Grant: Why Ron Washington's exit helps Rangers rescue their future
By EVAN GRANT Staff Writer
Published: 05 September 2014 09:14 PM
Updated: 05 September 2014 11:11 PM
ARLINGTON – There is no crying in baseball. Nor, apparently, is there grieving. The minute a manager leaves, no matter the circumstances or the relationship, you start seeking a replacement before he’s packed his bags.
In mostly awkward words, the Rangers bade farewell Friday afternoon to Ron Washington, the winningest manager in franchise history, the only man to lead them to a playoff series win and the only man to take them to the World Series. And immediately commenced a search for his successor. Bench coach Tim Bogar was named interim manager and will guide the club through the rest of what is likely to be a 100-loss season.
After nearly eight seasons, the Rangers apparently were unable to talk him out of resigning to attend to what Washington called an “off-the-field personal matter.” Club officials said Washington’s decision had nothing to do with substance abuse (for which he offered to resign in 2009), his contract (which was set to expire after 2015) or his team’s performance.
Via a later text, Washington indicated the physical health of him and his wife Gerry, who are set to celebrate their 42nd wedding anniversary in 10 days, was not an issue.
The Rangers declined to discuss if Washington was offered or considered an official leave of absence.
And that was that.
“I, um, understand a little bit more about what’s going on,” Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said after a long pause during an awkward news conference. “I understand why he needs to do what he’s doing. And I respect that. When you work with someone for eight years and develop a pretty close bond, [there are] a lot of emotions, really. But at the end of the day, you care about him as a person first — and respect that he needs to address some things.”
It came out sounding more corporate than compassionate. Baseball, though, is a corporate world now. Corporations require moving quickly from one era to another.
And with that sendoff, the Washington Era, which included a 664-611 (.521) record and a pair of AL championships, was over. With so much work to do to return to contention, the Rangers can hardly spare a moment to ponder the past. A long, hard look into the future commenced. When it finally comes into focus, the Rangers may realize that in the coldest most bloodless sense of evaluation, Washington’s decision helped them rescue that future.
Start with the facts.
Washington was signed only through 2015 and wasn’t likely to get an extension after the club’s record declined for the third straight year. He would have entered the offseason as a lame-duck manager. When it comes to attracting free agents, lame ducks are rarely an asset.
If he stayed and the Rangers got off to a poor start in 2015, the club would then be forced to consider a more “involuntary” change in his status. The pool of available and attractive managerial candidates shrinks greatly in-season and often leads to the merry-go-round of mediocrity.
With Washington stepping away, the Rangers have the final three weeks of the season to look at Bogar, who was considered a top young managerial prospect two years ago. They will get an idea of how Bogar works in partnership with Daniels. Lest anybody think otherwise, a GM-manager partnership is essential in the game’s current landscape. If things don’t function that way, well, you end up with the ugliness in Houston between GM Jeff Luhnow and Bo Porter.
Speaking of Houston, Washington’s resignation also allows the Rangers to potentially hold on to Bogar or Mike Maddux, who should also be a managerial candidate. They are likely to be in the mix for any jobs that open this fall. The Rangers may not name either one of them manager before the end of the season, but they do have first shot.
When the entire future is at stake, getting the first chance at the future is worth something.