Ian Kinsler was not pleased when he was traded by the Texas Rangers this offseason. In an interview with Robert Sanchez of ESPN the Magazine, the new Tigers second baseman unloaded on his former team and general manager Jon Daniels.
The issues started when Kinsler didn't want to change positions to accommodate top prospect Jurickson Profar following the trade of Michael Young. With Kinsler refusing to shift to first base, the Rangers got just a .223/.295/.405 line from their first basemen, better than only the Yankees in the American League. If Kinsler had moved and Profar got a chance to play every day at second instead of bouncing around the diamond and not getting consistent playing time, maybe the Rangers win one more game and don't need to play the Rays in the AL Wild Card tiebreaker.
Kinsler had this to say about Daniels and former team president Nolan Ryan: "Daniels is a sleazeball," he says. "He got in good with the owners and straight pushed Ryan out. He thought all the things he should get credit for, Ryan got credit for. It's just ego. Once we went to the World Series, everybody's ego got huge, except for Nolan's."
Kinsler's statements for the on-field results of former team were also harsh. "I'll miss all my teammates," he says. "I'll miss Elvis and Beltre, Mitch [Moreland], Matt Harrison and [Ron] Washington." But the frustration — with his play, with the team, with the organization — is still so raw. "To be honest with you, I hope they go 0-162. I got friends, and I love my friends, but I hope they lose their ass."
It seems like sour grapes from Kinsler, the ranting of a 31-year old player whose production had dropped off over the last two seasons. Kinsler can rant and rave about how the Rangers fell apart after the young trade and losing both C.J Wilson and Josh Hamilton in free agency, but he isn't exactly guilt-free in Texas' struggles over the last two seasons.
[ESPN]
