Texas Rangers nearing ‘solution’ to their TV hell that should help you and their payroll
The Texas Rangers aren’t saying if they have the money necessary to participate in what is approaching English Premier League level spending in baseball.
They’re not saying it because, at present, they’re not exactly sure just how much money they have to play with in their efforts to find a bat that does more than fly out to left, two starting pitchers, and at least two relievers.
According to industry professionals aware of the Rangers’ efforts to solve the migraine that is their local TV rights package, they are working on a unique solution that could allow them to do some, maybe not quite all, of what they would like to do during free agency.
Expect the Rangers to inquire about Roki Sasaki, Japan’s latest import who is expected to command $3 trillion as a free agent. Don’t expect them to sign him.
On Wednesday morning, the club re-signed starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi to a three-year contract. He was considered a “mid-tier” free agent. The deal is reportedly worth $75 million total.
The team also announced it acquired infielder Jake Burger from the Miami Marlins in exchange for infielders Max Acosta, Echedry Vargas, and left-handed pitcher Brayan Mendoza. Burger, 28, batted .250 with 29 home runs and 76 RBI over 137 games for Miami in 2024.
The Rangers also signed former Orioles right-handed reliever Jacob Webb on a one-year contract.
Rangers primary owner Ray Davis and ownership are pursuing a TV plan where the team would negotiate individual contracts with providers such as DirecTV, Hulu, Charter, YouTube, et al. The Rangers would effectively create their own regional sports network (RSN), and it would make it much easier for fans to watch their games.
The club’s goal is to broaden local viewership of their regular-season games, while coming as close as possible to their previous annual right’s revenues generated from their collapsed TV deal with Bally Sports. Their original contract with what was then Fox Sports Southwest was in the area of $110 million every year.
Last year, as a band aid deal with Bally Sports, the figure was reduced to $90 million.
The team is now trying to maximize what they can get, which industry experts project to be a bit more than $60 million for the 2025 season.
Amid a litany of problems, including bankruptcy court and a never ending amount of fans who increasingly could not watch Rangers games on their TV because of distribution issues, the Rangers ended their agreement with Bally Sports in October.
At the MLB Winter Meetings at the Anatole Hotel in Dallas on Tuesday, Texas Rangers GM Chris Young did his best to answer whether the Rangers can spend real money on roster improvement. The answer is a solid “YesIshNoMaybeSureNotSoSure.”
“Any GM’s job is to push ownership to put the best team on the field and sometimes that requires to be pushed past a comfort level,” Young said on Tuesday to a small collection of us unfairly attractive members of the local media.
“Wouldn’t it be fun to spend at the very top of the market every year? Absolutely, but that’s not realistic for any general manager.”
Expecting the 2024 team to repeat as World Series champs’ was a bit much, but a sub .500 record is a point of disgust. The Rangers should not have finished with a losing record for the seventh time in the last eight years.
The club’s payroll of $223 million, as reported by USA Today, in 2024 ranked sixth in MLB. It was just a tick under the MLB “luxury tax” threshold of $237 million.
The Rangers have problems, and “cheap” isn’t on the list. After the 2021 season ended, Davis told his management team they had money, and to spend it on players. They did. They won.
With the revenue from their local broadcasting television rights jammed into a blender last year, it did have an effect on the team’s pursuit of solutions, and upgrades, after the World Series parade ended. The spending spigot wasn’t turned to “OFF,” but it slowed.
Since baseball franchises started spending big money on player contracts, beginning in the late 1980s, the Rangers have jumped off and on the spending see-saw. Where they are on that thrill ride is somewhere in the middle.
“It’s need based. There have been economic circumstances that have impacted things to some extent,” Young said. “I can’t make excuses. Where our payroll was last year was an all-time high. We did not get the job done.
“I believe we will have the resources to continue to spend with a market this size. It doesn’t mean we are spending at the top of the market every year but when we need to, we have the access to be able to do that. That’s what our ownership has allowed us to do.”
In this era of MLB, the only “Moneyball” that wins the World Series is actual money. Three of MLB’s “Final Four” 2024 postseason teams - L.A. Dodgers, New York Mets, and New York Yankees - went over the luxury tax threshold. The Mets, Yankees and Dodgers had the three highest payrolls in MLB.
For some clubs, MLB’s “Competitive Balance Tax” is as much of a deterrent as the 65 m.p.h speed limit sign on a West Texas highway. The Mets just handed outfielder Juan Soto a 15-year, $765 million contract.
This is three years after the Rangers signed shortstop Corey Seager to a 10-year, $325 million deal. This is one year after the L.A. Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million contract.
A father somewhere near Frisco is currently eyeing a 30-year, $5.4 billion deal for his son, who is thriving in tee ball. For a sport that is “dying,” and “nobody watches,” its players, managers and general managers are living the lives of a Saudi prince.
Where does MLB’s continued government-style spending leave the 2023 World Series champs’? They need two starting pitchers, at least a decent bat, and relievers.
Their revamped TV deal should allow them to address some of these needs to their desired level, but probably not quite all.
This story was originally published December 11, 2024 at 7:55 AM.
