2007–2009
The Rangers struggled offensively early in the season, despite playing in a notoriously hitter-friendly park. On June 20, Sammy Sosa hit his 600th career home run against the Chicago Cubs at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Hank Blalock, the starting 3rd baseman who had been enjoying a good season, was placed on the 60-day disabled list on the May 19 due to thoracic outlet syndrome, and Mark Teixeira followed him onto the disabled list on June 9 (for the first time in his career) with a strained left quadriceps muscle. With a record of 46–59 at the July 31 trade deadline, the team traded Mark Teixeira and Ron Mahay to the Atlanta Braves in a deal that would eventually bring 5 prospects to the Rangers organization, including four of Atlanta's top prospects Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Elvis Andrus, Matt Harrison, and Neftalí Feliz. The team also traded closer Éric Gagné to the Boston Red Sox for left-hander Kason Gabbard and Minor League outfielders David Murphy and Engel Beltre. These moves were the beginnings of a rebuilding project headed by Jon Daniels with a focus on the acquisition and development of young players. In the coming years, more club resources would be dedicated to improving the quality of the farm system and scouting departments, most notably in Latin America and the Far East. The objective of Daniels' plan was to field a legitimately competitive team by the 2010 season.
The 2007 season remains notable in the minds of baseball fans for two inexplicable oddities. On August 19 at the Metrodome, the Minnesota Twins logged 19 strikeouts against the Rangers, one short of the Major League record. Three days later, the 22nd, in the first game of a doubleheader at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the Rangers' bats came alive with a modern record for runs by one team, defeating the Baltimore Orioles 30–3. Their 27-run margin of victory is also a modern day MLB record. Wes Littleton gained probably the easiest save in Major League history: entering the game in the bottom of the seventh, with his team already ahead 14–3, he pitched three innings to finish the game, and gave up just two hits and a walk.
The Rangers began the 2008 season red hot, headlined by newcomer Josh Hamilton who looked to be a threat to win the Triple Crown, before fading off as the season wore on. During the All-Star festivities at Yankee Stadium, Hamilton crushed a first round home run record in the 2008 Home Run Derby with 28. Hamilton hit another four in the second round and three during the final round, for a total of 35 home runs, but lost to the Twins' Justin Morneau. Four Rangers played in the All Star Game: Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler, Milton Bradley, and Michael Young, who would repeat his 2006 All-Star Game feat by driving in the winning run via a sac fly.
The Rangers would finish the season with yet another sub-.500 record (79–83), yet ended the season second in the West, the club's best finish since 1999. The off-season saw perennial All-Star shortstop Michael Young ask for a trade when the team told him he would be moving to third base to make room for rookie Elvis Andrus.[11] After speaking with club president Nolan Ryan and his agent, Young later rescinded his trade request, and agreed to move to third base.[12] The offseason also saw the departure of mercurial outfielder/DH Milton Bradley to free agency.
 

 

Scott Feldman
 

Derek Holland is considered the best pitching prospect drafted by the Rangers since the departure ofJohn Danks

The 2009 season saw the Rangers soar into playoff contention for the first time since 2004. Despite injuries to Josh Hamilton and Ian Kinsler, the Rangers held first place in their division for long stretches of the summer before fading after September 1, losing the division to the Los Angeles Angels. The Rangers finished the season at 87–75, their first winning season since 2004 and good enough for second place in the A.L. West. Michael Young responded to his move to third base by posting one his best offensive seasons ever while committing just nine errors and earning a sixth straight All-Star appearance.[13] Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz were also named 2009 A.L. All-Stars. Several young stars with the club broke out including the debuts of highly-rated rookies Elvis Andrus, Derek Holland, andNeftalí Feliz. Second baseman Ian Kinsler hit for the cycle in April, while having a 30–30 season in home runs and stolen bases. Starting pitcher Scott Feldman posted a fantastic season as well in 2009, finishing 3rd in the A.L in wins with 17.

