Of the Statue of Liberty, relievers and Mike Singletary

So left-handed pitcher Scott Olsen is going from the Marlins to the Nationals. You look at the deal and figure the Rangers could have done better, so they might have been scared off by his off-field issues. But Nationals general manager Jim Bowden has always been the Statue of Liberty of general managers, willing to take on the tired, poor and huddled masses.

The Rangers would probably prefer to do business with the Red Sox. That they haven't yet is probably because Rangers general manager Jon Daniels is aiming high - Clay Buchholz, Justin Masterson, Michael Bowden - and the Red Sox aren't willing to go there. They still haven't resolved Jason Varitek's situation.

There are still other teams looking for a catcher, including the Marlins, Reds, Tigers and Astros, and the Rangers aren't ones to rush into anything.

Feeling here is Taylor Teagarden is the one they want to keep. They would also like to see Jarrod Saltalamacchia in Winter Ball but that hasn't happened yet.

Daniels reiterated on Tuesday that the Ranger don't have to trade a catcher and will only do so if it improves the ballclub. The dissenting opinion here is they do have to trade a catcher. They can't go into Spring Training with Gerald Laird, Saltalamacchia and Teagarden all still with the team.

Marlins reliever Kevin Gregg might still be a possibility. Daniels does want to improve the bullpen although he made it clear the Rangers won't be going after Francisco Rodriguez or Trevor Hoffman. They are looking into Chad Cordero and checking his medical reports.

By the way. Orlando Cabrera may be the best defensive shortstop in the American League but remember it was Johnny Oates who first said, "All I want from my shortstop is to make the routine play and turn the double play."

If Johnny Oates said that, I'll take it over any stats analysis and say that Michael Young certainly deserved the Gold Glove.

C.J. Wilson wanted to pitch in Winter Ball but the Rangers didn't think that was a good idea. Daniels confirmed the Rangers are looking at Kason Gabbard as a possible setup reliever. John Rheinecker is a Minor League free agent and not coming back.

Brad Penny is another free agent whose medical reports the Rangers would like to see. He won 16 games in both 2006 and 2007 before having shoulder problems last year. He's also from Oklahoma.

Oliver Perez would be another good fit for the Rangers. Problem is, his agent is Scott Boras and thinks that Perez is one of the top five left-handers in the game. You know what that means.

The Cowboys should have hired Mike Singletary. As an ex-49ers season ticket holder, I'm glad they didn't.