"Spring training begins in fewer than three weeks, and the Texas Rangers still have a chance to drastically alter their outlook for the 2009 season.

All they have to do is sign one free-agent pitcher who lives in Highland Park and wants to play for them. Of course, making the final call on adding Ben Sheets isn't that simple.

Were there no health concerns, neither Sheets nor the Rangers would be in this position. Another team, one with deeper pockets, would have thrown Derek Lowe or A.J. Burnett money at him weeks ago.

A potentially balky elbow, though, has dropped his price into the Rangers' ballpark, and the club brain trust is trying to find the right deal that covers their back sides if Sheets' arm should falter during the season.

There's no mistaking that Sheets is a big-time pitcher. But his medical history can't be ignored. Some other factors could also play a role in the Rangers' final decision."