"When Los Angeles signed free agents Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson within the same hour on the final day of the winter meetings, Texas Rangers officials and players said that the Angels were trying to play catch-up.

No counterpunch mega-signing was needed, nor would one be sought.

On that same December day, it was announced that Yu Darvish would be posted, and the Rangers won the rights to negotiate with the Japanese right-hander 10 days later.

That process is going well enough that Rangers president Nolan Ryan has said that he expects that a deal with be completed by the 4 p.m. Wednesday deadline to sign Darvish.

Then, Friday arrived, and the Rangers again dipped their toes in the deep end of the off-season market by meeting with free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder.

A source confirmed the meeting at the Four Seasons Resort in Las Colinas, but no one seemed to definitively know the Rangers' intentions.

General manager Jon Daniels declined comment.

The source, though, said that Fielder is the Rangers' backup plan if an agreement can't be reached with Darvish. The Rangers could also be preparing for the possible departure of former American League MVP Josh Hamilton.

Signing Darvish and Fielder to counter the Wilson-Pujols combination the Angels landed Dec. 8 seems to be less of a possibility, according to another source, even though principal owners Bob Simpson and Ray Davis showed a willingness to open their wallets when they agreed to pay a $51.7 million posting fee if the Rangers sign Darvish. The fee and the contract could total more than $120 million."