Zack Greinke rumors: Rangers, Dodgers, Angels

As the Los Angeles Dodgers now reportedly sit on the periphery in the pursuit of Zack Greinke, many in the organization have begun to wonder whether the right-hander just prefers the Texas Rangers, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports:

Dodgers people have begun to sound a bit less optimistic within the last day or so about their pursuit of star free-agent pitcher Zack Greinke.

And although there's no evidence anything is close or decided in Texas' favor, a couple of Dodgers people even suggested that they are beginning to wonder whether Greinke may simply prefer the Rangers.

Things may be more complicated than that, however. Heyman writes that several Rangers officials seem to think that they are not the front-runners to nab Greinke, and that the battle to acquire the right-hander may still involve a third team: the Los Angeles Angels.

The Angels were thought to be out after signing two relievers and adding starter Joe Blanton to the back-end of the rotation, but the club has not yet explicitly stated they are out of the running for the right-hander.

Bidding for Greinke was reported to have reached record levels -- in the $160 million range at last check -- which was thought to help the chances of the cash-heavy Dodgers. Greinke's decision may not come down to the sheer money involved, however. The right-hander at one time spurned a $100-million deal from the Washington Nationals to stay on his two-year deal in Milwaukee.