What Has to Happen for the Rangers to Acquire Free Agent Michael Bourn?

Michael Bourn is still sitting on the free-agent wire in February; who would have predicted that? The Texas Rangers lost Josh Hamilton to the rival Angels and thus far have not replaced him with a major league player.

Bourn would upgrade the Rangers in the outfield and at the top of their order, and he would add versatility to their lineup.

So, why have they not gone after him? And if they decided to do so, what has to happen for the Rangers to acquire the speedy outfielder?

1. The Rangers need to decide that they would prefer to have Bourn over the youngster Leonys Martin. That would be a big turnaround since they have all but given the job to the kid already.

2. Jon Daniels would have to feel comfortable giving up his top draft pick this coming June. The Rangers have a loaded farm system, but the majority of their top talent is almost major league ready. Is it worth giving up a top pick to sign a speedy outfielder who is in his 30s?

If Bourn did not require teams to surrender a draft pick for signing him, he would have already been scooped up.

3. The Rangers have to agree to meet his contract demands. Bourn is represented by the super-agent Scott Boras. Boras is said to be seeking five years and $75 million for his client, and in these types of situations, Boras usually gets what he asks for.

All of these issues have to be sorted out for the Rangers to bring Bourn to Texas. In my opinion, I just don't think it's worth it. Bourn is a good player, but he's hardly worth the $15 million per year he is asking for.

If Daniels can get Boras down to about three years, with maybe a club option attached, then this may be much more manageable. Right now, though, I would prefer to have the cheap and talented Leonys Martin instead of the aging and expensive Michael Bourn.