Adrian Beltre May Be A Target Of Rangers, According To Report

So far, it's been a difficult offseason for Adrian Beltre. The free agent third baseman is coming off a big year with the Red Sox, but his expressed desire to return to Boston will go unfulfilled because of the Adrian Gonzalez trade, and he does not want to play for the Oakland A's. Other big-time suitors have yet to emerge as Beltre waits the market out.

According to Buster Olney, though, that may now be changing. Olney says that the Rangers are "moving aggressively on Beltre," and while nothing is imminent, Texas could view him as a backup plan should Cliff Lee sign with the Yankees. Lee is obviously Plan A, but the Yankees are the favorites, and Beltre would make for a solid Plan B.

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that, while the Rangers are interested in Beltre, they aren't optimistic, so it's up to you to choose which report you believe. Worth noting is that a team interest in Beltre has been at the core of the Michael Young trade rumors. The Rangers know how good Beltre is, although it is unclear how they would make room without Young - or another infielder - first getting traded.

Expect pieces to start falling into place once Lee figures out where he's going.