As of Thursday afternoon, a baseball source said that he wasn't sure how much thought the Texas Rangers had given to Plan B in their offseason blueprints.
Plan A, of course, was Shohei Ohtani.
Twenty-four hours later, though, that changed in earnest.
Ohtani will not be rounding out the Rangers' starting rotation, instead opting to sign with the Los Angeles Angels. That decision has the Rangers zeroing in on other targets and seeing just how far they can stretch their budget ahead of the annual winter meetings.
The Rangers will convene in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday for four days worth of phone calls, text messages, agent meetings, room service and little sleep as they attempt to pick themselves up off the mat Ohtani knocked them to and assemble a contender for 2018.
One thing hasn't changed: The priority remains pitching.
With the prize of the free-agent market gone to Anaheim, here are some potential targets for the Rangers:
