Free agent outfielder Michael Bourn was thought to be the best natural center fielder in a market deep with center field talent. Projections had him finding a deal likely in the range of five years and $100 million. With just three shopping days left before Christmas, however, Bourn and his agent, Boras, have been left on the sidelines watching as team after team filled their center field needs with trades and signings to acquire less expensive options.

August 13, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves center fielder Michael Bourn (24) makes a diving catch in third inning against the San Diego Padres at Turner field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

It’s not unusual for a Boras client to wait to sign a big contract, but Bourn is an unusual player. Typically, power gets the big dollars and players relying on speed, like Bourn, are viewed more cautiously in longer-term deals. While Bourn is an elite defender in center field and routinely steals 40-50 bases per season, he doesn’t bring the presence that a middle-of-the-order bat would bring.

And though he’s drawn interest from several teams this season, the only one that seems legitimately interested is the Seattle Mariners, and even their interest is tempered by the sting of their last speedy free agent signing, Chone Figgins; a deal that went horribly bad for the M’s.

Boras and Bourn had been counting on the Phillies or the Nationals, or maybe the Braves to step up and start a bidding war to see which of them would get to sign the player. Instead, Bourn’s most recent employer, Atlanta, opted for B.J. Upton, a younger and cheaper center fielder who offers more power but lacks lead-off skills. Philly landed Ben Revere to fill their center field void and Washington traded for another Twin, Denard Span.

Meanwhile, Shane Victorino got $13 million per year from Boston, Angel Pagan landed a four-year contract with the Giants, and Bourn continued to wait.

It’s the same situation that faced Boras and his client, Prince Fielder, last Winter. By the time January rolled around, Fielder was still on the market, but there didn’t appear to be a big contract coming his way. All the supposedly interested parties had moved on and obtained other players to fill their first base openings. The price tag for Fielder was too high. He’d be forced to take a one-year deal and try his luck on the market again the following year.

All of a sudden, Victor Martinez came up with an injured knee and the Detroit Tigers had a hole in the middle of their order. Before long, Fielder was the owner of a nine-year, $214 million contract to play in Motown. Prior to VMart’s injury, Detroit wasn’t even interested in adding Fielder. Boras waited for an opportunity arose and he got a little lucky with a big market team suddenly having a desperate need for a power bat.

In order to get bourn the contract he wants, Boras will have to get a little lucky again.

This time, the big market Texas Rangers suddenly have a desperate need for offense after missing out on Justin Upton, and losing Mike Napoli and Josh Hamilton to free agency. According to Jon Heyman, the Rangers have begun to show preliminary interest in the free agent center fielder. They had not previously been linked to Bourn.

Texas has met with Cody Ross as well and they’ve been rumored to in on Nick Swisher. Both of those players fit the needs of the Rangers a bit more than Bourn does in terms of a middle-of-the-order bat. Texas also lacks an established center fielder, however, and the addition of a guy like Bourn could allow Ian Kinsler to hit deeper in the order.

He’s not the same type of player as Hamilton, but Bourn could provide the Rangers enough of a boost to keep pace in the AL West. Meanwhile, the Rangers sudden interest might just mean another face-saving contract for Boras late in the off-season and maintain his reputation as the best agent in baseball.

September 18, 2012; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Cody Ross (7) singles in the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Ross is coming off a strong season at the plate in 2012 where he posted 22 home runs and 81 RBI to go along with a career-best .807 OPS. The Rangers, who had not previously been linked to Ross, have missed out on a host of elite players this Winter, either through free agency or trade, and need to add offense.

It isn’t clear how serious Texas is in their pursuit of Ross, but it stands to reason that if this were merely due diligence, they could have done that without hosting the player and taking him to dinner. Daniels watched as 67 home runs left his lineup when Mike Napoli and Josh Hamilton agreed to sign deals elsewhere. While Ross isn’t the caliber of hitter than Hamilton is, he does have the ability to play all three outfield positions and he hammers left handed pitching. The Rangers without Hamilton lack a strong left handed hitter, however, with only Mitch Moreland and David Murphy projected to start.

Ross has been seeking a three-year deal worth $21-30 million overall based on reports from earlier in the off-season. He has been linked to a handful of clubs looking to add an outfield bat and represents a less expensive option than fellow free agent Nick Swisher.

The Red Sox, Phillies, Braves, Mariners, Orioles, and Mets have been rumored to have some level of interest in signing Ross this Winter.

