October 20, 2014

No chili for Texas...

I was kind of excited about bringing Chili Davis to Texas as hitting coach, but apparently Boston grabbed him quickly when it became known he was open to leaving Oakland.  It's not clear if Texas ever even talked to him, although I would guess that they wouldn't have sought Oakland's permission and then not followed up.

The questions are:


Was Texas seriously interested in Davis, or was their "interest" a negotiating tactic for their apparently-ongoing discussions with Dave Magadan?  While Rangers fans might be understandably less-than-impressed with Magadan following two years of lackluster offense, Magadan hasn't absorbed any of the blame.  Unfortunately, if Texas is seriously trying to hold on to Magadan, it doesn't look like it's working; according to nj.com Magadan is New York bound if they want him.

Rangers fans are also left to wonder if Texas made a serious run for Davis but was outbid by Boston, or if the eventual choice of Jeff Banister for manager changed their plans.

Whatever the situation was, it now looks like Texas will be looking for a new hitting coach any day now.

UPDATE:  And right after I posted all this, the same news appeared on LoneStarBall.com, as well as twitter news that Magadan has also talked to Billy Beane in Oakland.  So it looks like Magadan is gone, no matter what.

UPDATE 2:  The New York Yankees have informed Dave Magadan he is not their choice for hitting coach.  Magadan also previously clarified that the Mets' interest was apparently mostly casual, as he has not actually interviewed for that job.  However, with the news that Magadan has discussed Oakland's opening with GM Beane, Athletics' bloggers and beat writers are reporting that Magadan is likely the front-runner for that job.

UPDATE 3:  ESPN Dallas, for what it's worth, is reporting that Magadan will meet Thursday with GM Jon Daniels and Manager Jeff Banister in Surprise, AZ (where the Rangers training facilities are, and where the Arizona Fall League is currently taking place for developing players).  This, obviously, runs at least somewhat counter to the idea that Magadan will likely be elsewhere when the season starts.  Of course, another thing to consider is that Magadan is technically under contract through 2015; if he or Banister is going to be unhappy with Magadan as hitting coach next year, it would require nulling the contract, trading Magadan, or moving him to a different position.

Magadan has been one of the most sought after hitting coaches in baseball for several years, and reportedly left Boston for Texas largely because the Rangers gave him an awful lot of money for his services.

Posted by: Ben at 12:08 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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