ARLINGTON, Texas — The last Rangers owner wanted to make a statement early in his tenure. He hoped for a gesture so large, it would be a pronouncement of his wealth and scope and desire to convert a fan base into baseball true believers and hunger to win.
Tom Hicks saw signing Alex Rodriguez as the vehicle to accomplish all of that. So after the 1999 season, his second as owner, Hicks gave an historic 10-year, $252 million deal that ended up undermining the Rangers’ future more than aiding it. Among other things, A-Rod just ate up too much of Texas’ payroll, and roster building became more problematic.
Now Texas has new ownership. The group bought the franchise out of bankruptcy, purchasing the team in August to complete Hicks’ dismal reign. And, again, Rangers ownership is looking at a mega-deal that would make a statement about its wealth, scope, desire to convert a fan base into baseball true believers and hunger to win.
Cliff Lee will not receive a contract of A-Rod’s length. But it would be no surprise if he equaled the annual dollar value of $25 million. General manager Jon Daniels said the team’s payroll is heading “north.” But it is hard to see how Lee’s deal would not eat – at minimum – 30 percent or more of the payroll. Could Texas do that and still keep a strong team?
“Absolutely,” new CEO Chuck Greenberg said. “The mistake you can make is not thinking about the next five years and how you maintain your strengths for that period. We are not going to make those mistakes.”
The Rangers do have the benefit of new money infusing the organization from wealthy owners. They also get the benefits financially now from the World Series, as well as in the future from better sponsorship and season ticket sales. In addition, they have signed a contract extension with Fox that begins in 2014, reportedly worth as much as $1.6 billion over the next 20 years.
Still, besides Lee, Texas has to address free agency at DH (Vlad Guerrero) and catcher (Bengie Molina). In addition, C.J. Wilson is a year from free agency that can take him toward $15 million annually if he repeats this season in 2011. And Josh Hamilton is two years from free agency and a potential mega-deal. Both are arbitration eligible, as is Nelson Cruz and Darren O’Day. So it is going to cost big to keep this core intact, especially with Lee. We already know the Yankees can incorporate multiple $20 million-plus annual contracts and will look to add another in Lee. But Texas had trouble with just one (A-Rod’s) in the past.
“We can’t worry about them,” Greenberg said. “We can only worry about ourselves and we believe we can compete [financially for Lee].”
* Sandy Alderson is expecting to hear no later than today from J.P. Ricciardi if the former Blue Jays GM will accept a key role in baseball operations. Ricciardi also is weighing an offer from the Red Sox. The Boston job holds particular allure to Ricciardi because he still lives in Worcester County, Mass., and has two school-age boys he wants to stay close to. Besides the obvious — the Red Sox in Boston — the organization’s top two minor league affiliates, Triple-A Pawtucket and Double-A Portland (Maine), are within a reasonable drive. However, Ricciardi has told friends the allure of working again with Alderson, who he considers a mentor, also is attractive, especially since he might be able to do a significant piece of his work from home.
* Neftali Feliz gives the Rangers a bit of the Joba Chamberlain issue. Feliz was a starter almost exclusively in the minors, and when Texas acquired the right-hander as part of a trade that sent Mark Teixeira to Atlanta, it was imagining Feliz near the top of a rotation. But Feliz has taken to the closer role so well that Daniels pretty much dismissed the possibility Feliz will be switching back to the rotation, certainly not in 2011.
* For the final three weeks of the 1990 season — the Yankees’ worst winning percentage season since 1913 — their left fielder was Hensley Meulens, their center fielder was Roberto Kelly and their closer was Dave Righetti. The most famous player on the team was Don Mattingly. Who could have imagined 20 years later that Meulens, Kelly and Righetti, as Giants coaches, would get their championship rings before Mattingly?