Ron Washington is going to be good manager. I truly believe that. But he's not a good fit for the Rangers.
He is a fundamentals-first, pitching-and-defense kind of guy. The Rangers are a hang 'em and bang 'em team, both on offense and on the mound. In a park where it is literally that easy to hit it out of the yard, small ball's not going to work when the Angels and A's and Mariners and Red Sox and Yankees and Tigers constantly come in and put up 7-8 runs a game.
And because of the kind of coach he is, he's going to want that style of player, which means guys like Blalock and Teixeira don't exactly fit. Now, if Jon Daniels were smart, he'd trade Teixeira and a spec to Detroit for Bonderman and Tata and try to find a taker for Blalock. The problem is, Blalock is coming off an awful season. Not to mention the All Star CF is going to be gone, and with a team with a big wallet, this is a bad offseason to splurge. It's not even like splurging is going to do anything...both big offensive names are either current or recently former Rangers.
They're in trouble in a rough division. Daniels is going to feel that Eaton trade for a long time, and he's likely stuck with a team in transition for the next two or three years.
I know you wanted him to manage the A's ut.