Oct. 1--ARLINGTON -- Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels took some time Tuesday afternoon to run through the list of positive steps the team took this season. He cited the improved record, the contributions by young players, four All-Star invitations, a strong rally after an awful start, and the tease of contending into August.
After those 90 seconds were done, it was full speed ahead into an off-season full of big decisions.
"We are very pleased with where we are going," Daniels said. "But the end goal is not to finish around .500. We know we have quite a few steps to take."
Step 1: pitching. Actually, it might be the first four or five steps the club must take after finishing with the worst ERA in the major leagues (5.36). Everything else pales in comparison.
The Rangers are trying to overhaul the way they prepare pitchers for the major leagues. Club president Nolan Ryan and Daniels will chair organizational meetings focusing mostly on pitching next week in Arizona.
And though pitching is Job 1, there is a long list of other off-season areas of uncertainty the Rangers must address. Among them:
The coaching staff
It's the easiest task to complete the soonest. The Rangers are interested in speaking with former Oakland pitching coach Rick Peterson. They have not yet contacted Dave Wallace, former pitching coach for a handful of clubs, who has a past working relationship with Ryan.
The Rangers have contacted veteran infield instructor Perry Hill about their infield instructor vacancy, but Hill, who lives in North Texas, is also talking to at least one other club. They are looking into former big league managers Jackie Moore and John Gibbons as potential bench coaches, but that list could grow. Manager Ron Washington would like former Oakland colleague Brad Fischer to join the club as catching instructor and possibly the bullpen coach.
Hank Blalock's future
The Rangers have until 10 days after the World Series to either pick up the $6.2 million option on Blalock or let him go to free agency. They almost certainly will pick up the option, but what happens after that is the difficult question.
It's unlikely that Blalock returns to third base in Texas, which means if he remains with the Rangers, it would be as either a first baseman or designated hitter. There are complications on both fronts. The Rangers view Chris Davis as a superior fielding first baseman and would like to move him back across the infield from third. To do that, Blalock would probably have to move to DH, a position that could be occupied by a combination of outfielders if Milton Bradley returns. The other possibility: After picking up the option, use Blalock in a trade for pitching.
MarkG 
