Editor's note: Two days after the Rangers fired manager Chris Woodward, they announced that general manager Jon Daniels also was relieved of his duties.
When the Texas Rangers signed Corey Seager and Marcus Semien in the offseason for a combined $500 million, the hope wasn't necessarily instant contention. After all, the Rangers were coming off a 102-loss season in 2021.
It was more about the vision for the future: Become relevant in 2022 for the first time since 2016 -- the Rangers' last winning season -- and then make the big push in 2023, building around their new middle infield combo.
Instead, the Rangers stumbled to a 7-14 record in April, and while they bounced back to .500 at the end of May, they've now fallen to 51-63. Then, the club fired manager Chris Woodward on Monday. It's a little surprising because the team has been more competitive than last season, and back in November, the front office gave Woodward, who was originally hired in 2019, a one-year extension for 2023 plus a club option for 2024.
Woodward's downfall: The Rangers' abysmal 6-24 record in one-run games.
My colleague Brad Doolittle texted me on the historical awfulness of that .200 winning percentage:
"Only the 1935 Braves (.184) have done worse in a season. The Rangers are on pace to be 26 games under .500 in those games, which would be a record during the modern era. They'd be wild-card contenders if they were break-even in those games."