Jones has been horrible at the plate the last two seasons, compiling a .205 batting average and .297 on-base percentage over 781 at-bats with Atlanta and Los Angeles. The Rangers are hoping that some weight loss and a knee operation will help Jones regain some of his offensive skill.

If he does, the Rangers have a more pleasant problem to deal with. Jones is a natural center fielder with excellent defensive instincts. If he's healthy, it could force the Rangers to move Josh Hamilton to right. There are members of the organization who believe Hamilton will end up in right anyway because it would reduce some of the wear and tear on his body.

If Hamilton moves to right, then a logjam is created in left field. Right now, Nelson Cruz is scheduled to play right, but he'd have to be shifted into the mix of left fielders, which already includes Marlon Byrd and David Murphy. It was likely Byrd and Murphy would have had to platoon in left, but adding Cruz to the mix means the Rangers would likely have to find a trade partner for one of them. The most likely candidate to be traded would be Byrd, as he is eligible for free agency after the 2009 season.

WHERE, WHEN: Surprise Recreation Campus, Surprise, Ariz., First official exhibition is Feb. 26 vs. Kansas City.

TOP CANDIDATE TO SURPRISE: RHP Brandon McCarthy has done nothing but struggle with injury or ineffectiveness in the two seasons he's been with the Rangers. But he was full of promise when the team acquired him, is still only 25, and finally might be over the slew of injuries that plagued him. He might be a prime candidate to flourish under the tutelage of new pitching coach Mike Maddux.

TOP CANDIDATE TO DISAPPOINT: The Rangers are putting a lot on the 20-year-old shoulders of SS Elvis Andrus. They've moved INF Michael Young, who has done nothing but make All-Star teams in his five years at short, to third for Andrus. The club says it believes Andrus is ready for the task, but it also went out and signed 11-time Gold Glove winner SS Omar Vizquel as a backup/mentor. If Andrus looks overmatched in spring, will the club be tempted to go with Vizquel to start the year?

AUTHORITY FIGURES: Manager Ron Washington is 154-170 in his first two seasons with the Rangers and enters the season in the final year of his contract. He's done a good job in the second half of the last two seasons to get the club to rebound, but if the team gets off to a third horrible April start, he might not be around to get a third chance at rallying the Rangers. The Rangers are 20-33 over the first month of the season the last two years.