Nolan Ryan is endorsing a new ownership group that will include Tom Hicks as a minority owner with no say so on what the team does. That's a start. I think the new ownership will get approved as will the sale relatively soon....but the deal won't be finished much before spring training opens in Arizona. So how do the Rangers get better so that you and I can see playoff baseball? Rangers GM Jon Daniels went to the Winter Meetings with the task of making his team better without raising the over-all payrole of the team.....say what?? Well JD has done it - moving $12Million dollar starter Kevin Millwood to Baltimore for former Closer Chris Ray and then adding starter Rich Harden is a lovely 2 for 1 that gives the Rangers a chance to be better. Kevin Millwoods 198 innings were a big part of the Rangers success last season and he earned his $12Million dollar one year deal. But Millwood will be 35 in December and his Ace status is long gone. Yes he was at the top of the Rangers rotation but he was not an Ace and hasn't had Ace stuff or an Ace fastball for 4 or 5 years. Millwood would have never lived up to the value of a $12Million dollar deal for 2010. So when teams came calling to take Millwood off of the Rangers hands, Daniels was interested....JD did his homework and found out that he could pull in RP Chris Ray and starter Rich Harden for less than $12Million...Deal! Now it looks as if young Catcher Max Ramirez who the Rangers don't project as a future catcher (maybe a 1b-DH type) will be traded to bring in veteran bat Mike Lowell from the Red Sox. Lowell offers power from the right side, a part time sub at 1b for Chris Davis and a sub at 3b if Michael Young needs a few games off. Lowell also has 2 rings and has been around a winning culture for most of his career. 3 players for 1 $12Million dollar starter is a nice job of working your options by Jon Daniels. If Harden who has been injury prone most of the last 5 years gets hurt, then the deal didn't work - but I will tell you that with the financial restrictions the Rangers are working under limited their abilities to bring needed help to this team. If Millwood would have stayed and this team did nothing else to help its pitching or on base perecentage, then they wouldn't have been able to compete in 2010. As it stands with these three new guys (assuming health) plus a cheap sub catcher and a few other pieces.....this team has a chance to get 4-5 games better and make another run at the Angels....and they didn't give up any of their prized young studs! (Feliz, Holland, Smoak, Davis, Borbon all stay) Great job Jon Daniels. Now Mr. Ryan, please get this new ownership thing done so we don't have to go through this again anytime soon.
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