Rangers "continue to keep in contact with" Vladimir Guerrero - MLB

According to Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com “the Rangers continue to keep in contact with Vladimir Guerrero’s agent, but don’t appear to be in any rush to nail down what they’ll do about the designated hitter position in 2011.”

Other veteran DH options like Hideki Matsui, Jack Cust, Lance Berkman, and Pat Burrell are off the market, but there’s still no shortage of capable bats looking for one-year deals if the Rangers can’t find common ground with Guerrero.

He’s said to be seeking a two-year contract, but at age 36 the Rangers surely want to avoid a multi-year commitment and Guerrero’s lackluster late-season performance was worrisome following a very strong first half.

General manager Jon Daniels talked about potentially finding a DH who offered “a little bit more flexible roster” than Guerrero, who was exposed badly when spotted in right field during the playoffs.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — The Nevada Senate adjourned Thursday without voting on a financing bill for a proposed $1.5 billion Las Vegas Strip stadium for the Oakland Athletics, extending the special legislative session into the next week amid negotiations over whether to contribute $380 million in public funding to the project.

The measure can still be amended by lawmakers, and if it passes the Senate it would still need approval from the Assembly before going to the desk of Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, who has expressed support for it. Both the state Senate and Assembly are adjourned until Monday.

In a hearing that began Wednesday and stretched into the early morning hours Thursday, lawmakers peppered tourism officials and a representative from a firm partnering with the ball club with questions about the feasibility and benefits of financing such a deal.

Public funds for the stadium would mainly come from $180 million in transferable tax credits and $120 million in county bonds. Backers have pledged that the creation of a special tax district around the proposed stadium would generate enough money to pay off those bonds and interest. The plan would not directly raise taxes.

The A’s would not owe property taxes for the publicly owned stadium. Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, would also contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

A’s representatives and some tourism officials say a deal would further grow Las Vegas’ developing sports scene and act as an economic engine, but a growing chorus of economists and some lawmakers warn that the project would bring minimal benefits for the hefty public price tag.

Rangers “continue to keep in contact with” Vladimir Guerrero

Nevada Senate vote on proposed A’s stadium in Las Vegas extended until next week