Nolan Ryan has become a symbol of the success that the Texas Rangers have enjoyed over the past several seasons. The former Cy Young Award winner is a celebrity in Arlington, and he has received much of the credit for the Rangers’ three straight playoff appearances and two division titles in the past three seasons. Now, there are rumors that Ryan’s days with the team may be numbered.
According to Randy Galloway of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, a power shift within the Rangers’ front office could run Ryan out of town before the regular season begins. The team’s owners recently announced that Jon Daniels has been promoted to president of baseball operations and general manager and Rick George has been promoted to president of business operations. Ryan’s title is still CEO, but sources reportedly told Galloway that Daniels has final say over baseball decisions and the same for George with the business end.
Rangers co-owner Bob Simpson insists that Ryan’s job remains the same and said it would be a “tragedy” if he left the team.
“My definition of CEO is it’s the person in charge,” Simpson said. “Nolan Ryan will still make the anything-of-significance decisions and bring those to the owners for approval. I say significant decisions because we wanted to remove some of the day-to-day stuff from Nolan.
“Nolan is a treasure for us. His wisdom and his counsel are invaluable. And if anyone in his camp has taken these latest moves the wrong way, then that needs to be addressed.”
Galloway’s sources “adamantly” claim that despite what Simpson says, Daniels is now in total control of baseball decisions. Galloway also said that it is a “fact” that Ryan has lost much of his power. The Rangers know they have to be careful with what they say, because losing Ryan on bad terms would be a public relations nightmare. Ryan’s incredible career combine with gestures like this have made him one of the most beloved athletes in Texas history. He has three years remaining on his contract with the Rangers. The last thing the team needs is a messy divorce.
H/T Eye on Baseball
