NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- There was no blockbuster signing at the winter meetings for the Texas Rangers.

Josh Hamilton didn't put on his familiar No. 32 uniform again. Zack Greinke wasn't posing for photos with general manager Jon Daniels and CEO Nolan Ryan. Justin Upton, James Shields and R.A. Dickey haven't made any plans to relocate to the Lone Star State. And Michael Young is still a Ranger.

That's where it stands right now, at least. Things are clearly subject to change.

Just because the trades or signings didn't happen amid the cavernous pathways and winding streams at the humongous Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center doesn't mean they won't happen at some point. And it could be soon.

"I think we have a sense of a couple of things that are possible, and hopefully we'll be able to advance the ball there," general manager Jon Daniels said. "I feel like we have a better sense of what's real and what's not."

Some are blaming the Rangers for holding up the winter meetings, making everyone wait before other moves can happen. That's only partially true. They can't control how long Hamilton or Greinke wait to see how many suitors they have for their services.

But at this point, the Rangers are content to stay patient and see if one of those bigger dominoes falls to them or someone else so that they can then scurry off in whichever direction is needed to further improve the club in 2013. And the fact that they have so many baseballs in the air and haven't caught any of them yet has some other teams waiting before they can proceed.

"We're looking at different options," Daniels said. "Because of the number of free agents we have and some of the versatility we have, there's a lot of different ways we can go. That's the good part. The flip side is we have a lot of work to do. We've tried to address a number of things."


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