Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com hears that the Yankees are "not involved" with Josh Hamilton at this point and would consider him "only if he fell into their lap." As expected, the Yanks are't serious players for Hamilton but are one of what would surely be many teams that would consider him if his price drops much lower than expected. The Rangers, especially after losing Zack Greinke, look like the favorites to sign him, with the Mariners running second.

According to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, the Mariners "may be amenable" to offering Josh Hamilton "five years, or perhaps even six." Heyman does add that the chances they would offer a deal of such length is "fairly speculative" on his part, but he says the Mariners are "aggressively" pursuing the outfielder. Now that the Rangers have lost out on Zack Greinke, Seattle might have to offer Hamilton 5-6 years to pry him away from the Rangers. Texas is reportedly willing to go to four years with the 31-year-old.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today was told by a rival general manager that the Yankees are "quietly running a background check" on Josh Hamilton. The news comes on the same morning when the New York Post's Joel Sherman penned a column where he indicated that he wouldn't be surprised to see the Yankees ultimately go after Hamilton. They might just be doing some prep work in case Hamilton's price drops, which looks like it could happen with the Rangers possibly preferring to trade for Justin Upton. If Hamilton doesn't wind up re-signing with Texas, all bets are off when it comes to where he'll wind up.

FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that the Mariners have discussed three-year deals with Josh Hamilton in the range of $20-25 million per season.

Mariners president Chuck Armstrong is denying a report that his club is nearing a deal with Josh Hamilton. Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times reported early Thursday morning that an agreement was "very close," but that's apparently not factual. The Mariners do have a serious level of interest, but the Rangers are going to get a chance to match or beat any offers and they're currently being occupied by the battle for Zack Greinke. Hamilton is unlikely to sign anywhere anytime soon.

According to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, the Mariners are "very close" to a deal with Josh Hamilton. The Rangers are going to be given every opportunity to counter whatever offer Seattle has made but are currently locked into a fight with the Dodgers over free agent right-hander Zack Greinke. So this Hamilton thing may take a little while to sort itself out. It would be a surprising but excellent get for the M's, who have struggled to attract top offensive talent.

Rangers president Nolan Ryan wouldn't dismiss the possibility of signing both Josh Hamilton and Zack Greinke. While maybe not a nonzero chance, it's ultimately a very unlikely scenario, as it would require team ownership to significantly expand the payroll. "It comes down to ownership and what the opportunities are," Ryan said. "If you did have the opportunities to sign those guys, we'd have to look at our budget and look where we are. If we were to surpass that number, (owners) Ray (Davis) and Bob (Simpson) would have to approve that. I wouldn't say there's not a chance."

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the Rangers are willing to offer Josh Hamilton a four-year contract but will not give him five years. It essentially backs up FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal's earlier report that the two sides were making progress and a deal would likely be for four years. A handful of clubs are reportedly waiting out the Hamilton negotiations hoping that he'll ultimately accept a short-term deal, but that never seemed to be a likely scenario. Either way, it's looking like the 31-year-old is going to fall well short of his reported $175 million goal.

FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi reports that the Red Sox met with Josh Hamilton before the outfielder left the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tennessee. Meanwhile, the Rangers met with Hamilton's agent Tuesday. As far as the Red Sox go, they're not going to pursue Hamilton or another outfielder unless Jacoby Ellsbury is traded, and even in that instance, Hamilton might be an unlikely proposition. The Rangers are still looking like the team to beat at the moment.

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said he's yet to meet with Josh Hamilton's representatives during the Winter Meetings. FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported earlier Tuesday that progress was being made between the two sides, but it's hard to have progress when you haven't even talked recently. Daniels did say that he could meet with the Hamilton camp Tuesday night. The Rangers are looking like the favorites to sign him at this point, but his market has been tough to gauge.