Rangers GM Jon Daniels Defends Team's Stance on Relocation of Astros Series

After the relocation of the Texas Rangers' series against the Houston Astros came under fire Monday, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels defended his team's stance in the decision.

Because of flooding due to Hurricane Harvey, the three-game series was moved from Minute Maid Park in Houston to the Tampa Bay Rays' Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.      

According to Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, after the league announced the move, Astros president Reid Ryan said the Rangers wanted the series at their home of Globe Life Park and weren't willing to compromise:

"We went to the Rangers and said, 'Hey, let’s switch series. You guys have our home series, we'll take your home series.' They rejected that and didn't want to do that. The Rangers wanted us to play the next three days at their place, but they did not want to trade series with us. They wanted all six games at their park."

In response, Daniels said the Rangers weren't trying to shortchange the Astros: "We were prepared to make the event all about hurricane relief and helping our neighbors. It had nothing to do with looking for a competitive advantage. That's an inaccurate portrayal."

Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. was among those who took aim at the Rangers following Ryan's statement:

Daniels noted the main reason why the Rangers didn't want to swap series with Houston: "We didn't feel it was right to give our fans 24 hours notice that their tickets in late September were now good this week. We were willing to play this series anywhere the Astros and MLB wanted, including here in Arlington."

The Astros and Rangers start the series Tuesday evening, with Houston designated as the home team.

It is a significant matchup for both teams since it has playoff implications. The Astros are defending a five-game lead at the top of the American League, while the Rangers are three games behind the Minnesota Twins for the second wild-card spot in the AL.