Texas Rangers

7. Red Sox interested in Holliday, Ankiel, Gonzalez, Beltre. 8. 9.  

The Washington Nationals have hired former Seattle Mariners manager John McLaren as bench coach, Jim Lett as bullpen coach and Dan Radison as first-base coach. The team also announced Friday that hitting coach Rick Eckstein, pitching coach Steve McCatty and third-base coach Pat Listach will keep their jobs on manager Jim Riggleman's staff in 2010. Riggleman was McLaren's bench coach with Seattle at the start of 2008, then replaced him as the team's skipper when McLaren was fired during the season.  

On the same day baseball's free-agency signing period began and proposals were due for potential Texas Rangers owners, the team's most recognizable player talked about the direction he wants the Rangers to go. An owner who's committed to winning is all Michael Young wants. "Whoever gets the team is doing it because they want to see this team win, otherwise they're not going to get involved," said Young, who has been with the Rangers since 2000.

Whoever gets the team is doing it because they want to see this team win, otherwise they're not going to get involved   -Michael Young

 

Outfielder Marlon Byrd is truly a free agent. As of Friday, he can sign with any team. But he made it clear where he wants to play in 2010.

My first choice is and has always been the Rangers   -Marlon Byrd

 

Honestly, I was excited to read this . I was excited to see where the experts at Baseball America ranked our fledging group of farmhands that, to us at least, should be propelling the Astros farm system into a respected status. Instead, I was greeted with another reminder that it's easy to keeping kicking a man when they're down.  

7. The Latest Speculation on Holliday, Lackey, Bay, Figgins, Damon, Beltre, and More.. 8. 9.

Nothing will happen by day's end, but we'll keep talking   -Joe Urbon

 

Some teams lost money in 2009, baseball commissioner Bud Selig said Thursday after the final owners meeting of the year. "There was no question about that," Selig said. "I don't think the concerns have been ameliorated at all. I think the concerns are still there because all these people have their own economists."

Revenues as a whole were flat at best and I think there's still a lot of people, and obviously we're still focused on our fans, that are still struggling   -Arturo Moreno

 

MLB-Suspended Detroit minor-league third baseman Ronald Bourquin 50 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. KANSAS CITY ROYALS-Agreed to terms with RHP Brad Thompson on a minor-league contract. TAMPA BAY RAYS-Purchased the contracts of RHP Jeremy Hellickson and OF Desmond Jennings from Durham (IL) and LHP Alexander Torres from Montgomery (SL).  

Not to stray far from that what-the-heck-happened storyline that carries over from Green Bay last week to Arlington on Sunday. Or stray far from the Horned Frogs vs. The World storyline that has the national college football crowd suddenly focused on what Darrell Royal once described as University Drive cockroaches, and he meant it as a compliment. But a few words, please, on the strange new twist of Tom Hicks vs. His Bankers.