What is it about Edwin Jackson that so many dislike? It can’t be found in his numbers or track record.

Thoughts by Ryan/Daniels of resigning Hamilton after his implosion the last 4 months? None. Worries that the team would be worse off without Hamilton and Young? None. Remorse now that the Angels signed Hamilton? None. In fact, probably unmitigated joy.

Daniels is a chess player. He knows his team’s capabilities, and he saw first hand how Hamilton quit on the team down the stretch, envisioned the future as a rapidly aging Hamilton turned into Vernon Wells Jr., and probably chortles with glee that the sucker Angels signed him, just as he did when CJ Wilson signed with them last year. Now the Angels are paying two of the biggest mental cases in MLB history a combined 42 million/yr, and the Rangers get to pound Wilson 5 times a yr and strike out Hamilton about 50 times a yr without ever throwing a strike.

I wouldn’t be worrying about Jon boy expressing fake exasperation. Beneath his fake whining and posturing is a Bobby Fisher chess Grand Master who played this just right, and will continue to keep the Rangers in great position for now and in the future.

How do you know this isn’t their plan?

He has a butt load of money himself and he should have been in on ALL of the top level free agents this winter. Instead, he got none of them. Boo fucking hoo.

Pony up dude or you are going to see people avoid your team like the plague.

How do you know that this isn’t their plan?

//Thanks a lot for ruining my life, you bastard!!!
//runs away, sobbing

The man is one of the best GM’s in MLB. He has built a perennial contending team from nothing. He didn’t suddenly get dumb.

I’ll say it again – the Hamilton deal that the Angels suckered themselves into is going to be the crowing blow in a series of moves that will make them a 2nd division team in a few years, maybe even this year (ball don’t carry in the low humidity of Anaheim as they do in the high humidity of Texas…..where Nelson Cruz becomes a power hitter). Team that win the off-season seldom win in-season (Miami Marlins anyone?). And teams the lose the off-season often win in the real season. The Rangers have a good deal of money and a very good farm system full of top-tier prospects. Mr. Daniels has put himself in a very good position due to the moves he’s made over the last 3-4 years. 25 other teams should be in this bad of shape.

About 20 teams could do a lot worse than embracing what a reliable workhorse he is instead of lamenting the fact he’s never turned into the #2 his stuff would suggest.

I like the Rangers offseason so far. They dumped Young, which is a huge plus. They have Profar and Olt knocking on the MLB door, each with a lot of promise….and they didn’t overpay for Greinke or Hamilton….allowing them to maintain both roster and payroll flexibility, which are HUGE assets in themselves.

Anyway, good deals exist, you just have to use a “money ball approach” to identify them (i.e. market inefficiencies).

Personally, I don’t see Greinke or Hamilton as such a situation. The likelihood that either of those guys lives up to his contract is small….especially for Hamilton. Swisher is probably a steal in this market, and a short term deal for Bourne may be as well.

That said, I think Daniels’s unwillingness to pay well beyond what a player’s likely to produce over the life of a contract would indicate that he sees quite clearly how the market has changed and will be looking for more intelligent ways to invest his payroll than trying to outbid clubs who are willing to go above and beyond in order to satisfy their fanbase and pump up season ticket sales as much as make wise baseball investments.