TV Deal Dooms Rangers in Hader Pursuit

For most of the offseason, experts believed the Texas Rangers would end up with closer Josh Hader.

There was logic to the belief. Hader was the best closer on the market. He hadn’t yet turned 30 years old. The Rangers, even coming off a World Series title, had an acute need at the back of their bullpen.

But, instead, Hader signed a five-year, $95 million contract with the Houston Astros. Not only did he get paid, but he got paid by the Rangers’ archrival.

Hader made an appearance on Foul Territory recently and talked about the ramp-up to his signing. Several teams were interested, including the Rangers, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Hader said he got the sense that the Rangers’ television issues were hampering their pursuit.

“Yeah, I think that was the biggest thing for them, the TV deal,” Hader said. “I’m not behind their finances or anything like that. That’s what was stopping them from making moves I guess. We’re just here to win the World Series and Houston was the team that showed us they’re all in for that opportunity and they’ve done it.”

The Rangers have reportedly resolved their dispute with Diamond Sports Group, which owns the Bally networks, for the 2024 season. While details of the agreement are not public, a judge is expected to approve the deal on Monday as part of DSG's bankruptcy proceedings.

The Rangers were expecting more than $100 million in TV revenue in 2024, based on their original contract.

Given the Rangers’ inability to get a deal done with left-handed starter Jordan Montgomery, who is also still in free agency, it seems logical that the dispute over their local TV revenue had an impact.

That means the Rangers missed out on Hader, who is 20-21 with a 2.50 ERA and 165 saves for his career.