When describing Jon Daniels the term Jedi seems to be a favorite among the fans. But he’s only a Jedi when a move is made that appeases the fans. JD was not considered a Jedi or a ninja in the offseason when Napoli and Hamilton walked. When he traded Michael Young half of the fan base was in shock and called it a terrible move since there would be no leadership. When the Nolan Ryan drama was going on, he was called “a NYC jabroni” by one fan. That still cracks me up.
Jon Daniels has continued to make shrewd moves during his tenure as Rangers General Manager. He will keep making moves to try to get this thing to a World Series, sooner rather than later. Jon Daniels cares about winning, and winning moves are seldom easy ones. Chris Davis has found himself in Baltimore, and good for him. But it may never have happened here. Not “putting a ring on it” has certainly worked out for the Rangers with the emergence of Leonys Martin and the fact that Josh Hamilton is apparently lost in LA. Not giving Zack Greinke the keys to the kingdom has allowed Martin Perez his chance to shine on the big stage. With Michael Young on the roster that probably means that Jurickson Profar is sitting in Round Rock.
Buying high priced free agents year in and year out can strap a team financially or simply blow up in your face, like the Yankees or Angels. The Rangers are about winning, but not at all costs. I’m sure the Angels would love to have Jean Segura in their system today. Jurickson Profar is still in the Texas organization for a reason.
But when you want something, you have to give up something. The key is not giving up too much. The trade for Matt Garza involved a couple of highly valued prospects. Mike Olt is going to be a good player at some point and CJ Edwards may be a very nice pitcher in a few years. But Olt, Edwards and Justin Grimm do not break your franchise and Matt Garza may just be what the doctor ordered when it comes down to the division and hopefully beyond. Was the asking price high? Yes, but not so high that it cripples the Rangers future.
Jon Daniels trusts his team of executives. He trusts his scouts, his players and his manager.
We should give JD the benefit of the doubt and trust him regardless of what a single move means to us personally. As fans and writers and bloggers and the like, sometimes we do not see the forest for the trees. Jon Daniels, Thad Levine and the rest of the brain trust not only see the forest. They see the mountain range beyond the forest, the lake beyond the mountain range and the championship trophy that lies beyond the lake.
In JD We Trust.