The Texas Rangers hired Dave Magadan as their hitting coach Friday.

Magadan, the hitting coach for the Boston Red Sox since 2006, had an option remaining on his contract, but was given permission to speak with other clubs.

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said he only called Magadan and that if the 50-year-old hadn't taken the job, the club would have stayed with Scott Coolbaugh, who was offered another position in the organization.

"We feel like we've strengthened our big league club and our whole organization by bringing in one of the best," Daniels said. "We think Scott is an asset to the organization and talented and belongs here with the Rangers. We just felt like we had a chance to get one of the best in the business."

This past season the Rangers were first in the AL in runs (808), fourth in home runs (200), third in on-base percentage (.334) and second in slugging (.446). As a team, Texas batted .273, second by one point to the Los Angeles Angels.

But the club was not consistent in 2012. It hit well in April and May but hit a swoon in June and July. The Rangers were last in the AL in runs scored in July and then first in August.

And when the offense was needed most -- in the final weeks of the season -- it wasn't able to respond.

The Rangers had trouble getting runners home from third base with less than two outs on a consistent basis and didn't deliver with runners in scoring position with regularity. In the final 13 games, the Rangers went 4-9 and hit .251 as a team with an average of 3.8 runs per game. That doesn't include the AL wild-card game, when Texas scored one run and went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position.