Texas GM Jon Daniels (left) and assistant GM Thad Levine have been a part of the Rangers’ front office together since 2005.
Texas general manager Jon Daniels and assistant GM Thad Levine have each been given three-year contract extensions that will keep them with the Rangers through 2018, it was announced last week.
The moves come on the heels of a disastrous season in which Texas fell to last place in the A.L. West division and saw the departure of Ron Washington, the most successful manager in franchise history.
The ballclub’s upper management nonetheless felt it was the right time to make a commitment to the brain trust of Daniels and Levine, especially after losing A.J. Preller to San Diego in August.
“Getting our baseball leadership secured for the foreseeable future was a top priority this offseason and very important for the continuity of the organization,” co-chairmen Ray Davis and Bob Simpson said in a joint release.
“Under Jon and Thad’s leadership, the Rangers have created a strong overall organization that has combined major-league success with a productive scouting and player development operation over a number of years.
“Jon and Thad are skilled executives who are well-respected around the game and completely committed to once again delivering a winning team for our fans.”
Daniels, a graduate of Cornell University, became the youngest general manager in baseball history when he was hired by Texas in 2005 following the resignation of John Hart.
He had previously worked in the baseball operations department before moving up to the GM office, and he took on the title “president of baseball operations” in March 2013.
Levine was a member of the Colorado Rockies’ front office before coming to the Rangers, and he was one of the first people brought on board by Daniels in ’05.
Mikolas, Poreda Sold to Japanese Club
It was announced last week that the Rangers had sold pitchers Miles Mikolas and Aaron Poreda to the Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese Central League.
Both Mikolas, 26, and Poreda, 28, spent time on the major-league pitching staff for Texas this season, and their departures will clear a pair of active roster spots in advance of next month’s Rule 5 Draft.
Mikolas posted a 2-5 record with an earned run average of 6.44 across 10 starts for the Rangers this summer while Poreda made 26 appearances out of the Texas bullpen, logging a 5.91 ERA over 21-plus innings pitched.
Beasley Hired to Complete Coaching Staff
The big-league coaching staff for new Rangers manager Jeff Banister was completed this week with the hire of Tony Beasley as third-base coach.
The 47-year-old Beasley was originally drafted by Baltimore but spent the majority of his playing career as a middle infielder in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ organization.
He remained with Pittsburgh after his playing days were over, serving as a minor-league coach and manager before shifting to Washington to serve as third-base coach under Nationals skipper Frank Robinson.
Beasley joins a Texas staff that includes Steve Buechele (bench), Andy Hawkins (bullpen), Mike Maddux (pitching), Dave Magadan (hitting) and Hector Ortiz (first base), along with assistant hitting coach Bobby Jones and major-league field coordinator Jayce Tingler.
Nate's Notes 
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