Currently Reading: The Game

The Game by Jon Pessah – Over the past 25 years, Major League Baseball has experienced a financial windfall unlike anything seen before in its history, lifting the sport from the rubble of a labor shutdown into a multi-billion dollar industry. Author Jon Pessah weaves a gripping narrative around the major players in this transformation – Bud Selig, Don Fehr and George Steinbrenner – while documenting how skyrocketing home run totals, player salaries and television revenues helped the game reach new levels of popularity.

Rangers Notes: Replay to Give Washington More Options

Ron Washington has won more games than any other manager in Rangers franchise history.

A rule change was announced by Major League Baseball last week that will give managers the opportunity to challenge at least one call per game with instant replay.

If the manager’s argument is upheld, he will receive one extra challenge to use in the game, and the umpiring crew chief can ask for a video review on his own in the seventh inning or later.

The only exception to the expanded use of replay will be the “neighborhood play” at second base, in which an infielder making the pivot on a double play may come off the bag early (or miss it entirely) in order to avoid the sliding base runner.

The video reviews themselves will not be conducted by the umpires at the game, instead getting fed to MLB Advanced Media headquarters in New York where a rotating umpire crew will make the ruling.

Previously, video replay in use since 2008 was only allowed for calls on disputed home runs, such as determining fan interference or whether a ball was fair or foul.

The use of expanded replay, as announced last Thursday by commissioner Bud Selig in Arizona, was unanimously approved by all 30 MLB club owners, the Players Association and the World Umpires Association.

With replay now added to his in-game managerial duties, Texas skipper Ron Washington said he expects to rely on his coaching staff as well as his instinct when choosing whether or not to challenge a play.

“It will fall on all of us,” he said. “If I see something that I feel like I should go out there, I will. Everyone on the bench is yelling when they think something is wrong. If I feel like everyone saw the same thing I did, that will help.”

The first year of instant replay in Major League Baseball is also the final year of Washington’s current contract, but the winningest manager in club history says he won’t let his lame-duck status affect his preparation for spring training.

“I’m not worried about that,” Washington said. “That will take care of itself.”

Entering the 2014 season, nobody has won more games at the helm of the Texas ballclub (611) than Washington, who also led the franchise to its first two World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011.

“He’s been a huge part of what we’ve done here,” general manager Jon Daniels said of Washington. “It’s been a partnership from day one and I expect that to continue going forward. We’ll handle contracts and personal matters privately.”

Perez Agrees to Minor-League Deal

Texas signed left-handed pitcher Rafael Perez to a minor-league contract on Saturday, giving the longtime Indians reliever an invitation to major-league camp as well.

Perez appeared in 338 games out of the Cleveland bullpen from 2006-12 before spending last season between the Minnesota and Boston organizations, pitching for six different teams in the minors but never getting called up to the big leagues.

The 31-year-old will look to compete for a spot in the Rangers’ bullpen when spring training begins next month, although Neal Cotts and Robbie Ross are both back after emerging last season as solid left-handed relief options.

Cotts, Feliz, Ogando Avoid Arbitration

The ballclub agreed to deals with three arbitration-eligible pitchers late last week – Neal Cotts and right-handers Neftali Feliz and Alexi Ogando – and have just one case remaining in first baseman/designated hitter Mitch Moreland.

Cotts will earn $2.2 million after enjoying a personal resurgence with Texas last season, picking up a career-high eight victories out of the bullpen and posting a team-leading 1.11 earned run average.

Feliz and Ogando, who have each been used as starters and relievers in the past, are set to make $3 million and $2.625 million this year, respectively. While Feliz is likely to be used as a late-inning reliever, Ogando’s role on the staff is still undetermined.

Texas Adds Oliver to Staff

Veteran left-hander Darren Oliver spent roughly half of his 20-year career in the Rangers organization, so it was no surprise that he joined the Texas coaching staff as a special assistant within his first few months of official retirement.

“It was time,” Oliver said at a mini-camp for pitchers this week at Rangers Ballpark. “I’m definitely retired. It’s not there any more.”

Oliver, 43, was drafted by Texas in 1988 and made his major-league debut five years later. He returned to Arlington after two years with the Cardinals, then pitched for six other teams before again donning a Texas cap prior to the 2010 season.

The Kansas City native posted a career record of 118-98, and he holds the unique distinction of being the only player to be on the active roster for all of the Rangers’ postseason victories, dating back to October 1996.

