"If you thought the lowly Tampa Bay Rays vanquishing the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series last month was baseball's ultimate David-over-Goliath moment, imagine a scenario in which the Washington Nationals, losers of 102 games and immeasurable amounts of local goodwill and national reputation in 2008, went head-to-head against the Red Sox for the services of potentially the most expensive free agent in eight years -- and won.

A free agent market marked by a lack of depth but a galaxy's worth of star power at its elite level officially opens for business today. And no story line -- not the mercenary wanderings of outfielder Manny Ramírez, nor the potentially record-setting deal that pitcher CC Sabathia could get -- is more fascinating than the market set to develop around first baseman Mark Teixeira, a 28-year-old Severna Park native on the verge of making himself extremely rich.

While the Red Sox are itching to add a slugger, and the New York Yankees appear ready to exert their financial might to a degree not seen in at least several years -- they are expected to go hard after Sabathia plus at least one other elite pitcher, and (at least according to Hank Steinbrenner) perhaps Ramírez, too -- an equally intriguing pursuer exists at the opposite end of baseball's food chain.

Against all odds and logic, the Nationals envision themselves as serious players in the Teixeira sweepstakes, according to team and league sources, and are believed to be preparing an offer they feel will be competitive with the others Teixeira is likely to receive. In other words, it would almost certainly be north of $100 million, if not $150 million -- a remarkable leap for a franchise whose major free agent signing last winter (as it headed into a new stadium) was catcher Paul Lo Duca at $5 million for one year.

"The plan hasn't changed," Nationals General Manager Jim Bowden said of the team's general strategy for building a contender. "Building our franchise through scouting and player development, as well as trades for your players, is still our core strategy for how we're going to win. . . . But we would be foolish to ignore using any source to make ourselves better, including free agency.

"But that said, any free agent interest from us would have to fit the criteria of being a player in his 20s who could be part of our long-term solution for winning."

Bowden declined to discuss individual names, but clearly Teixeira would fit that description. Not only is he in his 20s (he turns 29 next April), but he also plays Gold Glove-caliber defense at a position (first base) that the Nationals have targeted as their No. 1 need. And on top of everything else, he is a clean-cut, ultra-professional, telegenic type with deep local ties -- in other words, someone who could join (or replace) Ryan Zimmerman as the face of the franchise for the next eight to 10 years.

Like Bowden, Nationals President Stan Kasten declined to address specifics of Washington's strategy -- including a question as to whether the team's budget would allow for the signing of a player like Teixeira, whose ultimate price tag could approach $200 million.

"We're always looking for opportunities, and I'm not going to prejudge any opportunity," Kasten said. "Yes, that might be free agency, but it might not be. I do expect us to explore everything. If there is something that makes sense for what our needs are, and that makes sense within the constructs of our economics, we might do that." "