"While the Rangers pursued Jim Thome with the idea of giving him 250-300 at-bats in 2011, it's unlikely the team would give such an opportunity to any of the remaining free agent hitters on the market, club president Nolan Ryan said Wednesday.

"I think Thome had a niche that he might have filled," Ryan said. "I don't think some of the other free agents fit that niche. You might look for a veteran to be a seasoned pinch hitter or a DH occasionally, depending on the circumstances. I don't see another guy like Thome out there."

That would seem to rule out both Manny Ramirez and Vladimir Guerrero as realistic options for the Rangers, even though both remain available. Guerrero, who hit .300 with 29 homers and 115 RBIs for the Rangers last year, has been recently linked to the Tampa Bay Rays and perhaps Baltimore Orioles."