014 which had been owned by KTXA, the CBS affiliate in Dallas. Their overall revenue is 7th in baseball. Their attendance is bad because they are coming off 6 straight losing seasons and COVID. Put a good team on the field and Dallas area fans have proven they will show up. baseball-reference.com/leagues/majors/2012-misc.sh… Davis said publicly in the past year that he sees the team closer to the CBT threshold in the future. That he okayed signing 3 players to a half billion in contracts is the downpayment on that increase in payroll.
Rangers are top 7 in revenue at about $400 million for 2022. Plenty of room to spend more.
Plus their owner said that they are going to be in on any and all FA they think they need to win and will be pushing payroll “closer to the threshold”.
You have no idea what you are talking about on this. That Fox contract ended a decade ago! The local cable TV contract is $80m per year – all of which is subject to revenue sharing. The Rangers own just 10% of Bally Sports Southwest – which means they can shield very little from the revenue sharing. Contrast this with the Angles and Mariners who have much larger per year cable deals and then own all or almost all of their regional networks. The Rangers are middle of the road revenue – like a St Louis. They will not spend $200m per year.
From Davis’ comments, the Rangers will spend this offseason, but not like last offseason. Last offseason they spent $75m per year on Seager, Semien and Gray. They spend $35m to $50m per year this offseason? Well,, resigning Perez takes a big chunk of that. Arb raises for guys takes another chunk. That leaves room for one $25m per year pitcher or a couple of $12m to $15m guys.
Wow. So excited and so wrong. The article I read about it was from March of this year from the Dallas News.
The Rangers payroll is about $120 million for next year as of today. Gives them $100 million plus to spend before they hit Davis’ benchmarks.
Perez is not expected to get $20 million or anywhere near it. Maybe $10-12 million AAV. He had a 4.15 ERA over the last 4 seasons and 4.74 as recently as 2021. Since the season ended both Perez and Young have said they are confident they can get a deal done for him to return.
Pretty much all the outlets including this website are saying the Rangers are going to go all in on Rodon who will cost $30 million AAV and on one of deGrom or Verlander if they opt out.
Davis specifically said that the payroll would be moving closer to the threshold. If you don’t understand what that means, look it up.
Did you listen to the presser this morning? What do you think Young meant by “we are committed to give him what he needs to win”?
You can be as pessimistic as you want, but that doesn’t change the facts of the matter.
forbes.com/mlb-valuations/list/#header:revenue_sor…
statista.com/statistics/193645/revenue-of-major-le…
totalsportal.com/list/mlb-teams-with-highest-reven…
Davis – “I’ve made a commitment to Boch and CY to spend the money that it takes to put a competitive team on the field And its not just for one year.”
What do you think that means?
On what grounds because of bochy funny how many people r just spouting this crap when no one really knows what to expect out of texas
Everyone except you seems to have a pretty good idea of what to expect.
Bochy went their because they showed him a plan of increased spending that will lead to winning.
How you are missing something that obvious is amusing.
O u mean no playoff appearance again ok I do know what to expect
Texas has more issues than just manger bochy alone does not turn this team around
Now let’s fire the remaining members of the major league coaching staff so Bochy can make his own hires.
Brilliant hire.
The Rangers are lucky to have him. Very lucky.
Great hire by Texas!
Bochy can make an impact if he can get the Rangers into the playoffs. It’ll all depend on their offseason, but I only see Texas making a 6th seed at best next year.
There is a 6th seed in the WS this season
Does he have to give back all his retirement gifts?
He didn’t ask for them.
Good hire for Rangers but I think some fans need to temper expectations. Bochy had a ton of bad years in Sf and it will be interesting to see how he does with all these new rule changes, particularly 3 batter minimum, he loved his matchups. He wasn’t big on analytics. 2017-2019 were awful years with some questionable decision making. Love Bochy forever and wish him the best, but I see this being similar to Maddon/Larussa.
