ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -Rangers general manager Jon Daniels was given a one-year contract extension Tuesday despite a 26-43 start that left Texas with the worst record in the major leagues.
The 29-year-old Daniels, who became the youngest GM in major league history when he replaced John Hart in October 2005, now has a contract through the 2009 season.
“I take this as a show of confidence in the management team that is here now,” Daniels said. “We know we are judged on wins and losses and the standings every day. That doesn’t necessarily define all the good work going on in the organization.”
Going into Tuesday night’s game against the Chicago Cubs, the Rangers and rookie manager Ron Washington were 17 1/2 games behind the AL West-leading Los Angeles Angels – the largest deficit in any division.
“I wanted Jon to know he had my confidence, I wanted to express that confidence to the public and get it out of the way so Jon could move forward with his job to build a baseball team,” Rangers owner Tom Hicks said.
Daniels’ extension comes two weeks after the amateur draft in which the Rangers had six of the first 80 picks and selected a pair of standout high school pitchers in the first round.
“It’s all about confidence and credibility. I think Jon has been real straight with me about things,” Hicks said. “Jon has the ability and the skills and I think he’s going to get better every year. … One thing this organization needs is stability. There are a lot of things Jon started two years ago that are going to pay dividends to the organization.”
The extension for Daniels doesn’t immediately affect Washington, whose two-year contract is through 2008 and includes an option for two more seasons. Hicks referred questions about the manager to Daniels.
Daniels said Washington, a coach for Oakland the past 11 seasons, is “an integral part” of the organization. Daniels said any discussions concerning Washington’s contract “will probably be after the season.”
Since taking over, Daniels has put an emphasis on the organization’s scouting and development, including broadening the organization’s presence in Latin America. Last winter, Daniels conducted the Rangers’ first organization-wide meeting of coaches, scouts and administrators in several years.
“What we tried to do was win and develop at the same time. … It’s the hardest thing to do in professional sports, try to execute two plans at once,” Daniels said. “There are a lot of good things going on that I’m proud of that don’t get as much publicity, and for good reason.”
Texas was 80-82 last season, Daniels’ first as GM. The Rangers haven’t been to the playoffs since 1999, after the last of their only three AL West titles – all in a four-year span. The Rangers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs each time by the New York Yankees.
This year, the Rangers have been hampered by a starting rotation that has a 6.80 ERA with top two pitchers Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla struggling.
Millwood (3-6, 7.62) struck out a season-high 10 Sunday in Cincinnati, but that was his first win in eight starts since April – a stretch that has included two stints on the disabled list. Padilla, given a new $33.75 million, three-year contract after winning 15 games last season in Texas, is 3-8 with a 6.57 ERA.
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