More On: Chris Woodward
After spending $500 million in the offseason, the Rangers fired Chris Woodward
The Rangers started the year with high hopes, but they won't have a manager by the end of it.
Jon Heyman of The Post said that the team fired Chris Woodward on Monday. The Rangers are currently in last place in the AL West with a 51-63 record, 23 games behind the Astros, who are in first place.
Tony Beasley, the Rangers' third base coach, will take over as interim manager starting with Monday night's game against the Oakland A's.
With Corey Seager and Marcus Semien on the team, the Rangers were expected to be in the running for a playoff spot this year. The contracts were worth a total of $500 million, and Seager got a huge $325 million after years of being a star for the Dodgers.
"We didn't think we had put together a championship team when we started this season. From where we were a year ago in terms of talent, we thought we'd come a long way," said Jon Daniels, the president of baseball operations for the team. "We had goals, and we still do, but we were and are honest about where we are. … Still, we thought we'd be better than our record and how we've played at times.
ESPN said that the Rangers' 6-24 record in one-run games has ruined any progress the team has made with a near-even run differential.
Woodward, who is 46 years old, will finish his time with the Rangers with a record of 203-278. During the offseason, he got a contract extension that covered next season and gave him an option for 2024.
This is the fourth time this season that a team has fired its manager.
On June 3, Joe Girardi was replaced by Rob Thomson. Four days later, Joe Maddon was replaced by Phil Nevin, and on July 13, Charlie Montoyo was replaced by John Schneider.
The Rangers now turn to Beasley, who is in his eighth season with the team and has been a big league coach longer than anyone else on their staff. He has worked in the major leagues before with Washington (2006) and Pittsburgh (2008–2010). In eight seasons as a minor league manager for those teams, he had a 590–472 record.
"He has every quality we're looking for. "Both the coaches and the players respect him," Daniels said. "He's been playing baseball for a long time and is smart. He's won in the minor leagues and played different roles here and elsewhere.... He is the right person for us as we move forward."
On June 3, Joe Girardi was replaced by Rob Thomson. Four days later, Joe Maddon was replaced by Phil Nevin, and on July 13, Charlie Montoyo was replaced by John Schneider.
