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Report: Rangers considered front-runners for Napoli

Nick Turchiaro / USA TODAY Sports

A reunion between Mike Napoli and the Texas Rangers seems to be in the cards.

After missing out on Edwin Encarnacion - who reportedly agreed to a three-year, $60-million deal with the Cleveland Indians - the Rangers are considered the favorites to sign Napoli, according to ESPN's Jim Bowden.

Following a career year with the Tribe, the Indians declined to offer Napoli a one-year qualifying offer of $17.2 million earlier in the offseason. The 35-year-old has generated interest from several teams including the Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies, and initially the Indians, whose president, Chris Antonetti, admitted the team "preferred" to work things out with Napoli before signing Encarnacion to a record-breaking contract.

The Rangers were one of the teams heavily involved in the Encarnacion sweepstakes despite concerns over the team's available spending. The club's payroll is already at $141 million after starting 2016 with $144 million, the eighth highest in baseball.

The Rangers' subsequent interest in Napoli makes sense after losing Mitch Moreland to the Boston Red Sox. Napoli is familiar with Texas, having played three seasons with the Rangers from 2011 to 2012, and once again in 2015. He combined to hit .277/.381/.548 including 30 home runs in 2011 and a career best .320/.414/.631 in 113 games.

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