Rangers Say Player Budget Hasn't Changed Despite Ballpark Costs

MLB Rangers President of Baseball Operations & GM Jon Daniels said the team's budget "has not changed in quite some time" despite rising costs associated with the construction of Globe Life Field, according to Jeff Wilson of the Ft. Worth STAR-TELEGRAM. The ballpark's price tag has "slowly crept higher and higher," and if ownership were to "pull from the baseball budget to help pay for the stadium, it could keep the Rangers from considering" top free agents this offseason. But Daniels said, "We're going to have the resources to get back into the games that we sat out the last couple years. It just depends on if we determine if now is the time to do it." The budget for Globe Life Field now has hit $1.2B "less than five months from the first game at the new ballpark." The city of Arlington is "on the hook" for $500M of that, while Rangers ownership is "picking up the rest." As for the ballpark, it "should be a nice tool this off-season to help sell the Rangers to free agents." But Daniels said that Globe Life Field "could have more of an impact next off-season." The club "expects the new ballpark will create more revenue, giving the Rangers more money to spend in free agency" (Ft. Worth STAR-TELEGRAM, 11/12).