Mini dynasty? This team won 3 Championships in 5 years. What else does a team have to do to be considered a macho dynasty then?
I hope it goes better for Bruce coming out of retirement than it did for Tony.
Good for the Rangers. Good hire.
Wow r u like bochy spokesperson or something it’s like u love the guy
You know I was going to make a snide remark that the White Sox did not interview Bochy because he had a proven track record, but the Sox just had LaRussa (who had a proven track record)… I guess Ill be happy with a manager on the South side who will hold the prima donnas accountable, and stress fundamentals…whoever that manager will be..
The only primeadonna on that team is Tim Anderson not sure what else u r talking about
Try Eloy, Moncada, Robert… All the guys who coincidentally got extensions and who all are key parts to this club. For what its worth, I think Eloy will be good, as long as he stays at DH, and Robert will be good, if he understands nothing is given and you have to continuously work at getting better, same with Moncada… and all of these guys start working on conditioning and their diets to ensure they do not have these injuries that put them on the bench all of the time. Cannot forget Gio either. Mr ‘ Im worth Ace money’ when he is not even close (and proved it this past season).
Probably the classiest thing I ever saw on a major league diamond was in 2010 when the Giants knocked off the Braves in the play-offs and Bochy and the Entire Team stopped their celebration to applaud Cox on his final game.
That was truly and honorable thing to do and it tells me alot about the kind of manager Bochy was and will be again.
Ya because I’m sure no one else would of done that
I”ve not seen anything like it.
Perhaps you can enlighten us?
In looking at Bochy’s record more closely, I’m not sure now whether he’s a great hire or not. Yes, he has the 3 WS rings, but over his 25 years, more than half were losing seasons, & he reached 90 wins only 4 times. Factor in his past lack of work with analytics, my own expectations are not very high.
It’s just funny all these people on here saying yup guaranteed slam dunk texas is winning now
OH NO !!!
BEWARE THE BOCHY CURSE !!!
The Rangers likely will NEVER beat either the PADRES or the GIANTS AGAIN !!!
It has come to pass for the Giants since they lured Bochy from the Padres.
The Giants just can’t beat the Padres if their life depended on it !!!
That’s a pretty bad take considering Bochy’s Giants beat the Padres MANY times, including taking away first place from them at the end of the 2010 season. The Giants, as we all know, won 3 WS and the Padres were pretty pathetic from them on for about a decade.
Rangers have made it interesting, that’s for sure.
What made Bruce Bochy a great post season manager is that, by season’s end, he knew how his players fit into the team. He didn’t manage by trying to counter the opposing manager. He was a heavy user of platoons and substations but didn’t over manage and over platoon. Players had set roles. It didn’t seem like guesswork. Mostly, he managed his pitching staff as good as any manager ever had.
Attaboy Garry. You know ball!
Or maybe the team got hot give me a break giving all the credit to bochy when the players stepped up
kmk1986;
Yes……
In multiple years different players “got hot” at just the right time.
That’s a lot of coincidence within five years. Seems more logical to just give the guy credit as a good manager.
Kmk, What are you talking about?!??? You ever laced up the cleats and stepped on the diamond???….HIGHLY doubtful!!!
Let me know when you play affiliated ball or some solid Indy Ball!
It is Amazing what Bruce Bochy did for the SF Giants!
3 World Series Titles in 6-7 years.?!?!
Unbelievable!!!
Bochy brought out the best performance in both veterans and young players.
I am a huge Bochy fan and I followed and liked his teams both in SD and SF.
SF Giants Rosters in those years did not have a lot of superstars and future Hall of Famers with the exception of Buster Posey.
Many of those Bruce Bochy managed teams and players had career years and better than career average years in their 3 Title years Managed by Bochy!
It is not like those teams were loaded with future Hall of Famers like the ’72-’73-’74 Oakland A’s, the Big Red Machine, the Braves, Dodgers and Yankees during their runs.
