The talking season for baseball players continues, as the majority of camps do not commence until next week. Josh Hader was the player who spoke on Thursday during an interview on Foul Territory. Former MLB Network commentator Scott Braun and former catcher and Texas Ranger A.J. Pierzynski co-host the show, which airs on YouTube. Hader spoke on their show on Thursday to talk about his free agency and what he’s looking forward to in 2024. He made headlines in the interview when he stated that he was finished pitching several innings. He also discussed which teams were recruiting him and why he defied conventional thinking and chose Houston over Texas.
“Yeah, I believe the biggest thing for them was the TV deal. Obviously, I’m not involved with their finances or anything, but that’s what was keeping them from moving further, I suppose. As I previously stated, we are here to win a World Series, and Houston demonstrated to us that they are all in for that possibility, as they have done before, so we will go with the Houston Astros.
When questioned earlier in the interview about the teams participating, he did not identify Texas as a possible destination. Texas does not appear to have had any involvement with Josh Hader. It begs the issue of whether Jordan Montgomery will provide a similar comment in the coming days when he signs a contract with a different franchise. That he feels the television contract is the reason he is playing for this new squad. If we take a step back and look at the whole picture, is the TV deal really the reason, or is there something else that is preventing Texas from signing Montgomery?
Is the TV contract truly hurting the Texas Rangers, or is this a decision they’re making?
The television situation has mostly been handled. On Friday, a judge approved the conditions reached by Diamond Sports Group and the Texas Rangers, Cleveland Guardians, and Minnesota Twins. Bally Sports will continue to broadcast games for those three teams through the 2024 season. It was not made clear how big of a drop in rights payments each side had to accept. That was kept confidential. The final stage is for Diamond Sports’ creditors to accept the accord, which should happen next week.
Texas will shortly get funds from Diamond Sports Group. We’ll soon find out if that’s what was holding Texas back, or if the front management simply wanted to avoid spending too much money this offseason. Chris Young and ownership could be suggesting that after two consecutive offseasons of enormous spending sprees, they want to avoid awarding large contracts this year. The luxury tax is undoubtedly an issue for this team. They are expected to be a taxpayer for the second straight season. According to Spotrac.com, their payroll is presently $241 million coming into the 2024 season. As a result, they will have to pay a greater penalty for being taxed for the second season. If they sign Montgomery to the contract, it is possible that their 2025 first-round pick will be bumped back 10 spots. There is motivation to avoid adding another significant wage for this reason.
The story has been about Bally Sports during the offseason, when it should have been on the Luxury Tax. Camp begins in four days, and the roster Texas has gathered thus far is expected to report to Surprise, Arizona, to begin the defence of the franchise’s first World Series championship. While supporters continue to hope for a late-winter gift in the form of Jordan Montgomery, they can rest assured that this squad is still in contention to win it all in 2024, with or without him.
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