With his Texas Rangers at 51-63 on the season, manager Chris Woodward has received his walking papers from the struggling organization.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan was the first to report on Monday that Woodward has been fired after nearly four full seasons in that role and with very little success to show for his tenure.
“The Texas Rangers fired manager Chris Woodward on Monday amid a season of dissatisfactory progress despite the investment of more than half a billion guaranteed dollars in the free agent market over the winter.”
Jfff Passan report on Chris Woodward being fired
Back on May 31, the Rangers found themselves at 24-24 and in the midst of the American League Playoff race. They have posted a 27-39 record since and currently occupy third place in the American League West as the team prepares to conclude its sixth consecutive non-playoff season.
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Financial commitment, lack of success leads to Chris Woodward’s ousting
Ownership approved front office head Jon Daniels to open the pocket book this past offseason, signing star infielders Corey Seager and Marcus Semien to deals worth a combined $500 million.
While the Rangers’ offense has not been an issue, they continued to struggle in close games with Woodward leading the charge. They enter this week boasting a 6-24 record in one-run games. It would represent the worst record in MLB in such games since at least 1900.
- Chris Woodward managerial record: 211-287, .424 winning percentage, zero playoff appearances
As a breaking news story, we’ll have more on this once Texas confirms Woodward’s firing and names an interim manager for the remainder of the season.