Jump to content

Texas Rangers 2024: Run It Back


ztejas

Recommended Posts

Really good Q and A from Evan with Ray Davis. 

Covers a lot of topics.  He seems to know the score.  The RSN deal has him worried.

I didn't know this but in 2011, MLB took him and Nolan out of their seats to get ready to bring them on the field. Then you know.

Spoiler

 

Ray Davis Q&A: Building the Texas Rangers, TV uncertainty, Jordan Montgomery and more

Davis, who has been perhaps the most low-profile of Dallas sports owners, sat down with The Dallas Morning News for an interview.

Texas Rangers co-owner Ray Davis claps as Energy Transfer is announced as the tea’s official jersey patch partner at Globe Life Field, Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in Arlington.(Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer)

By Evan Grant

11:23 AM on Mar 28, 2024 CDT

LISTEN

Last November, Rangers majority owner and managing partner Ray Davis stood atop a hastily-arranged stage in Arizona and accepted the Commissioner’s Trophy as owner of the World Series champion.

Davis, 82, has owned the Rangers longer than anybody else in the franchise’s history. August will mark 14 years since a group he led along with Bob Simpson bought the team out of bankruptcy. Davis, however, has been perhaps the most low-profile of Dallas sports owners. He doesn’t seek the spotlight and prefers to stay out of it. But on the eve of the Rangers’ title defense, he agreed to sit down with The Dallas Morning News’ Evan Grant for a wide-ranging interview about the team, his ownership and his plans:

Editor’s note: Some answers have been lightly edited for clarity.

Q: What was it like, last November to watch the final out and to realize that this team that you had bought, had finally won a World Series?

Ray Davis: “I’m not sure it truly sunk in after the last out. Memories from 2011 came back, when they took Nolan and I from our seats, down to the field for the trophy and then we lost. This time, they asked us to go down and I wouldn’t go down. Not until after the 27th out.

“And I’m still not sure it sunk. I look over at the that trophy 20 times a day and say ‘Yeah, it’s real. It’s ours.’ But you know that was ‘23. This is ‘24. It’s never enough. Now, you see what [Chris Young] has always said: He wants to set us up to win multiple years. I believe he has. So, now it’s all concentrated on ‘24. I’m thankful for what last year meant to the metroplex, the fans, to my family, to the owners, to the players. You saw veteran players crying in the clubhouse. They finally had a ring. That’s when things sink in a little bit when you see that.”

Q: You’ve said it was so much fun, you wanted to do it again.

Davis: “Yeah, just like [Bruce Bochy’s] granddaughter told him at the parade.”

Related:Texas Rangers opening day central: Ultimate fan guide as 2024 quest to repeat begins

Q: So, what is your perspective of how you go about doing that, about building a long-term, championship-caliber team.

Davis: “It’s a combination of things. We didn’t do a very good job for many years of drafting and developing. We still haven’t demonstrated we can develop pitchers. That’s the reason we’ve had to spend so much money in free agency. The last four years we’ve demonstrated we can draft and develop position players, which gives us currency to either help the big club or makes trades or whatever. It’s a combination of things, of drafting, developing and free agency. It‘s about having the necessary currency to do it. That may mean trades. It may mean free agency. But it’s always got to be a combination.”

Q: You spent aggressively in free agency to jumpstart the rebuild …

Davis: “And by the way, we picked the right guys to spend on.”

Q: How did that spending affect how you approached this past offseason?

Davis: “We can be faulted for not making a bunch of moves. But the reality is with the exception of Nate Lowe being hurt and two rookies making the team, we’ve got to essentially the same team that just won a World Series.

“So, we didn’t have a lot of holes this year. Our biggest hole right now — it’s no secret — is our pitching. We’ve got three pitchers that are coming back mid-season. Two of them are Hall of Famers. What happens between opening day and when we start getting guys back, that’s the biggest hole we had to worry about.

“There are a couple of things. One, we’re going to spend more money on player payroll this year than we did last year. It’s only the second time we’ve ever been over the CBT. Spending now really gets expensive, not only in dollars, but potentially in draft picks, which hurts us in the future. So, we had to balance all that out.

“You couple that with the uncertainty of the RSN situation. And it’s a terrible position to be in. We didn’t put ourselves in his position. We’re scrambling to try to know what our broadcasting revenue is going to be for ‘25 and beyond. Hopefully before we have to construct our team for ‘25 we’ll know what it’s going to be out for some future years so we can plan.”

