Okay, so a point I meant to make — but didn’t — in my latest article, was, basically, that the Rangers have significantly progressed as a franchise in the last 6-7 years; they currently possess an enviable big business model; and generally, for an organization to reach that point, they have to execute shrewd, sometimes cold-blooded, business decisions.
The sad thing about Ian Kinsler trashing Jon Daniels, as well as the way the Rangers’ front office does its business, is that he was once a major part of The Plan. The final role he played in Texas was as a trade piece so The Plan could continue moving forward. The great and all-knowing Mike Hindman reminded me of that yesterday on Twitter:
Part of the fun of this is one of JD’s first major decisions was to make 17th rd Kinsler-w/ 2 minor lg seasons-his starting 2B in ’06.
— Michael Hindman (@mjhindman) March 4, 2014
Speaking of Twitter, we also realized Josh Hamilton is still dense, which is roughly as shocking as looking down and realizing you still have ten fingers:
Not any fun being in the Texas doghouse, is it @IKinsler3?
— Josh Hamilton (@thejoshhamilton) March 4, 2014
First of all, I still think publicly communicating on Twitter is dumb when you have that person’s phone number. BUT ANYWAY.
Ian Kinsler has an actual gripe with his former organization. And from his shoes, it’s understandable given his service time with the club and the idea that GM Jon Daniels was the last to notify him he’d been traded. I wish he’d kept his feelings private, but the fact that he has hard feelings is less important than the reason why he carries such an ill-will.
Because with Josh Hamilton, there was never a doghouse. After 2012, the Rangers simply didn’t want him back. He, logically, chose the route of the team who gave him the biggest contract — the Angels — and he will never have to worry about money again. The Rangers didn’t treat him poorly, they were just making what they thought was their best business decision. Just like Josh Hamilton did.
With Kins, my feeling is that Jon Daniels and Texas liked him a lot. He was, for lack of a better term, a gamer, and he generated several impressive seasons in his eight-year stint with the franchise.
However, love from Jon Daniels and the Rangers’ front office is perpetually conditional. They will love any player if it’s on their terms. The Rangers wanted Ian to move to first base. He didn’t want to, so they traded him and now Jurickson Profar is the 2nd baseman.
It might be cold, but it’s just business.
Future Bets 