Ian Kinsler and the Rangers have been working hard to hammer out a contract extension but so far the two sides have yet to reach agreement.  Here's more on the second baseman and other items out of Arlington..

• Buster Olney of ESPN.com's (via Twitter) gut feeling is that second baseman Ian Kinsler and the Rangers will work out a long-term deal.  Earlier this week the two sides were working towards a new deal that would guarantee Kinsler's 2013 option at $10MM and add five seasons at about $14MM per year.
• In a piece for ESPN Insider (sub. req'd) Christopher Cwik of Fangraphs writes that Josh Hamilton's move to center field could cost him millions on the open market.  Hamilton will hit free agency along with a group of other defensively-talented players at the position including Michael Bourn, Shane Victorino, and B.J. Upton.
• It has taken the Rangers about six years of commitment to transform into a pitching-first organization but they've pulled it off, writes Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News.  "We were known as an offensive organization," club president and CEO Nolan Ryan said. "We chose to put at least as much emphasis on pitching as we did hitting...We were committed to becoming the most balanced organization we could be."