Financial troubles and new ownership
While the 2009 season was strong on the field, club owner Tom Hicks became the focus of several reports indicating serious financial problems with his holding group, Hicks Sports Group, which also owned the Dallas Stars, the Frisco Roughriders (the Rangers AA-farm club), 1/2 of Liverpool F.C. (sold in mid-October 2010 to New England Sports Ventures, owners of the Boston Red Sox), and the Mesquite Championship Rodeo (later sold by HSG).
HSG was reported to have gone into default on a $525 million loan.[14]
In April 2009, Hicks announced he would be willing to sell a minority interest in the team. Only one month later, Hicks announced he would be willing to sell majority control of the Rangers.[15]
In July 2009, it was reported that Hicks borrowed money from Major League Baseball to meet the team's payroll.[16]
After the 2009 season, Hicks began scouting prospective buyers and in December entered into exclusive negotiating rights for sale of the Rangers with a consortium headed by Pittsburgh sports lawyer Chuck Greenberg and Rangers team president Nolan Ryan.
On January 22, 2010, Hicks Sports Group officially reached a formal agreement to sell the Texas Rangers to the group headed by Greenberg and Ryan (later called Rangers Baseball Express) for approximately $570 million.[17] Under the provisions of the deal, former owner Hicks stayed on as a limited minority partner, but was not allowed to retain a seat on the board of governors. Co-lead investors Dallas businessmen Ray Davis, and Ft. Worth Bob R. Simpson were named co-chairmen.[17] Hicks also sold much of the land surrounding Rangers Ballpark to Rangers Baseball Express in a separate deal.
The deal was subject to approval by the other MLB owners (a 3/4 vote is required) and completed by April 1. However, one of HSG's principal lenders (Monarch Alternative Capital) opposed the sale on grounds that the proceeds would not fully repay the defaulted HSG notes.[18] On April 21, Major League Baseball issued a statement declaring the Rangers' sale to be under the control of the Commissioner to expedite the process.[19][20] Because of public comments made by Hicks deemed detrimental to the process, MLB also stripped Hicks of any responsibility regarding the sale of the team.[21] On May 13, MLB threatened to seize control of the rest of the team's operations if a deal was not completed by the deadline set by the Commissioner.[22]
As the stalemate between HSG and its creditors continued, on May 24, 2010 the Texas Rangers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[23][24] As of that date, the Rangers and HSG had an estimated debt of $575 million.[24] Much of the unsecured debt was owed in back salary. Officially, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez topped the list of unsecured creditors with an estimated $24.9 million owed by the Rangers.[24] Additionally, the Rangers also owed Baltimore Orioles pitcher Kevin Millwood $12.9 million, and current Rangers third baseman Michael Young $3.9 million.[24] At a press conference, the Greenberg-Ryan group proposed to buy the team for $575 million.[24] The sale would repay all the team's creditors, including players owed back salary.[24]
After several attempts to resolve the deal fell through, the bankruptcy court ordered a public auction to be held on August 4. The Greenberg/Ryan bid would be the opening bid, and other offers (subject to MLB approval) would have to be submitted by the prior day in order to be considered. At the auction, only one other MLB-approved group submitted an offer – Radical Baseball LLC, a group formed by Houston businessman Jim Crane (who was previously unsuccessful in buying the Houston Astros, and ultimately bought that team in 2011) and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban (who was previously unsuccessful in buying the Chicago Cubs). The auction lasted until the early morning of August 5, with the winning bid submitted by Greenberg/Ryan. The bankruptcy court approved the bid later that morning and the bankruptcy case closed. The sale to the Greenberg/Ryan was approved by all 30 MLB owners at the owners meeting in Minneapolis on Thursday August 12.
"I'll be the managing partner and CEO. If you like what's going on or you don't like what's going on, I take responsibility for that. When it comes to baseball, I'm not going to interject my opinions. If Nolan and [Jon Daniels] want to discuss something with me, they can, but I have complete faith and trust in the decisions that they make. I'll be as involved as they wish me to be, but with complete faith and confidence in them. What I'm going to focus on, particularly since the baseball side is in great shape, is the business side. How do we connect with the community? How do we create a higher tempo of energy in the front office? How can we do a better job of filling the stands and make an impact on people's lives? If we succeed on the business side and continue on path on the baseball side and combine it with a dynamic market like this is, we can be and should be one of the powerhouse franchises in baseball.[25]"
—Chuck Greenberg
The new ownership group, which included Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan, was called Rangers Baseball Express, LLC and had Greenberg serving as managing general partner and Ryan as club president.[26]Again, co-lead investors Ray Davis and Bob R. Simpson were named co-chairmen.[27] In March 2011 Greenberg resigned as Chief Executive and Managing General Partner and sold his interest in the Club following a "falling out" with his partners.[28] Following Greenberg's resignation, Nolan Ryan was named Chief Executive Officer in addition to his continuing role as Team President.[27] Ryan was subsequently designated the Controlling Owner of the Club by a unanimous vote of the 30 owners of Major League Baseball on May 12, 2011.[28] Co-Chairmen Simpson and Davis stated they would not be involved in day-to-day operations.[29]

