The big story today is a big headline with no details...the Rangers have made a contract offer to Michael Young.  Nobody is talking, and there are no details, but an offer is on the table, and we'll know soon enough where this is going.

Bottom line on this is, for Young to sign an extension, the Rangers are going to have to offer him too much money for too long a period of time.  The real question is going to be, is Young going to be mildly overpaid for a couple of years on the end of his deal, or is he going to be Rusty Greer or Jeff Bagwell -- a fan favorite whose contract becomes an expensive albatross.

Jan Hubbard has a feature piece on Kam Loe's struggles last season, both on and off the field.  Early last season, Loe lost a close friend in a car accident, flew home to be a pallbearer at the funeral, and then caught a red-eye back to pitch the next day in Kansas City.  

It was soon thereafter, according to Hubbard, that Loe started having arm problems.  Mark Conner says that Loe didn't fess up to the injury at first, which he believes set Loe back in terms of his recovery, and resulted in 2006 being largely a lost year.

Evan Grant discusses Jason Botts, and his reaction to the latest impediment to a full-time job -- Sammy Sosa.  

There are some quotes in there indicating that Botts has improved on defense, but he's still a below-average outfielder, and his bat is going to have to carry him.  

Jim Reeves has a column up that I discussed last night, on Brandon McCarthy.

The Chicago Sun-Times also has a McCarthy article up, with Chris DeLuca, the author of the piece, and McCarthy both seemingly baffled as to why the ChiSox gave McCarthy up.

Definitely an article to check out, as McCarthy expounds on what a more positive atmosphere it has been in Texas since he joined the Rangers, compared to Chicago.

Dave Sessions has some notes from spring training, including some thoughts on how Jon Daniels balances new fatherhood with being a g.m.