According to three major league sources, the Rangers were in advanced talks with Philadelphia about a deal for the 36-year-old Young that would include the Rangers eating more than half of his remaining $16 million in salary. The Rangers would likely receive a young major league reliever along with a lower-level prospect.

Image: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Young is a seven-time all-star and has experience playing all over the infield, but the Phillies would plan to install him as their everyday third baseman. Though he has spent the past two years as a utility infielder and DH, Young was a primary third baseman in 2009 and 2010. He is signed through 2013 and the Rangers, it seems, have been in discussions about trading him every off-season for the past several years.

He’s been one of the more consistent hitters in baseball throughout his 13 year career, at one point putting together five consecutive seasons of at least 200 hits, but his 2012 campaign was well below average at the plate. Young posted his worst slash line in a decade at .277/.312/.370.

There certainly is the very real possibility that age is simply catching up to his, but Young is also just one year removed from an eighth-place finish in the MVP vote stemming from a league-best 213 hits and .854 OPS in 2011. Though his home run power has rapidly vanished, Young did collect 58 extra-base hits in 2011. That number fell all the way to 38 last season and his slugging percentage dropped more than 100 points as well.

The Phillies have employed Placido Polanco as their third baseman for the past three seasons, so they’re no strangers to having a someone who lacks the power that position is traditionally known for. Young has full no-trade rights as a 10-and-5 player, but indications are that he would approve a trade to Philly, notes Jim Salisbury.

If they can get the Rangers to eat as much of Young’s salary as Grant indicates, this might not be a bad deal for the Phillies. He’s not an elite third baseman, but the rest f the market is very thin and they’d likely have to commit more dollars and more years to someone like Kevin Youkilis and probably get similar production.

Hamilton is the biggest fish on the free agent market. Image: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

According to Rosenthal, Hamilton may not be unemployed much longer as he and the Rangers are getting closer to an agreement on what would be a four-year contract.

Sources: #Rangers, Hamilton making progress. Deal, if reached, likely would be 4 yrs. But still possible another team could beat TEX offer.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 4, 2012

Hamilton has been connected to several clubs, as you might imagine given his production, but most have openly balked at a contract of seven years, which is what Hamilton was said to have been seeking. Last month, Rangers GM Jon Daniels indicated that they had maintained interest in Hamilton, but it had been reported that Texas would not go beyond three years to retain the 2010 AL MVP.

Hamilton slugged 43 home runs for Texas last season and has drawn interest from Seattle, Milwaukee, Boston, Philadelphia, and Baltimore.

Soria is one of only a handful of guys to have a second Tommy John surgery. Image: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

The Texas Rangers expect that set-up man Mike Adams will leave via free agency and they have needs in the bullpen. This afternoon, they filled one of those holes by signing former Kansas City Royals closer Joakim Soria. The contract will cover the next two seasons.

Soria, 28, did not pitch in 2012 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. It was his second such procedure and he is not expected to be ready to pitch when the season opens.

By inking a two-year contract, the Rangers will get to reap the rewards of watching Soria regain his form. There are bound to be struggles with command once he returns to the mound, as we saw with Joe Nathan in 2011. Nathan returned to dominance in Texas, two seasons after his surgery. Now Soria, a long-time AL Central rival of Nathan’s. will work the eighth inning in front of the Rangers’ closer.

Soria racked up 160 saves in five seasons with the Royals and averaged better than a strikeout per inning. In 298 career appearances Soria hhas a 13-15 record and 2.40 ERA.

This is a team that isn’t far away from being the World Champs (in fact, they are a Nelson Cruz misplay from having won it all two seasons ago) and a team whose window has no business closing this soon. Yet, early in the off-season, it feels like the team president Nolan Ryan and GM Jon Daniels think the Rangers are in need of a serious makeover. I’m just not sure why.

Heading into the Winter, Texas looks pretty well set in their pitching staff. They’ll need to replace Mike Adams as the set-up man, as he is almost a given to leave via free agency, and they could use one starter, if only so they have insurance against Derek Holland‘s late-season regression. Despite the relative lack of need, Texas seems intent on bolstering their staff, which is fine; you can never have too much pitching, especially in Arlington.

