True, the Texas Rangers still need to do something about their injury-plagued, questionable starting pitching rotation, but general manager Jon Daniels deserves a lot of credit for what he's been able to accomplish this winter.
It all started all the way back in November, when Daniels pulled off a surprise blockbuster deal, swapping two superstars, when he dealt longtime second baseman Ian Kinsler to the Detroit Tigers for slugging first baseman Prince Fielder. Then, of course, he gave $130 million to leadoff hitter extraordinaire Shin-Soo Choo.
ESPN.com has given awards out to MLB GMs for different moves, and in different categories, and Daniels was honored in a few different categories.
Daniels was the runner-up in the "best big market GM" category behind New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman, who signed Masahiro Tanaka, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran while letting Robinson Cano walk away to get his ridiculous deal.
Daniels was second runner-up for "best trade" for his Kinsler for Fielder swap, finishing behind Oakland's Billy Beane and Chicago White Sox GM Rick Hahn. He was also second runner-up for "boldest move" for the trade of Craig Gentry to Oakland for prospect Michael Choice, finishing behind Seattle's GM and the Cano signing and Detroit's Dave Dombrowski for trading Fielder for Kinsler.
So there you go, Rangers fans, let out a cheer for your fearless leader.