2010–present: Rise to contention
Main article: 2010 Texas Rangers season
Offseason moves made by the Rangers sent Kevin Millwood to the Baltimore Orioles and acquired free agents Rich Harden, Colby Lewis, and Vladimir Guerrero. With the new influx of talent and success in 2009, the Rangers entered the season expecting to compete for the division and achieve the front office's goals of 2007. During the offseason, Texas Rangers' team President Nolan Ryan spoke about the Rangers' chances in the upcoming season saying,
“ My expectations today are that we're going to be extremely competitive and if we don't win our division, I'll be disappointed. ”
—Nolan Ryan, ESPNDallas.com: January 26, 2010.[30]

 

 

Ian Kinsler

After stumbling out of the gates with a sub-.500 start in April, the Rangers took the division lead with a franchise-best month of June, going 21–6. The Rangers would never relinquish first place after an 11 game winning streak. On July 9, the club dealt one of its top prospects, Justin Smoak, with two other minor leaguers to the Seattle Mariners for former Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee and Mark Lowe. The Rangers also made moves to acquire veterans Bengie Molina, Jorge Cantú, Cristian Guzmán, and Jeff Francouer. In the 2010 All-Star Game, the team was represented by Lee, Guerrero, Ian Kinsler, Josh Hamilton, Elvis Andrus, andNeftalí Feliz. After the All-Star Game, came the debut of the claw and antler hand gestures, which gained much popularity, especially after the release of various apparel and souvenir options for the fans. Foam claws and helmets with deer antlers became quite commonplace in the ballpark as the Rangers played further into the fall. The Rangers won the A.L. West on September 25, advancing to the postseason for the first time since 1999.[31]

2010 postseason
Main articles: 2010 American League Division Series, 2010 American League Championship Series, and 2010 World Series
After winning the AL West with a 90–72 record, the Rangers entered the playoffs for the first time since 1999, and faced the Tampa Bay Rays for the first round, which ultimately resulted in a 3–2 series victory and marked the first postseason series victory in the 50-year history of the Rangers/Washington Senators franchise. Facing the Rangers in the American League Championship Series were the defending World ChampionNew York Yankees, the team the Rangers failed against three separate times in the 1990s. In the playoffs, the Rangers record against the Yankees was 1–9. In a 6-game series, the Texas Rangers came out victorious, winning the first Pennant in franchise history in front of an ecstatic home crowd.[32] Josh Hamilton was awarded ALCS MVP after setting a series record for intentional walks. The Texas Rangers faced the San Francisco Giants in the 2010 World Series. The Rangers offense struggled against the Giants' young pitching and eventually lost the Series 4–1, the lone win coming in Arlington on October 30. For the first time, the Rangers ended their season in the month of November.

2011: Repeat AL Champions
Main articles: 2011 Texas Rangers season, 2011 American League Division Series, 2011 American League Championship Series, and 2011 World Series
The Rangers successfully defended their AL West Division title in 2011, making the club's second straight division title and postseason appearance and fifth division title and postseason appearance overall. The Rangers set records for best record (96-66 with a .592 winning percentage) and home attendance (2,946,949). On October 15, they went back to the World Series, beating the Detroit Tigers 15-5 in Game 6 of the ALCS.[33] The series featured Nelson Cruz hitting 6 home runs, the most home runs by one player in a playoff series in MLB history. In game 2 Cruz also became the first player in postseason history to win a game with a walk-off grand slam as the Rangers defeated the Tigers 7-3 in 11 innings. However, they would proceed to lose the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games, after twice being one strike away from the championship in game 6.

