Monday Newsletter time: It's so quiet with Texas Rangers that (gasp) officials are actually planning to go on vacation
The lockout has frozen baseball business, making Christmas Week a quiet one for the local ballclub.
Christmas Week is upon us and all is quiet at Texas Rangers headquarters, which is a departure from past years.
The Rangers have never shied away from the holidays to make moves. The Kohei Arihara deal was breaking about this time last year, and the Shin-Soo Choo contract also developed this week in 2013.
That’s just off the top of my head. There definitely are others.
But the lockout will ensure that nothing significant happens this week. The Rangers were hoping to add an assistant hitting coach before Christmas. They can sign minor-league free agents and can make new hires to minor-league coaching staffs.
Otherwise, this is going to be an easy week. So will the following week.
Front office officials, who ordinarily would be working on negotiating with free agents and working on trades, have vacations planned. They’ve actually been eating dinners at home with their families.
Manager Chris Woodward made it sound like he was going to go into hiding after the coaches met last week.
Fingers are crossed that the lockout will end sooner than later and that spring training and the regular season will go off as planned.
Until then, it’s going to remain quiet.
More Newsletter news
Some of you might have seen that there is a new TCU sports website out there, Frogs Today, and that I am its senior writer. To be frank, I’m its only writer.
The freedom afforded to me by the Newsletter is allowing me to branch out, which is nice. I’m a former TCU beat guy, albeit 15 years ago, but I’m still a fairly capable hand or will be soon enough.
I agreed to this gig with the understanding that my Rangers coverage is my priority. Nothing here is going to change in terms of content.
There will be a few changes, for the better. At some point in the not-too-distant future the Newsletter is going to get a new name and move away from Substack. The Texas Rangers Baseball Podcast will get a face-lift, though John Moore and I will still be hosting.
What does all of that mean for you? Nothing.
The daily newsletter will be delivered to your email inbox, as will all the other content we will be cranking out.
The prices won’t be changing either.
So, that’s what’s happening. These are all good things.
ICYMI …
The Wilsons made it to Colorado, where it’s unseasonably warm and the mountain peaks have only a dusting of snow. We’re still having a good time, and I even wrote Sunday. Here it is, as well as other stuff from the past week, in case you missed it.
The Sunday Read: My Hall of Fame ballot
Friday on the Farm: Who’s behind Josh Jung at third
T.R.’s Memoirs: Mark Teixeira’s time with the Rangers
How one signing buys some time
Doggy video!
One of these dogs isn’t a Monday dog. Enjoy. See you later this week.