I am thinking that if Bochy still has that magic touch and if Chris Young gets him the right players, that Bruce Bochy could have the Rangers back in playoffs contention faster than most of us think.
There’s a fairly short list of managers that I would be perfectly happy with having on my team. Bochy is certainly high on that list along with Francona. Good job by the Rangers. Now go out and get/build a pitching staff. That’s job one.
Bochy, Baker, Showalter (and possibly Guillen) bringing back “old school baseball” and not relying solely on analytics.
Rangers want to win and Bochy will get them there. Unlike Kapler, Bochy knows how to handle and get the most out of a pitching staff; starters / relievers.
“Unlike Kapler…”
Really? So who managed that 2021 Giants team that had the 2nd lowest team ERA in all of MLB?
The Rangers already had Showalter, and he was one of the two worst managers in team history. Doug Rader was the other.
You do realize that the Astros and Mets are two teams that are near the top in the size of their analytics teams and that Alderson was the godfather of analytics among baseball FOs? Click came from the Rays who are 100% ruled by analytics. One of 1st things Chris Young did as GM was hire 3 of the best minds in analytics.
I went to a Sports Analytics conference run by MIT Sloan and Showalter was there as a speaker. I think he does combine the two schools of thought. I’m not sure he’s the best at it but he’s trying to make it work.
Interesting. Only one MOY title. And that was in 1996 with the Padres.
Giants fan here. Rangers just became my second favorite team. Great pick up for the Rangers. In the analytics-first dynamic MLB has turned into, it’s nice to see “gut feel” still had a place. This years playoffs shows these old guys still has a place in MLB (Showalter, Melvin, Dusty). Good luck Boch
Bruce Bochy is a absolute treasure, loved him as the skipper for the Giants. I’ll be rooting for the Rangers from afar, I hope they travel to SF next year, I’d love to buy tickets for that game.
Congrats Texas!!
Rangers are in San Francisco in August.
Thank you
Pretty sure the series in SF starts August 11th. Will be interesting to see how the Giants fans respond to Bochy being on the opposing bench.
Thank you for that, I didn’t know.
Giants fans will cheer Bochy, not even concerned about that in the slightest. It’ll be 100% positive.
God willing, I will be there. Those are the historic type of games you want to see no matter what team you cheer for.
I’d gladly trade Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman for Bruce Bochy. Bochy knows what he’s doing.
Hire an AI manager isn’t that far future.
How many times during a broadcast will we hear about Bochy’s larger than normal hat size?
“Check out the big brain on Bruce!”
LaRussa 2.0
Wow. Muting kmk makes the thread so much more enjoyable.
The addition of Bochy means the Rangers are going for it. Expect them to be in hunt for Judge. Their payroll with Seager and Semien is still reasonable and there is room for the Judge salary. They have a new stadium and they are competing with the Astros so they need more talent to compete. It’s only money and if it doesn’t work out they can always trade him back to NYY like AROD. Judge would put Texas on the map and with Bochy it makes perfect sense to take a run with a great manager and more talent.
Remember, it’s football country in Texas BUT baseball did very well when Nolan Ryan was in the front office. The team succeeded, the fans came out and that was with a terrible stadium where you baked during day games. The new ball park needs more attendees and Judge is the best way to make that happen. If Kershaw could be enticed that would be great for adding fans but his skills are not going to put their pitching staff over the top. Judge could significantly upgrade the run production and improve the defense.
Do you think they need Judge? I would think that like Bochy and CY said in the press conference, pitching is their pressing need. Which is probably why they have been linked to Rodon, deGrom, and Verlander before those guys have even had a chance to opt out of their deals. They probably need one more bat, but with Seager and Semien there, Jung likely to take over FT at 3B, and Lowe having had a breakout season, they are probably not shooting for a top of the FA market bat. It would make more sense to me that they go after some smaller improvements in the OF and hope for a bounce back from Garver and Miller at DH and improvement from Smith in LF.
Wow…why would he take this job?