Rangers Notes: Offseason Needs Shift into Focus

Shin-Soo Choo could give the Rangers a left-handed power hitter in the outfield, something missing since the departure of Josh Hamilton.

Trying to move past another stumbling finish to a disappointing season (not to mention the loss of the most notable icon in franchise history), the Rangers will be in the unfamiliar position of trying to improve their offense via free agency or trades this winter.

The Texas lineup that lost Josh Hamilton, Mike Napoli and Michael Young heading into this year did not fare as well as many had hoped, and Nelson Cruz’s late-season suspension highlighted multiple weaknesses in the batting order.

Cruz is going to be an unrestricted ‘Type A’ free agent for the first time in his career this offseason, and while the Rangers are expected to make him a qualifying offer of roughly $14 million, the Dominican slugger could elect to seek a more lucrative multi-year contract from another club on the open market.

Alex Rios has already supplanted Cruz as the team’s everyday right fielder, and both Craig Gentry and Leonys Martin saw regular playing time down the stretch, but Texas could look to add a left-handed power bat to the outfield mix.

Some of the top names available to that end include Shin-Soo Choo, Jacoby Ellsbury, Curtis Granderson and Grady Sizemore, each of whom is 33 years old or younger and has reached double figures in home runs at least once in their career.

Barring a blockbuster trade this offseason, the Rangers appear to have most of their infield set with Adrian Beltre, Elvis Andrus and Ian Kinsler, but they are likely to seek a utility man to replace free agent Jeff Baker.

In addition, the club could look for a more reliable power source than Mitch Moreland at first base, with Kendrys Morales, Justin Morneau and former Texas slugger Mike Napoli among the top players available at that position.

Behind the plate, both A.J. Pierzynski and Geovany Soto are eligible for free agency in a class that features a considerable gap between the most coveted name on the market — Atlanta catcher Brian McCann — and the next-best option.

The Rangers figure to be in the running for McCann’s services, and it would not be surprising if they brought back Soto because of the successful rapport he appears to have developed with starter Yu Darvish.

Aside from Darvish, left-hander Derek Holland is about the only other sure bet to begin next season in the Texas rotation, although 22-year-old Martin Perez certainly earned himself strong consideration by posting a 10-6 record across 20 starts this summer.

Matt Garza, acquired from the Cubs in a July trade, is eligible for free agency after winning just four of his 13 starts with the Rangers, but he’s thought to be one of the better pitchers on the market this offseason.

Also drawing interest this winter will be a handful of serviceable veterans who have shown the ability to surpass 200 innings pitched in a season, including Dan Haren, Ubaldo Jimenez, Ricky Nolasco, Ervin Santana and Jason Vargas.

Finally, the Texas bullpen does not figure to see a great amount of turnover next year, although some roles could be shifted if closer Joe Nathan decides to turn down his 2014 contract option and become a free agent.

Davis to Serve as Controlling Owner

With Nolan Ryan resigning from his ownership post, Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said last week that Ray Davis will replace Ryan as the controlling owner of the team.

Davis, who already serves as co-chairman of the organization with Bob Simpson, is expected to be bestowed with his new title at the annual meeting of MLB owners in mid-November.

Following six years as a Rangers executive, Ryan announced two weeks ago that he will be stepping down from his front-office position at the end of this month, at which time he will sell his stake in the team to Davis and Simpson.

Leyland Retirement Could Open Door for Maddux

While he does not appear to among the finalists for the vacant Cubs’ managerial job, Texas pitching coach Mike Maddux is now being discussed as a potential candidate to replace Jim Leyland in Detroit.

Leyland announced he would not return as manager just two days after his Tigers lost to the Red Sox in the American League Championship Series, and Maddux has said he would “absolutely be interested” in the Detroit opening.

“This team is built to win now,” Maddux said of the Tigers. “I would try to put my own brand on it and just try to fill Jim Leyland’s shoes — not that anyone will be able to fill his shoes.”

Currently Reading: Juicing the Game

Juicing the Game by Howard Bryant — I’ve flipped through different parts of this book on various occasions, so I figure now it’s time to sit down and put it all together. Beginning with the origins of Major League Baseball’s devastating labor strike in 1994 (and Bud Selig’s concurrent rise to the commissioner’s office), Bryant recounts the skyrocketing revenues, growth of players’ bodies and shattering of long-standing records that took place over the next decade.