Q: Since you mentioned the RSN situation, let’s go there for a moment. You seemed to see the collapse of this coming and planned well for it. How concerned are you about the future of broadcast revenues? Could it change the industry?

Davis: “It could. I don’t have a crystal ball. But I think all teams, and I’m including everybody, is going to see a dip like we saw this year. We could see more [revenue], too. I just don’t know. But I think there is going to be some kind of trough [in revenues]. How deep or long is it? I still don’t know.

“The public wants baseball. The broadcasters still want content. Who that’s going to be and how much they are going to pay for it, I just don’t know yet.”

Q: Could you consider building your own RSN?

Davis: “It’s an option. It’s one of about four we have.”

Q: Want to share the others?

Davis: “No, I don’t.”

Q: Are you optimistic about the future of TV/broadcast revenues long-term?

Davis: “I am optimistic. As I said before, there is still demand. I think it could get back to where our original contract was, or more. Eventually. I just don’t know how long that’s going to take.”

Q: But back to roster construct then, you are a billionaire. Why would you not spend more money at this point. What is your perspective on the business of running a baseball team?

Davis: “Well, none of our fans want to hear this. That’s just not the way you successfully run a business. We’ve always tried to run the Rangers as a business. We’ve never taken a dime out of the Rangers. The real estate we’re building, isn’t to make money for us now, but to invest back into the team. And that’s been our business plan all along. There’s a certain amount you can do and still run a successful business. Let’s not forget: We bought this team out of bankruptcy and that isn’t going to ever happen to us.”

Related:Texas Rangers roster breakdown: A tier-by-tier ranking of each member of the 2024 squad

Q: Debt is a real deterrent to you.

Davis: “It is. We spent a lot of money on the stadium. Because of COVID, we didn’t have a bit opening. That put a lot of debt on the team. There is a debt service rule that MLB negotiated with the players that basically says your EBITDA (Earnings Before Intertest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) could only equal a certain amount of your debt. When you build a new stadium, they allow you expand that some but there are some restrictions [to how much debt a team can carry] to ensure you can pay player salaries, pensions, etc. It does, in some ways, restrict you.”

Q: You’ve run up against that in the past?

Davis: “Well, early on, for sure because we took on so much debt. We had to write checks to cover it.”

Q: But not recently?

Davis: “No.”

Q: OK, then let’s get back to personnel for a minute. As we’re talking now, Jordan Montgomery just signed a one-year, $25 million deal with Arizona. Why is he not a Ranger?

Davis: “For the very reasons, I’ve been telling you. Had we signed him for that, $25 million would have been closer to $40 million with taxes. It would have tripped the next level [of CBT] and potentially moved us closer to draft pick penalties. That would have been too expensive for us.”

[Note: A team exceeding the first CBT threshold by $60 million or more can have its first pick move back 10 spots; a team that exceeded the CBT in the previous season that signs a player who rejected a qualifying offer could forfeit two draft picks and lose $1 million international bonus money].

Q: Did your stance in any way hinder Chris Young from constructing this team?

Davis: “I joke that a GM’s job is to convince ownership to spend as much money as he possibly can. And they would just keep spending if the owner allowed him. We have some teams — the Mets found out — that can spend a lot of money, like $400 million, in one year, lose something like $230 million and still not win. So, it’s always got to be a cooperative plan.”

Q: And, as you said, fans aren’t going to like it, but you sometimes function as a business owner, not a team owner …

Davis: “Absolutely. And I owe it to the fans to do the best I can to ensure long-term viability.”

Q: Speaking of Chris Young, he just won a World Series in his first full season as GM. Yet, he enters the final year of his contract. Do you have a plan to extend his contract?

Davis: “He is going to be here a long time. He wants to be here. We want him here. The fact he hasn’t renewed his contract? It’s just a matter of us sitting down doing it.”

Q: What about Bruce Bochy? Have you discussed extending his deal beyond 2025?

Davis: “That one is really not my job. That’s really Chris’s job. I don’t know what [Bochy’s] appetite is. Maybe after we’ve won two more World Series, he will want to stay around a few more years.”

Q: And what about you? What’s your long-term plan here?

