The Braves have emerged as the clear-cut front-runners to land Texas first baseman Mark Teixeira, the most prominent player being shopped before Tuesday's non-waiver trading deadline, and if they can pry the slugger away from the Rangers, it could change the complexion of the NL East race and, possibly, the playoffs. "Getting a guy like him, a switch-hitter, middle-of-the-lineup guy, a Gold-Glover, would give us as formidable an NL lineup as you can get," Atlanta third baseman Chipper Jones said in San Francisco this past week. The Braves, whose run of 14 consecutive division titles was ended by the New York Mets last season, are 54-51, 4 1/2 games behind the Mets in the NL East and 3 1/2 games behind wild-card leader Arizona.