Rangers free agent rumors: Out on Jacoby Ellsbury, in on Shin-Soo Choo

The Rangers are going to need outfield help in 2014, especially with Nelson Cruz and his power likely departing for a long-term deal elsewhere. They're narrowing their search, as CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports that they are no longer interested in center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, and would rather sign a corner outfielder like Shin-Soo Choo instead.

Heyman says that the Rangers are fine with Leonys Martin and his defense in center field, lessening the need for Ellsbury, who is as valuable as he is in part because of the excellent defense he provides in conjunction with a strong bat. While he could certainly fit in a corner oufield spot down the line, Choo's bat is the superior one, as he reminded the baseball world in 2013 by hitting .285/.423/.462 with the Reds while leading the National League in hit by pitches and finishing fourth in the majors in on-base percentage behind only Miguel Cabrera, teammate Joey Votto, and Mike Trout.

Texas lost Nelson Cruz for the final 50 games of 2013 thanks to his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal, and replaced him in the lineup with Alex Rios after acquiring him from the White Sox. A Rios-Choo-Martin outfield would be a step up over 2013's unit, both offensively and defensively -- Rangers' left and center fielders were both below-average for their positions, and Choo is a much stronger performer on the road than Cruz, who benefited from the power-friendly Arlington.

Choo is searching for a deal similar to that of another Boras client, Jayson Werth. Werth signed with the Nationals before the 2011 season for seven years for $126 million. The Rangers can certainly afford that rate, should they choose to, especially after letting Mike Napoli, Josh Hamilton, and now Nelson Cruz walk in the span of a year.