Davis: “Me personally? Just keep winning championships. And, you know, [chief operating officer] Neil Lehman has stepped up and taken more and more off me and the business side. So, we’ll see what happens in the future.”

Q: But you intend for this to remain in your family’s control long-term? Do you have plans to sell?

Davis: “Once they pat a spade in your face, there’s no telling what your family may do. And right now, there’s no plans to make any changes.”

Q: I want to go back to one thing on finances before we leave. Was the CBT tax an impediment to you in how you made decision this winter.

Davis: “It’s always an impediment. I helped negotiate it, so I can’t argue with it. It’s a big number, especially when you add the potential for draft picks, etcetera to it. But sometimes you’ve got run it like a business if you are going to succeed long-term. I understand fans aren’t go like it. If I was only a fan, I wouldn’t either.”

Q: Let’s finish on this: You’ve spent a lot of time talking today, which is uncommon for you. In a town where owners have usually been big personalities, you are reticent to speak publicly. Why?

Davis: “I look at our community. The fact that I lived in Dallas and that I’m from this area, I think relate to the metroplex. I think the focus ought to be on the general manager, the manager, and the players. Once you take that spotlight away from them, you’ve diminished the team. And that’s why I like doing things the way I do.”

Related Stories

 

 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

Feels very strange to not have an afternoon opener.  Somehow even more so when playing the team that plays half their games in the afternoon. 

Maybe my sarcasm meter needs fixin', but Wrigley got lights 35 years ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Post Oak said:

Really good Q and A from Evan with Ray Davis. 

Covers a lot of topics.  He seems to know the score.  The RSN deal has him worried.

I didn't know this but in 2011, MLB took him and Nolan out of their seats to get ready to bring them on the field. Then you know.

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Ray Davis Q&A: Building the Texas Rangers, TV uncertainty, Jordan Montgomery and more

Davis, who has been perhaps the most low-profile of Dallas sports owners, sat down with The Dallas Morning News for an interview.

Texas Rangers co-owner Ray Davis claps as Energy Transfer is announced as the tea’s official jersey patch partner at Globe Life Field, Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in Arlington.(Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer)

By Evan Grant

11:23 AM on Mar 28, 2024 CDT

LISTEN

Last November, Rangers majority owner and managing partner Ray Davis stood atop a hastily-arranged stage in Arizona and accepted the Commissioner’s Trophy as owner of the World Series champion.

Davis, 82, has owned the Rangers longer than anybody else in the franchise’s history. August will mark 14 years since a group he led along with Bob Simpson bought the team out of bankruptcy. Davis, however, has been perhaps the most low-profile of Dallas sports owners. He doesn’t seek the spotlight and prefers to stay out of it. But on the eve of the Rangers’ title defense, he agreed to sit down with The Dallas Morning News’ Evan Grant for a wide-ranging interview about the team, his ownership and his plans:

Editor’s note: Some answers have been lightly edited for clarity.

Q: What was it like, last November to watch the final out and to realize that this team that you had bought, had finally won a World Series?

Ray Davis: “I’m not sure it truly sunk in after the last out. Memories from 2011 came back, when they took Nolan and I from our seats, down to the field for the trophy and then we lost. This time, they asked us to go down and I wouldn’t go down. Not until after the 27th out.

“And I’m still not sure it sunk. I look over at the that trophy 20 times a day and say ‘Yeah, it’s real. It’s ours.’ But you know that was ‘23. This is ‘24. It’s never enough. Now, you see what [Chris Young] has always said: He wants to set us up to win multiple years. I believe he has. So, now it’s all concentrated on ‘24. I’m thankful for what last year meant to the metroplex, the fans, to my family, to the owners, to the players. You saw veteran players crying in the clubhouse. They finally had a ring. That’s when things sink in a little bit when you see that.”

Q: You’ve said it was so much fun, you wanted to do it again.

Davis: “Yeah, just like [Bruce Bochy’s] granddaughter told him at the parade.”

Related:Texas Rangers opening day central: Ultimate fan guide as 2024 quest to repeat begins

Q: So, what is your perspective of how you go about doing that, about building a long-term, championship-caliber team.

Davis: “It’s a combination of things. We didn’t do a very good job for many years of drafting and developing. We still haven’t demonstrated we can develop pitchers. That’s the reason we’ve had to spend so much money in free agency. The last four years we’ve demonstrated we can draft and develop position players, which gives us currency to either help the big club or makes trades or whatever. It’s a combination of things, of drafting, developing and free agency. It‘s about having the necessary currency to do it. That may mean trades. It may mean free agency. But it’s always got to be a combination.”