Napoli has crushed 54 homers in two seasons with the Rangers. Image: Jim Cowsert-US PRESSWIRE

Baseball’s most vaunted lineup has played at Rangers Ballpark for at least the past few years, but unless Daniels and company do something significant, that may change in 2013. The Rangers don’t anticipate re-signing either Josh Hamilton or Mike Napoli, which takes away a former AL MVP (who will finish in the top-5 again this year) and a guy who is one season removed from a .320/.414/.631 line primarily as a catcher. These types of offensive talents don’t just grow on trees, yet here are the Rangers willingly watching as not one, but both hitters depart for greener pastures.

While you can almost understand the willingness to wave goodbye to Hamilton — his contract demands don’t match what the Rangers know of his health — allowing Napoli to walk seems misguided. Even if the Rangers don’t view Napoli as a full-time catcher anymore, or even a part-time option there, his bat still plays at first base or DH and Texas isn’t flush with production at those positions.

In 2012, the Rangers first basemen combined for a .701 OPS. Their designated hitters fared only slightly better at .758. Napoli, even as he regressed from his monster 2011, posted an OPS of .821 and slugged 24 home runs. Now, Michael Young‘s putrid season is the cause of much of those bad numbers listed at first and DH, but Young isn’t getting any, uh, younger and we may have seen his last best seasons at the plate.

Earlier in the off-season, Daniels was said to be courting Red Sox DH David Ortiz, before Ortiz re-upped with Boston, so clearly he cognizant of his club’s need for offense going forward. If he knows going in that there is virtually no shot of keeping Hamilton, why is he being so cavalier about allowing Napoli to leave as well?

The Rangers have Geovany Soto and now Buster Olney says they’re interested in Russell Martin. If this were the National League and it were 2008, those two all-stars would make one helluva tandem behind the plate. Unfortunately, neither Soto nor Martin has been much of a hitter in the past few years and even in a hitter’s paradise like Texas, I don’t see that changing soon.

Guys like Young, Mitch Moreland, and Soto are decent at best hitters and Texas is in serious danger of losing a pair of elite bats. Without Hamilton, does Adrian Beltre get the same opportunities? Does Cruz? Probably not. The Rangers simply must make a play to bolster their lineup going forward. If that means trading away Elvis Andrus to gain a bat like Justin Upton, they should be open to the idea.

Otherwise, that pitching staff is going to have to be better than ever to get the Rangers back to the playoffs in 2013.

Hunter hopes his next contract is the one that brings him a World Series winner. Image: Jesse Johnson-US PRESSWIRE

Danny Knobler of  CBS Sports lists the Tigers and Rangers as the most likely destinations for the 37-year-old former Angel and Twin. Hunter told Knobler back in Spring Training that his next contract won’t be about the money, but about getting his first World Series ring. Hunter has never played in the Fall Classic.

The Tigers see Hunter as a near-perfect fit in their lineup, their outfield, and their clubhouse. Detroit battled through major issues in their corner outfield positions to win the AL pennant in 2012 and the addition of Hunter would go a long way toward solidifying at least one of those positions. Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski has said that a corner outfield bat would be on eof his club’s top priorities this Winter. At the same time, Hunter’s age eliminates the need for a long-term contract and allows the Tigers to continue to develop top prospects Nick Castellanos and Avisail Garcia in the minor leagues.

If the Tigers were to land Hunter, he would join a lineup that already features Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder and will also see the return of Victor Martinez in 2013. Slotting a professional hitter like Hunter into either the second slot or the six-hole would only serve to lengthen an already strong lineup.

The Rangers, of course, also boast one of the better lineups in baseball, but it looks more and more likely that they move forward without former MVP Josh Hamilton and catcher Mike Napoli. Take Hamilton and Napoli out of the Rangers’ order and it’s no where near as formidable, even if you add Hunter to offset some of the lost production. The Rangers sport a very good pitching staff, but so do the Tigers and Detroit has far fewer questions about their team right now.

If Hunter is looking for his best opportunity for a ring, joining a club in Detroit where he’s replacing Brennan Boesch and his .659 OPS has to be a lot more attractive than trying to make up for the probable loss of more than 65 home runs in Texas.

Hamilton is believed to be seeking seven years and $175 million this Winter. Texas made a one-year qualifying offer to the free agent, which Hamilton will decline. That offer was simply a formality so the Rangers could obtain a draft pick in compensation once Hamilton signs with another team.

