Today is supposedly the day that an ownership group gets picked and begins negotiations on a final deal. We'll see if that actually happens, though, or if we learn anything if it does happen. Richard Durrett talks about the process.
T.R. Sullivan writes that Jim Crane is now the favorite to end up owning the team, since his new bid is the highest of the three groups. Crane is the candidate who has always been viewed as having the deepest pockets, and given the peculiar nature of this transaction, with the NHL owners and the lenders having to approve the deal along with MLB, Crane's pariah status among some MLB owners may not be fatal the way it would be if this were a regular transaction.
Evan Grant offers his thoughts on the pending deals involving Cliff Lee and John Lackey, and how they impact the balance of power in the A.L. West.
Sullivan writes that the medicals and financials are holding up the Mike Lowell trade. Although the Rangers also are considering guys like Ryan Garko, Jermaine Dye and Vlad Guerrero, Sullivan says that they prefer Lowell because he can play third base.
And former Ranger prospect Colby Lewis is looking to return to American baseball, after having torn up the Japanese Central League the past two years.