2012: Final week collapse
Main articles: 2012 Texas Rangers season and 2012 American League Wild Card Game
The Rangers lost C. J. Wilson to the rival Angels in the offseason, but managed to gain the services of Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish. They also added Joe Nathan to fill the closer role vacated by Neftalí Feliz, who was shifted to full-time starter. The Rangers dominated the American League standings for much of the season, despite losing Feliz and Colby Lewis to the 60-day DL. Darvish quickly flourished in the starting rotation, finishing with a 16–9 record and a 3.90 ERA.Josh Hamilton also had a spectacular season, finishing with 43 home runs, four of which came in a single game against the Baltimore Orioles on May 8. However the Rangers floundered in September, culminating in a sweep by the Oakland Athletics in the final series. Before the last series of the regular season, the Rangers faced the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on September 29, 2012. The game was postponed due to a rain delay and the game was held off until the next day. The Texas Rangers then lost to the Angels 5-4 for the first game and won 8-7 in the second game later that night, which guaranteed them a spot in the first ever American League Wild Card Playoff Game. As a result of their 93–69 record, finishing second in the AL West behind the Oakland A's, the Texas Rangers settled for the Wild Card playoff slot. In the new Wild Card Game the Rangers' woes continued as they lost 5–1 to the Orioles.

Texas Rangers Hall of Fame
The Texas Rangers Hall of Fame was created in 2003 to honor the careers of former Texas Rangers players, managers, executives and broadcasters. There are currently fifteen members.
The Hall is located in Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, behind right field.[34] The Hall's two levels contain 13,000 square feet, a 235-seat theater, and various plaques, photos, and memorabilia. It can accommodate up to 600 people.[35]

Inductees
• 2003
• Charlie Hough
• Johnny Oates
• Nolan Ryan
• Jim Sundberg
• 2004
• Buddy Bell
• Ferguson Jenkins
• Tom Vandergriff
• 2005
• Mark Holtz
• John Wetteland
• 2007
• Rusty Greer
• 2009
• Toby Harrah
• Rubén Sierra
• 2010
• Tom Grieve
• 2011
• Kenny Rogers
• 2012
• Eric Nadel

Season records
• Highest Batting Average: .359, Josh Hamilton (2010)
• Most Games: 163, Al Oliver (1980)
• Most Runs: 133, Alex Rodriguez (2001)
• Most Hits: 221, Michael Young (2005)
• Highest Slugging %: .643, Juan González (1996)
• Most Doubles: 52, Michael Young (2006)
• Most Triples: 14, Rubén Sierra (1989)
• Most Home Runs: 57, Alex Rodriguez (2002)
• Most RBIs: 157, Juan González (1998)
• Most Stolen Bases: 52, Bump Wills (1978)
• Most Wins: 25, Ferguson Jenkins (1974)
• Strikeouts: 301, Nolan Ryan (1989)
• Complete Games: 29, Ferguson Jenkins (1974)
• Saves: 49, Francisco Cordero (2004)

Radio and television
See also: List of Texas Rangers broadcasters

Radio
• KESN 103.3 FM
• KSKY 660 AM - broadcasts Rangers games when Rangers and Dallas Mavericks games occur at the same time
• KZMP 1540 AM (Spanish)
Eric Nadel is the play-by-play announcer and from 2009 until May 26, 2011, Dave Barnett was the color analyst for the English radio affiliates. On May 26 Barnett was moved to cover the TV broadcasts full-time. Replacing him on radio broadcasts will be a rotation between Steve Busby and Bryan Dolgin.[36] ElenoOrnelas is the play-by-play announcer and Jerry Romo is the color analyst for the Spanish radio affiliate.

Television
• Fox Sports Southwest (cable/satellite)
• KTXA (over-the-air)- Friday Night Baseball
On May 26, 2011, John Rhadigan was announced as the play-by-play announcer, replacing Josh Lewin. On May 26, FSN Southwest felt a change needed to be made. Dave Barnett was named the new announcer full-time, a job he had been doing for TV day games for the past two seasons in place of Lewin and Rhadigan.[36] Tom Grieve is still the color analyst. Rhadigan was reassigned to cover the Rangers Pregame and Postgame shows, a responsibility he has held for the previous 20 years. Jim Knox is the field reporter for Rangers home games.
Due to the Rangers having to play many of their Sunday home games at night, the team has been featured frequently on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball during the summer months. Rangers games can also be seen on MLB on Fox and TBS.