Friday Afternoon Rangers Notes: Rumors And Thoughts And Such

More to come in a bit:

● The Rangers have "some interest" in Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton, but it's "doubtful" that they would move either Jurickson Profar or Mike Olt in a deal for Upton, and virtually inconceivable that they would move both in the same deal for an impact arm/bat (Jesse Sanchez, Twitter)

● Rival executives say that the Diamondbacks are motivated to move Upton in large part because they are "not convinced he is a winning player," and Ken Rosenthal remarks that Arizona will want "a young left-side infielder and major-league help" to pull the trigger; Buster Olney surmises that the volume of clubs seriously interested in Upton will be limited, as there seems to be some concern among teams as far as why Arizona would want to move a young, talented player like Upton, and whether that signals a bigger problem with Upton that only the Diamondbacks are acutely aware of (FOXSports.com; ESPN.com)

● The Phillies, as of yesterday, were preparing a "substantial offer" for impending free agent left-hander Cole Hamels in a final effort to determine whether he can be signed within a fortnight; despite a 2012 payroll that exceeds the $170 million mark -- possibly exceeding the $178 million luxury-tax threshold already -- and a bundle of pricey contracts to which the Phillies have committed upwards of $300 million over the coming years, the team believes that it can figure out a way to sign Hamels without busting the threshold in 2013 and beyond (though others are skeptical on this count); other clubs have noted privately that the Rangers are interested in Hamels, but are biding their time and waiting for signals that the price has come down and that the Phillies are actually serious about trading him (Jayson Stark, ESPN.com)