DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - After the Rangers moved on from Chris Woodward in the middle of what ended up being the club's fourth-straight losing season, one name quickly rose to the top of the club's wishlist to become the next manager.
Rangers general manager Chris Young's top choice to take over the reins wasn't a secret for long, as Bruce Bochy's name was everywhere ... 105.3 The Fan, the Dallas Morning News, Twitter, you name it.
But how interested would a 67-year-old, three-time World Series-winning manager be in taking over a losing team after being out of the game for three years?
When the season ended, Young made a phone call to his former manager and hopped on a plane to Nashville a short time later to find out. After a seven-hour discussion, Bochy said he had heard enough.
“Some have asked why. Well, the simple answer is, I miss this game,” Bochy said at his introductory press conference Monday. “We talked many hours about the team and the culture that he wanted to create. And I was in. ... I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to help bring a championship here to Texas."
Young, who pitched for Bochy in San Diego in 2006, also made it a point to say that he believed he was making the right hire for the good of the club and not because of his close relationship with the manager.
“One of the things I told Boch when we offered him the job. I said, I’m not doing this because I loved you when I played for you. I’m doing this because we believe as an organization, you’re the right person to lead us into the future,” GM Chris Young said. “Boch fit every part of our criteria.”
With Bochy in the fold for at least the next three years, the club will now turn its attention to overhauling its pitching staff this offseason so they can have a chance to compete for a playoff spot in 2023. On Monday, Rangers owner Ray Davis reiterated his commitment to adding to the club this offseason, but he wouldn't say just how much he'll spend after he shelled out $561 million to Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Jon Gray and Kole Calhoun last winter.
But make no mistake, the Rangers gave Bochy every indication that they are prepared to do whatever it takes to turn the club into a winner.
"You're absolutely right," Young said on 105.3 The Fan when asked if his pitch to Bochy included the club's plans to be aggressive this offseason. "Our expectation is that we're turning this around quickly. That we're opening the window to compete, and when that window opens we want to keep it open for a long time. And that's our expectation. It's what we go to work for every day, is to come in and build a championship club. It may come together sooner rather than later is the hope, the expectation. But that said, I think there are a lot of good pieces in place, and I think Boch saw that when he evaluated the situation, and our expectation is that it does come together soon."
The message resonated with Bochy.
"I saw great potential in this team, and I'm talking about next year and beyond. Of course, we've got some work to do, some pieces to put in, and we've talked about that, the pitching and things. I just thought the timing was good for this organization to keep taking steps forward and hopefully get into the postseason, and ultimately try to get a championship," Bochy said on the K&C Masterpiece.
And who might the Rangers target this winter? According to multiple reports, the club is interested in free-agent starting pitchers Jacob deGrom and Carlos Rodon.
According to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic, the Rangers are planning to make a “hard push” for Rodon, who is expected to opt-out of the final year of his contract with the Giants this winter.
When joining the GBag Nation on Monday, Rangers pre and postgame host Jared Sandler touched on the chances the club has to sign one of those pitchers.
"I think Carlos Rodon is the guy who is most likely among the big-name free agents (the Rangers will be in on). The Rangers will be tied to Jacob deGrom, they certainly should be. They've got the money for it," Sandler said. "I don't see deGrom signing here. I feel like he's going to stay in the northeast. But I think Carlos Rodon is a name who would make a lot of sense. I think it's very viable. He has followed up a great breakout year with the White Sox with another outstanding year with the Giants. So I anticipate he'll opt-out and get paid big dollars, and I think the Rangers are definitely a potential landing spot for him."
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