The Texas Rangers announced Friday that general manager Chris Young has been signed to a multi-year contract extension. As part of the deal, Young also received a promotion and he'll now have the title of president of baseball operations.
Young took over as general manager of the Rangers in December of 2020, working under Jon Daniels. When Daniels was fired in August of 2022, Young assumed control of the club as the main decision-maker on the baseball operations side. The 2022 season marked the sixth straight losing year for the Rangers. In 2023, they turned things around, winning 90 regular-season games and then, most importantly, winning the World Series championship. It was the first-ever for the franchise, which started as the Washington Senators in 1961.
"Chris Young's impact on the Texas Rangers organization has been immense over the last four years," Rangers owner Ray Davis said in a statement. "His leadership and vision were instrumental in helping bring a World Series championship to Arlington for the first time, and he is passionate about producing a consistent winner on the field year in and year out for our fans."
"The Texas Rangers organization holds a very special place for me, and I am excited to continue building on what we've started here," Young said in a statement.
"While the opportunity to a be a part of a World Series Championship in my hometown was a tremendous thrill, our goal is to field a club that can contend for playoff berths every season. I'm grateful to Ray Davis for the trust he's placed in me, and I'm confident we'll be successful on this mission. Our fans deserve nothing less."
Young was drafted in 2000 out of Princeton by the Pirates in the third round. The right-handed pitcher made his MLB debut with the Rangers in 2004 and spent parts of 13 seasons in the majors, making the All-Star team in 2007 and winning the 2015 World Series as a member of the Royals' rotation.
Upon retirement, Young moved into a role with Major League Baseball under Joe Torre. In May of 2018, MLB named Young senior vice president of on-field operations, initiatives and strategy. Among other duties, he handled player discipline and umpiring operations. He then moved to the team side when hired by the Rangers to work with Daniels.
The Rangers are likely to miss the playoffs this season, sitting 71-76, but they've dealt with a litany of important injuries. They are a team to watch this coming offseason and they'll be approaching it with a very securely-employed president of baseball operations.
