When Rangers’ owner Tom Hicks gave GM Jon Daniels a contract extension June 19 for the 2009 season, I ripped Hicks for rewarding Daniels despite no evidence to support the move. The Rangers were in last place with a 26-43 record, and Daniels was about to face important moves including dealing Mark Teixeira and Eric Gagne.

At the press conference, Hicks said Daniels was “going to get better every year.” While I still disagree with the timing of Hicks’ decision, Daniels rebounded from a rough first year when he traded away Alfonso Soriano for Brad Wilkerson and dealt Chris Young and Adrian Gonzalez for Adam Eaton and Akinora Otsuka.