Ever since the Texas Rangers lost two consecutive World Series Championships in 2010 and 2011, their side never looked the same. From 2012 till today, the Rangers have only reached three postseasons, and General Manager Jon Daniels, who had been with the Rangers since 2005, faced the brunt of his team’s poor performance and got sacked. Now, three years after Chris Young took the reins, the Rangers have decided to bring back a long-term rival of the Rangers, despite being in their Hall of Fame.
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Arizona-born Ian Kinsler made his MLB debut with the Texas Rangers in 2006. And after spending eight years in the Rangers deck, the second baseman bid a very hostile goodbye to Globe Life Field. One year after the Rangers inducted him into the Hall of Fame, Kinsler is coming back to Texas in an executive role, as an assistant to the general manager Chris Young.
What do fans think his true intentions are?
A few hours back, the Texas Rangers officially announced Ian Kinsler’s return to their setup. Their Twitter upload read, “Welcome back, Ian! We’ve named Rangers Hall of Famer Ian Kinsler Special Assistant to the General Manager.”
Welcome back, Ian! We've named Rangers Hall of Famer Ian Kinsler Special Assistant to the General Manager.
However, Kinsler’s return left the fans divided. While some celebrated the return of a great second baseman, other fans questioned the Rangers’ integrity for bringing back someone who passed comments as Kinsler did after being traded to the Tigers. Notably, in November 2013, after a massive fallout with the Rangers, the baseman was traded to Detroit in a one-for-one All-Star trade that brought the likes of Prince Fielder to Texas.
This is how fans reacted:
Since he's an employee now, he must publicly state that the team he works for goes 162-0....and beyond.
We did Ian soooo wrong. So glad he's back. We didn't appreciate this guy enough just because his swing was loopy as hell.
The dude had like 4 or 5 above average seasons as a Ranger and he’s a Hall of Famer?
To quote a Tiger I liked, “I hope they go 0-162”
Great, now he can drop his shoulders on his way into the office
Didn’t he talk 💩 about the rangers when he left?? 🤔
Red Sox legend
Yeah, this is only possible because ownership finally learned who jd was. Welcome home Ian.
Oh good, the same guy who wished the Rangers go 0-162 after he REFUSED to play 1st base, so the Rangers dealt him to Detroit for Prince. Good choice!
Boy a lot of y’all forget the things he said when he left here
Kinsler Screw you and your 0-182 wishes. I have not forgotten the way you acted after YOU forced a trade that proved to completely derail the team... until now.
“I hope they go 0-162” he will tear them apart from the inside
An ESPN piece from March 2014 covered Ian Kinsler’s comments on his previous team, after getting traded to the Tigers. After a supposed fallout with the Rangers, Kinsler said, “I hope they go 0-162. I got friends, and I love my friends, but I hope they lose their ass.”
How did Ian Kinsler’s career pan out after his fallout with the Texas Rangers?
After being traded out of the Rangers setup, Kinsler reached Detroit, where he spent the next four seasons of his career before moving to Anaheim, and then Boston in the same year. With Boston Red Sox, Kinsler won his first and only World Series. Finally, he moved to the Padres in 2019 before announcing his MLB retirement with 1,999 career hits.
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Do you think the Texas Rangers will benefit from this move? Will Kinsler make a significant difference in the upcoming MLB season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.