Q: You spent aggressively in free agency to jumpstart the rebuild …

Davis: “And by the way, we picked the right guys to spend on.”

Q: How did that spending affect how you approached this past offseason?

Davis: “We can be faulted for not making a bunch of moves. But the reality is with the exception of Nate Lowe being hurt and two rookies making the team, we’ve got to essentially the same team that just won a World Series.

“So, we didn’t have a lot of holes this year. Our biggest hole right now — it’s no secret — is our pitching. We’ve got three pitchers that are coming back mid-season. Two of them are Hall of Famers. What happens between opening day and when we start getting guys back, that’s the biggest hole we had to worry about.

“There are a couple of things. One, we’re going to spend more money on player payroll this year than we did last year. It’s only the second time we’ve ever been over the CBT. Spending now really gets expensive, not only in dollars, but potentially in draft picks, which hurts us in the future. So, we had to balance all that out.

“You couple that with the uncertainty of the RSN situation. And it’s a terrible position to be in. We didn’t put ourselves in his position. We’re scrambling to try to know what our broadcasting revenue is going to be for ‘25 and beyond. Hopefully before we have to construct our team for ‘25 we’ll know what it’s going to be out for some future years so we can plan.”

Q: Since you mentioned the RSN situation, let’s go there for a moment. You seemed to see the collapse of this coming and planned well for it. How concerned are you about the future of broadcast revenues? Could it change the industry?

Davis: “It could. I don’t have a crystal ball. But I think all teams, and I’m including everybody, is going to see a dip like we saw this year. We could see more [revenue], too. I just don’t know. But I think there is going to be some kind of trough [in revenues]. How deep or long is it? I still don’t know.

“The public wants baseball. The broadcasters still want content. Who that’s going to be and how much they are going to pay for it, I just don’t know yet.”

Q: Could you consider building your own RSN?

Davis: “It’s an option. It’s one of about four we have.”

Q: Want to share the others?

Davis: “No, I don’t.”

Q: Are you optimistic about the future of TV/broadcast revenues long-term?

Davis: “I am optimistic. As I said before, there is still demand. I think it could get back to where our original contract was, or more. Eventually. I just don’t know how long that’s going to take.”

Q: But back to roster construct then, you are a billionaire. Why would you not spend more money at this point. What is your perspective on the business of running a baseball team?

Davis: “Well, none of our fans want to hear this. That’s just not the way you successfully run a business. We’ve always tried to run the Rangers as a business. We’ve never taken a dime out of the Rangers. The real estate we’re building, isn’t to make money for us now, but to invest back into the team. And that’s been our business plan all along. There’s a certain amount you can do and still run a successful business. Let’s not forget: We bought this team out of bankruptcy and that isn’t going to ever happen to us.”

Related:Texas Rangers roster breakdown: A tier-by-tier ranking of each member of the 2024 squad

Q: Debt is a real deterrent to you.

Davis: “It is. We spent a lot of money on the stadium. Because of COVID, we didn’t have a bit opening. That put a lot of debt on the team. There is a debt service rule that MLB negotiated with the players that basically says your EBITDA (Earnings Before Intertest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) could only equal a certain amount of your debt. When you build a new stadium, they allow you expand that some but there are some restrictions [to how much debt a team can carry] to ensure you can pay player salaries, pensions, etc. It does, in some ways, restrict you.”

Q: You’ve run up against that in the past?

Davis: “Well, early on, for sure because we took on so much debt. We had to write checks to cover it.”

Q: But not recently?

Davis: “No.”

Q: OK, then let’s get back to personnel for a minute. As we’re talking now, Jordan Montgomery just signed a one-year, $25 million deal with Arizona. Why is he not a Ranger?

Davis: “For the very reasons, I’ve been telling you. Had we signed him for that, $25 million would have been closer to $40 million with taxes. It would have tripped the next level [of CBT] and potentially moved us closer to draft pick penalties. That would have been too expensive for us.”

[Note: A team exceeding the first CBT threshold by $60 million or more can have its first pick move back 10 spots; a team that exceeded the CBT in the previous season that signs a player who rejected a qualifying offer could forfeit two draft picks and lose $1 million international bonus money].

