Rangers fire manager Chris Woodward

The Rangers are in third place in the American League West with a 51-63 record. Woodward is expected to be replaced by an interim manager after his fourth consecutive year with a losing record.

The additions of Corey Seager, with whom Woodward was close from his days as Los Angeles Dodgers coach, Marcus Semien and Jon Gray this winter raised expectations after a 60-102 season in 2021. While the Rangers have played much better this year, with a nearly even run differential, their 6-24 record in one-run games would be the second-worst winning percentage in a season in such finals since 1900.

Texas gave Woodward a contract extension that covered the 2023 season and included an option for 2024. The Rangers hired Woodward in November 2018 after coaching stints with Seattle and the Dodgers following a 12-year career as a multi-position player.

Woodward came to Texas to replace Jeff Banister, who had won division titles in his first two seasons after replacing Ron Washington, but struggled to a last-place finish in 2018.

The Rangers hoped he would stabilize the role as the organization transitioned in the midst of a rebuild, which produced a better-than-expected start to 2019 when Texas had a 78-84 record. But last-place finishes in the abbreviated COVID-19 season and last year led the Rangers to accelerate their schedule on the open market.

While they have one of the deepest farm systems in baseball, adding Seager for $325 million and Semien for $175 million to build their interior cadre around $500 million second was the move destined to push the Rangers at least close to contention. Seager and Semien’s slow starts have subsided, they have combined for nearly six wins above replacement, but Texas pitching ranks in the bottom three in the league in effectiveness.