According to baseball sources, the Texas Rangers will have interest in David Ortiz if the designated hitter fails to sign a deal with the Red Sox prior to the Sox' exclusive negotiating window, which expires at midnight Friday.
Thursday, a source familiar with the negotiations told WEEI.com that it was "likely" that Ortiz would not be agreeing to a contract with the Red Sox before the Friday night deadline. It is believed the hang-up revolves around money, with the Red Sox offering the two-year term Ortiz was seeking.
The Rangers would be in the market for a middle-of-the-order bat if free agent outfielder Josh Hamilton signs elsewhere. Michael Young earned the most at-bats at the DH position for Texas in 2012, being put in the spot for 72 games, with Adrian Beltre second at 23 games.
The opportunity might also intrigue Ortiz due to the presence of Rangers' newly-hired hitting coach Dave Magadan, who has a solid relationship wtih the 36-year-old.
FoxSports.com was first to report the Rangers' interest in Ortiz.
For more Red Sox news, go to the team page at weei.com/redsox [1].
Links:
[1] http://weei.com/redsox
[2] http://www.weei.com/category/boston/red-sox