Q: Did your stance in any way hinder Chris Young from constructing this team?

Davis: “I joke that a GM’s job is to convince ownership to spend as much money as he possibly can. And they would just keep spending if the owner allowed him. We have some teams — the Mets found out — that can spend a lot of money, like $400 million, in one year, lose something like $230 million and still not win. So, it’s always got to be a cooperative plan.”

Q: And, as you said, fans aren’t going to like it, but you sometimes function as a business owner, not a team owner …

Davis: “Absolutely. And I owe it to the fans to do the best I can to ensure long-term viability.”

Q: Speaking of Chris Young, he just won a World Series in his first full season as GM. Yet, he enters the final year of his contract. Do you have a plan to extend his contract?

Davis: “He is going to be here a long time. He wants to be here. We want him here. The fact he hasn’t renewed his contract? It’s just a matter of us sitting down doing it.”

Q: What about Bruce Bochy? Have you discussed extending his deal beyond 2025?

Davis: “That one is really not my job. That’s really Chris’s job. I don’t know what [Bochy’s] appetite is. Maybe after we’ve won two more World Series, he will want to stay around a few more years.”

Q: And what about you? What’s your long-term plan here?

Davis: “Me personally? Just keep winning championships. And, you know, [chief operating officer] Neil Lehman has stepped up and taken more and more off me and the business side. So, we’ll see what happens in the future.”

Q: But you intend for this to remain in your family’s control long-term? Do you have plans to sell?

Davis: “Once they pat a spade in your face, there’s no telling what your family may do. And right now, there’s no plans to make any changes.”

Q: I want to go back to one thing on finances before we leave. Was the CBT tax an impediment to you in how you made decision this winter.

Davis: “It’s always an impediment. I helped negotiate it, so I can’t argue with it. It’s a big number, especially when you add the potential for draft picks, etcetera to it. But sometimes you’ve got run it like a business if you are going to succeed long-term. I understand fans aren’t go like it. If I was only a fan, I wouldn’t either.”

Q: Let’s finish on this: You’ve spent a lot of time talking today, which is uncommon for you. In a town where owners have usually been big personalities, you are reticent to speak publicly. Why?

Davis: “I look at our community. The fact that I lived in Dallas and that I’m from this area, I think relate to the metroplex. I think the focus ought to be on the general manager, the manager, and the players. Once you take that spotlight away from them, you’ve diminished the team. And that’s why I like doing things the way I do.”

Related Stories

 

 

Davis: “I look at our community. The fact that I lived in Dallas and that I’m from this area, I think relate to the metroplex. I think the focus ought to be on the general manager, the manager, and the players. Once you take that spotlight away from them, you’ve diminished the team. And that’s why I like doing things the way I do.”

That's some quality shade.

 

  • Hook 'Em 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, Native Horn said:

Maybe my sarcasm meter needs fixin', but Wrigley got lights 35 years ago.

I was under the impression that they still played around 75% of their home games in the afternoon. Scrolling their schedule, it doesn’t look to be quite that much but at least half. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

I was under the impression that they still played around 75% of their home games in the afternoon. Scrolling their schedule, it doesn’t look to be quite that much but at least half. 

Ohhhhh.  Thought you meant half of their games being home games.  My bad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, mdmost said:

 

Seeing my team unfurl a World Championship banner and come out with gold-trimmed uniforms with a World Champion sleeve patch . . . damn, I'm not sports crying, but there's definitely a sports lump in my throat.

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted (edited)
22 minutes ago, Ghost of LL said:

Seeing my team unfurl a World Championship banner and come out with gold-trimmed uniforms with a World Champion sleeve patch . . . damn, I'm not sports crying, but there's definitely a sports lump in my throat.

I'll be honest, as the resident Rangers bitch pessimist, I never thought we'd see this after 2011. Game 6 broke me. Thinking back on the playoff run last season while listening to Bochy talking to the Musers, it was such an amazing story of a team that won when it shouldn't and stepped up when it had to. Clutch as hell. Home runs to keep games alive. Great pitching from guys who you wouldn't normally think would be that reliable. Excellent closing from LeClerc. It reminded me of the Mavs 2011 run. It all just came together at the right time. And it exorcised 2011 forever. Baseball can't hurt me anymore. 

Edited by mdmost
  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...