“As far as my accountability and my situation, it’s something we’ll address down the line,” Jon Daniels said on Monday after the dismissal of Chris Woodward. Forty-eight hours later the Rangers addressed it by letting go of Jon Daniels. After seventeen years, Jon Daniels is officially out of the Rangers organization. “[Wednesday] morning, I informed Jon Daniels that his contract would not be renewed at the end of the season and that he is relieved of his duties effective immediately,” Ray Davis, Rangers’ managing partner, and majority owner, said on Wednesday. Chris Young will handle the same duties Jon Daniels did prior to Young’s hiring back in December of 2020.

The Rangers hired Daniels in October of 2005. At the time, JD was the youngest General Manager in the game (twenty-eight years old). Everyone knows about the trades that did and did not work out. Notably, the Atlanta Braves deal that Texas acquired Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Matt Harrison for Mark Teixeria and Ron Mahay. Then, of course, others that didn’t work, like Adrian Gonzalez going to San Diego, Prince Fielder heading to Arlington, and other notables.

“But the bottom line is we have not had a winning record since 2016 and for much of that time have not been competitive in the AL West division. While I am certain we are heading in the right direction, I feel a change in the leadership of baseball operations department will be beneficial going forward,” Ray Davis said.

The Rangers today announced that Jon Daniels has been relieved of his duties as President of Baseball Operations, effective immediately. Executive Vice President & General Manager Chris Young will assume oversight of all aspects of the Rangers’ baseball operations department. pic.twitter.com/lc1ACfp1tZ

— Texas Rangers PR (@TXRangersPR) August 17, 2022

The Rangers hired Chris Young at the end of 2020. While the thought was switching Young with Daniels, Texas didn’t blindside JD and escorted him out of the organization. He stayed on for a year and a half, but instincts would say that they let go of Daniels and it was in the works. “I take a lot of responsibility for our performance for the last six years, and we haven’t been good enough,”

“We have made a meaningful change in bringing in CY and his role. It’s a team effort. When we were good, it wasn’t about me. It’s always been a team effort,” JD said back on Monday.

While the timing is shocking to all (including me), it felt like with the Woodward situation, Daniels getting let go was a future plan too, despite Ray Davis stating that it wasn’t the initial plan. The Rangers job is Chris Young’s first General Manager job. He’s been there for twenty months. Now that the draft and trade deadline for 2022 is over, the focus is on preparing for 2023. 2023 is the year of starting to contend, and while plans can always change, I feel that the general manager situation will always be a handoff, but not immediately like most cases. “As we prepare for the offseason for resigning coaches, players, free agents, and arbitration, all of the things a GM has to do in the offseason, I felt Chris needed a running start.”

As for not doing it all at the same time, according to Rangers owner Ray Davis, he didn’t want to connect the two. Chris Young signed off on Chris Woodward’s dismissal. “I knew I was going to do it,” Davis said. “It was something I was contemplating for a few months. I felt it was necessary to get Jon and the baseball department through the trade deadline and draft. It was Monday, Jon and Chris came in and wanted to leave Woody of his responsibilities. I didn’t want to connect the two and didn’t want it done at the same time. I separated the two, did Woody [Monday], and Jon now.”

“It’s been a wild seventy-two hours for me. Jon Daniels is a friend first. It’s my eighth year, he hired me, he’s done a lot for me and my family and our relationship will go beyond the game of baseball,” Tony Beasley said. On Monday when the Woodward firing occurred and both Jon Daniels and Chris Young pulled Beasley aside and told them what happened. “JD led the conversation initially [and] Chris interjected. They both spoke with me and what transpired, what expectations were, and task me with certain things to try to get done.” Chris Young did not speak Wednesday.

If you’re pro-Jon Daniels or a JD hater, you can’t deny the positive impact he had last decade. He took the Rangers to a land they had never been to before. Texas won four AL West titles and two American League pennants during his tenure. So Daniels will always have a place in Rangers history. Did the Rangers do Jon Daniels dirty? That’s for you to decide. But now, starting August 17, 2022, it’s the Chris Young show, and fans will find out if CY is the answer to provide the Rangers another showing to the Promised Land.