There was talk this week that the Rangers and Josh Hamilton were close to a four-year, $108 million contract, but the slugger is still holding out for something bigger.
Hamilton wants a six-year or seven-year contract worth in the neighborhood of $25 million annually.
However, the longer Hamilton waits to accept what Texas has offered, the more likely they are to sign Zack Greinke and then trade for a bat.
"Right now," said one American League executive, "you've got a lot of teams laying back, almost assuming that Hamilton was going back to Texas. If, all of a sudden, they sense the Rangers are out, it changes that market completely. And you could have quite a few teams jumping in, thinking they might be able to get Josh Hamilton on a three-year deal. I'm not sure they're right. But if Texas is out, it changes everything."