Texas Rangers Need to Lose Tom Hicks

In 1999, a successful businessman named Tom Hicks purchased the Texas Rangers, paying George W. Bush $15 million-dollars for the team.

The Rangers won the pennant that season for a third time in four years. They seemed to be positioning themselves as a competitor in the American League.

But 28 games into the 2001 season, the Rangers' manager of seven years, Johnny Oates—the only manager in team history to lead the Rangers to the postseason—resigned. That same year, Hicks' other Dallas-based sports team, the Stars, won the NHL Stanley Cup.

Tom Hicks wanted to flex his money muscles and show the Ranger faithful that he was serious about competing like the Stars; he wanted to bring in a serious player for the 2001 season to shake things up.

The number one acquisition was none other than Alex Rodriguez, an expensive free-agent. Hicks did the impossible and signed the young, talented shortstop to an unprecedented 10-year, $252 million deal, the most lucrative contract in baseball history.

The Rangers finished dead last in all three years of the A-Rod era, even though the shortstop put up all-star numbers and won an MVP award in his three seasons.

In 2002, Hicks went out and signed Buck Showalter to be the Texas manager. With the A-Rod deal looming over him, Hicks' wallet was becoming tight, but he still wanted to show the Rangers and their fans what his money could do.

With the signing of Rodriguez, Hicks was limited, but in 2002 he signed free-agent pitcher Chan Ho Park to a five-year, $65 million deal—one of the largest contracts for a pitcher. Unlike A-Rod, Park did not live up to expectations, facing numerous injuries and posting mediocre to terrible numbers.

Hicks started to feel that both the Rodriguez and Park deals were bad ideas. After only three seasons, Hicks traded Rodriguez to the New York Yankees in 2003, trying to alleviate the overbearing money issues that his deal brought. Chan Ho Park followed in 2005—Hicks traded the disappointing pitcher to the San Diego Padres, enabling him to try and make money on his investment.

Being the crafty businessman that he is, Hicks realized that he was losing money with the Rangers. Instead of selling the team to a real baseball owner, he decided to raise ticket and concession stand prices. His wallet for high-dollar players was virtually locked.

In 2004, Buck Showalter led the Rangers to 89 wins, finishing just three games out of first place—a major improvement since 2000. But, once again, Tom Hicks was hasty and signed Showalter to a contract extension after only one good season.

The following years the Rangers returned to their losing ways, missing the playoffs for the next three seasons. In 2005, Hicks tried to go young in the front offices by hiring 28-year-old Jon Daniels as the youngest general manager in MLB history.

Hicks' wallet started prying itself open before the 2006 season when he signed free-agent pitcher, Kevin Millwood, once again trying to convince Ranger fans that he was serious about winning. Unfortunately for Texas fans, Hicks was just putting up an expensive facade. With the A-Rod and Chan Ho Park deals still leaving a bad taste in his mouth, he was leery to do anymore.

Instead, he settled to sign old, injury recovering players and to have Daniels trade for players rather then signing big named free agents. Names like Barry Zito, Josh Beckett, and Roger Clemens were just fantasies in comparison to recent realistic trades or signings like Sammy Sosa, Kenny Lofton, and Eric Gagne—none are still with the Rangers.

The most recent big trades were that of Mark Teixeira to the Atlanta Braves for rookie Jarrod Saltalamacchia and four minor-leaguers, and Eric Gagne to the Boston Red Sox for left-handed pitcher Kason Gabbard. Both trades are still to be seen as successes or failures.

As the Rangers enter the 2008 season with second-year manager Ron Washington, Hicks of course has high hopes. But, lest we forget, first and foremost Tom Hicks is a businessman. The Texas Rangers will never compete as long as he is in control. A few good trades and signings have been outweighed by a lot of bad to terrible trades and free-agent signings.

Players like Michael Young, Hank Blalock, and Ian Kinsler are definitely the future of the Texas Rangers, but for the team to be successful, Tom Hicks must realize that solid hitting is only good when it is coupled by successful pitching. Pitching, especially starting pitching, is the key to any baseball championship. Just ask the 2007 Boston Red Sox or the 2005 Chicago White Sox—two teams with incredible starting and bullpen pitching that won the World Series.

Tom Hicks has become jaded by past unwise signings. He is only concerned with making money. He only does a little here and there to seem like he wants to win. Yes, the players must perform and the coaches must manage the games well. The Rangers are loaded with young talented position players and bullpen pitchers, and the starting staff must pull their weight in order to be successful

But Tom Hicks is hell-bent on making his $15 million investment—not a winner but a wealthy commodity.