If Hamilton gets anything close to what he’s asking, it will be “deuces, Texas.” Image: Tim Heitman-US PRESSWIRE

Given the chasm between the player and the organization, Hamilton leaving has never seemed so likely.

While most figure Hamilton will fall short of his goals in terms of guaranteed years on his next deal, he’s still veryt likely to get more than three years. Seattle and Baltimore seem heavily interested in obtaining the 2010 AL MVP and while neither would like to pay through the nose for his services, if Hamilton would settle for a five year deal near $100 million, that would probably be palatable for either club. Obviously, that scenario prices Hamilton out of Texas.

It could be that the market develops slowly for Hamilton, given the sizable contract demands and his checkered past. Publicly at least, GMs and front office executives have been expressing concern over Hamilton’s injury history and missed time.

It’s not dissimilar to what took place a year ago when then-free agent Prince Fielder had to wait until January to land his nine-year, $214 million contract with the Tigers. Until Detroit got involved, Fielder had to sit by and listen to people all around the league talk about his body type and how poorly that would project as he got older.

Eventually, Fielder got the deal he was looking for, though it looked for a long while like he might have to settle for a shorter contract. It just takes one owner to convince himself that Hamilton can be so productive in the first few years of the deal that he’ll make up for an overpay at the end of the contract. At age 31, however, Hamilton is already at the tail end of his prime years and four years older than Fielder was when he signed his deal in Detroit. The chances of getting seven years seems remote at best, but five years is likely to happen, be it from Seattle or Baltimore or somewhere else.

Regardless, the Rangers have already begun making contingency plans should Hamilton move on. According to Jon Heyman, only the Red Sox were involved in more discussions during the just-completed GM Meetings in Indian Wells, California.

Upton is under contract for three more years. Image: Jennifer Stewart-US PRESSWIRE

Chief among the interested teams are the Texas Rangers and the Tampa Bay Rays.

Texas’ interest makes a lot of sense. Not only do they have a plethora of young, major league ready talent, but they have a need for an outfield bat with the likelihood that Josh Hamilton will leave via free agency. Texas is also in a position to take on the three years and $38.5 million left on Upton’s deal with the D-backs.

The Rays, on the other hand, don’t seem to be in a position financially to take on that kind of contract. Certainly, they can offer the kind of prospect package Towers would command in a deal, but the Rays are in the process of watching Justin’s older brother, B.J. Upton, walk via free agency as they can’t afford the $12-15 million per year that he’ll get on the open market.

If they can’t afford B.J., how could they fit Justin into the payroll?

Interestingly enough, it looks like the Yankees and Red Sox will not be in the mix to obtain Upton in a trade with Arizona. Neither club can offer the kind of package that Towers is seeking and the Yankees are said to have concerns over whether or not he could handle playing in New York. Or is that just what they say when they (gasp) don’t have the resources to get literally any player they want?

If the Upton saga plays out quickly, I’d peg the Rangers as the favorites. Arizona has a need at shortstop and Elvis Andrus would be the likely fit there, as I doubt Texas would part ways with Jurickson Profar. Texas can also offer third base prospect Mike Olt, though Sherman says Towers isn’t high on him.

LaRoche has already practiced the celebration that will come with a new contract. Image: Brad Mills-US PRESSWIRE

The Red Sox have plenty of money to spend and plenty of holes to fill, including at first base where James Loney is expected to depart via free agency. LaRoche is an excellent defender and his left handed bat would play well in Boston, or really most anywhere for that matter, especially if he’s planning on hitting like he did last season. In 2012, LaRoche posted career-highs in games played, home runs and RBI. He’s reached 100 RBI twice in the past three seasons.

Texas has been connected to a few different hitters already this off-season as they prepare for the very real possibility of building a lineup without Josh Hamilton in the middle. They could afford to carry the duo of Mitch Moreland and Michael Young at first base when their lineup included Hamilton in the middle, but if he were to leave, Texas would benefit from an upgrade at the position.

In other words, get used to seeing Boston and Texas listed among interested parties for any significant bat. Both have plenty of money to spend and both will be aggressive in trying to stay competitive after disappointing finishes to the 2012 season.

Don’t expect that just because Boston and Texas are involved that LaRoche is a sure thing to leave DC, however. The Nationals have plenty of money to spend as well and they are said to be aggressive in their attempts to retain their slugging first baseman. A young and upcoming team like that would be a difficult one to walk away from, especially if the money is close. And I expect it will be.