Baseball notebook: Ruling delays Rangers sale
A federal bankruptcy judge in Fort Worth, Texas, ordered the Texas Rangers and their angry creditors into mediation Thursday, pushing any resolution of the long-delayed sale dangerously close to a deadline that could be crucial to the team’s playoff hopes.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge D. Michael Lynn ruled that mediation will begin July 16.
But late Thursday night, Pittsburgh attorney Chuck Greenberg said his ownership group had filed a motion to reconsider the mediation date of July 16, requesting that it be moved back to the original date of July 9.
The motion will be heard by Lynn today.
Lynn delayed until July 22 a hearing on whether to approve the Rangers’ bankruptcy plan to pay creditors $75 million and sell the club to a group led by Nolan Ryan, the Hall of Fame pitcher and team president, and Greenberg.
That hearing is just nine days before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
The Rangers are leading the A.L. West and have one of the best records in baseball. A pending sale could affect trade plans to stock up for a pennant run.
Lynn’s order comes two days after he ruled that the Rangers’ ownership and their creditors were adversely affected by the plan. He said that to avoid lenders killing the plan, the Rangers would have to restore some of their rights but would not have to give them more money.
Sox activate Dice-K; Lowell heads to DL
Mike Lowell was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right hip injury and the Boston Red Sox filled his roster spot by reinstating right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka.
Matsuzaka started against Colorado on Thursday night. He allowed two runs on five hits over five innings and didn’t factor in the decision.
Matsuzaka had been out since June 8 after straining his forearm. It was his second stint on the DL this season – he missed the first 23 games of the year with a neck injury.
Lowell, 36, said he tweaked his hip while taking swings in the batting cage Tuesday. It’s the same hip he had surgically repaired in October 2008, because of a torn labrum.
Lowell, who conceded he has been dealing with “biting” pain in the hip over the last couple of days, said he’s uncertain about the course of his rehabilitation. He said going on the DL buys him some time to consider his options.