The Texas Rangers’ rebuild continues, on and off the field. According to multiple sources, the team has parted ways with assistant general manager Shiraz Rehman. Rehman joined the organization in late 2018, and at the time, then-GM (and current president of baseball operations Jon Daniels) had this to say about the hire:
“He has worked on the ops side, which we have a need in, and I think he’ll really help us in a process and systems standpoint there,” Daniels said. “(He’ll) try to help us reorganize and restructure how we operate. But he’s also spent a little bit of time on the development side, a year in player development in Arizona, and more recently this past year spending some time on the Cubs development system and looking at ways that they can improve … he was instrumental in helping to hire the Cubs R&D staff, which is an area that he’s not overseeing, but will kind of lend a hand as we look to build that out.
“It’s always healthy to promote from within, but there are always points in time where it’s important to bring in different mindsets and different perspectives from outside the organization, and he comes from a very successful organization in Chicago.”
On Thursday, it was Daniels whose words made up the bulk of the team’s press release announcing Rehman’s departure:
“After discussions with Shiraz, we mutually agreed that it is best to part ways at this time,” said Daniels. “Shiraz has expressed a desire to seek a new opportunity where he can utilize his experiences and take on a more significant role than we currently have available. Since joining the Rangers, Shiraz played an important role in our process to shape the future of the franchise and ensure on-field success for the years ahead. The Rangers want to thank Shiraz for his contributions and wish him the very best for the future.”
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Via text on Thursday, Rehman also indicated that the decision was mutual, while other sources in the organization indicated that he was dismissed. The distinction is almost immaterial — making a move of this size in mid-August rather than at the end of the season is an indication that the employee and the organization simply were not on the same page. The release may hint at one possibility when it speaks to his desire for a more significant role. If Rehman wanted to pursue a GM job and initially saw Texas as a place where he might be able to ascend into that position, those circumstances changed in the last year when the team brought in Chris Young as GM, allowing Daniels to slide into the role of president of baseball operations.
A text from Rehman indicates that this is a reasonable interpretation:
“I’m extremely grateful to ownership — Ray Davis and Neil Leibman — and baseball leadership – Jon Daniels, Chris Young and Chris Woodward — for the opportunity to work for the Rangers organization, and have enjoyed my 3 years with the team,” Rehman said. “I’m thankful for all of the people I got a chance to work with and learn from, and know the club is in good hands moving forward. Ultimately, the redistribution of front office responsibilities after CY came aboard this winter left me with a less fulfilling and impactful role, so we agreed to part ways at this time. I am looking forward to my next challenge and wish the entire front office, the coaches, the players, and Rangers fans all the best in the future.”
The Rangers have not issued any statements about a corresponding move to fill the vacated position, but per multiple sources, Kyle Boddy, director of pitching with the Cincinnati Reds and the founder of Driveline Baseball, has met with the Rangers and Mets about a position next season. Boddy took the position with the Reds in October of 2019, but his contract expires at the end of this season, and a match with the Rangers would not be surprising — as outlined in the above-linked article, Boddy has done work with the organization before. He was in their draft room during the 2018 draft, and the two sides worked together unofficially as the Rangers revamped their development program that year, just before Rehman was hired that October.
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Further, Young, who pitched from 2004 to 2017, worked out at Driveline in the offseason before the 2018 season, where the Rangers contacted him about possibly signing with them as a player. He opted to retire from playing and take a job in the MLB offices that year; the Rangers signed fellow Driveline alum Brandon Mann from those same scouting trips. With Young now in Texas as the GM, the relationship with Boddy would lend credence to the idea that his meeting with the Rangers has something to do with the open position.
[Editor’s note: Since publishing, multiple sources within the organization have stated that the Rangers have not had discussions about adding Boddy in the assistant GM role.]
Update to this: am told by a source in the organization that they have not had discussions about adding Boddy in the role. Am told that any talks with Boddy have "no relation to decision with Rehman."
— Levi Weaver (@ThreeTwoEephus) August 19, 2021
The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal contributed to this report.
(Photo: Kyle Terada / USA Today)
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