Will Elvis Andrus Sign an Extension with the Texas Rangers?

At 24-years old, it’s fair to say that Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus has yet to reach his prime, and given that, still has his best years ahead. Whether or not those best years will be at the Ballpark at Arlington still seems to be a source of contention within the organization as Spring Training in preparation for the 2013 season looms in the not-so-distant future.

With two years remaining on his current deal, Nolan Ryan, Jon Daniels and the Rangers’ brass would love to get an extension deal done prior to Opening Day in April, but due to a number of factors involved, this may be easier said than done.

One of the biggest factors is that Andrus is a client of the notorious agent Scott Boras, who, apart from very few rare cases, will not allow his clients to sign extensions with their current team as far away as Andrus is from a contract expiration. Instead, he prefers they dip their toes in the free agent waters first to see what leverage they have in the negotiation process when things really get down to the wire.

As a 26 year-old free agent, Andrus is a rarity, and given this, his situation is much different than that of the typical baseball free agent who earns that ability closer to 30 than 25. Andrus’ talent is undeniable and by most accounts, he is a great fit for a Rangers team that will be looking to build from the inside-out as their system undergoes some small rebuilding efforts at key positions.

Depending on who you ask, the Rangers would be content signing Andrus to even a modest extension (in terms of time) that would ensure he plays through most of his prime in Arlington. They’re not thinking 10-12 year deals here, just enough to keep the talented shortstop from moving on to greener pastures and having to deal with Boras at a time which he is toughest to handle.

Will Elvis Andrus sign an extension if he’s offered one?

It really depends on just how much pull Boras has over him, how comfortable he is with a long-term future in Texas, and what money means in the big picture.

It certainly won’t be a haphazard decision for one of the game’s emerging young talents.

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Kris Hughes is the College Football Network Manager for Rant Sports. You can follow Kris on Twitter, Google Plus and Facebook