And so it begins anew.

Sammy Sosa's career, left for dead after struggling horribly in 2005 and taking the entire 2006 season off, suddenly has a pulse again. It's not much, but an agreement in principal on a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers could be the first step as Sosa seeks to revitalize his once tremendous career.

The questions abound. Can Sosa avoid the Hall of Fame voters' ire that seems to have ensnared Mark McGwire, by restoring his image, clouded by performance-enhancing drug innuendo and the corked bat scandal? Is there anything left in 38-year-old Slammin' Sammy's tank? Is this a smart move for the Rangers, or one that could potentially backfire?

Well, it's just a minor league contract, right? He'd have to actually win a job in spring training before we can start thinking about calling this a real comeback. There's no doubt that the Rangers could use a right-handed power bat to help out in the outfield and at DH. Their current veteran outfielders are all lefties in Frank Catalanotto, Kenny Lofton and Brad Wilkerson.

But Texas does have a few right-handed outfielders who, while not yet established as full-time major leaguers, deserve a chance. Had Jason Botts not broken his wrist last year, the idea of needing Sosa may have been moot. The switch-hitting Botts has struggled as a right-handed hitter in his very limited big league chances, but after hitting .365 against lefties in Triple-A last year, he certainly deserves the inside track on the DH gig. Nelson Cruz has tremendous power potential and is ready for an extended look, while Victor Diaz looked good as a Met, but has yet to be given a real shot with Texas. Let's not forget about Marlon Byrd either.

Sosa's signing could cloud the prospects of all those players.

Of course, we still need to know whether Sosa can be a major league hitter again. But after a workout with the club on Monday, at least his conditioning doesn't appear to be much of a worry: "He was in shorts and a T-shirt, but it was obvious he was in really good shape," Rangers' hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo said. "His tone was good. He could work on his belly, but we all could." Yes, indeed, Rudy, we could all work on our bellies. I'm working on mine right now with some cheese doodles.

"You could tell he had been swinging the bat all winter," Jaramillo added. A former minor league manager of Sosa's, Jaramillo thinks he can help Sammy regain the stroke that helped him to six consecutive 40-homer seasons.

"I think it's a good fit," Jaramillo said.

The key will be rebuilding Sosa's bat speed, not to mention his confidence, shaken by the events of the past couple of years. If Jaramillo can pull this off, it might be the crowning achievement on an already revered career as a hitting coach.

Sosa has worked out for the team both in the Dominican Republic and in Arlington and, according to Rangers' GM Jon Daniels, he "came across as hungry and humble." It's hard to imagine anyone just a dozen dingers shy of 600 coming across as humble, but recall that Sosa's career sputtered in 2005, when he managed a mere 14 homers and 45 RBI and hit just .221. Can a return to the team where it all began for him 22 years ago help Sosa catch lightning in a bottle?

He's headed to a great hitter's park, but realistically, what could we expect from Sosa, if he were to somehow get 500 at-bats? Ameriquest Park will sure help, but expecting an OPS of even 800 would be stretching it. In the longball department, the over/under for Sosa should be about 18. That doesn't sound like a difference maker to me, but as long as the Rangers aren't expecting miracles, they probably won't be disappointed.

On the flipside, should Sosa make it, he could be in line for a boatload of RBI. New Ranger manager Ron Washington said Sosa would bat fifth – right after slugger Mark Teixeira and in front of Hank Blalock. Such a sweet spot, if it comes to fruition, should mean plenty of RBI chances at the very least.

The two sides will now look to finalize this one-year, $500,000 deal which includes significant incentives built in should he crack the roster. It's certainly a far cry from Sosa's last contract, a four-year, $72-million deal that expired at the end of the 2005 season. And it's also nothing more than he turned down from Washington last year, when the Nats offered him a non-guaranteed deal worth half a million bucks.

The Rangers hope to wrap this deal up by the end of the week.

As for Sosa, this has nothing to do with money, obviously. Apparently all he wants now is a chance to compete again. Okay, I suppose that couldn't hurt. But let's hope the Rangers don't just hand Sosa a job like they did last year, with disastrous results, with Phil Nevin. If Sosa earns his way on to the major league lineup, and clearly deserves a job over some of the younger Ranger outfielder/DH candidates, then fine, give him the gig. Just don't offer it up based on his seven All-Star appearances or three 60-homer seasons. We can't live in the past. I mean, Betty White was once attractive (perhaps in the 1940s), but that doesn't mean I plan to ask her out today.

We'll be able to start filling in the gaps about Sosa in earnest five weeks from tomorrow, when the Rangers' first full spring training workout is scheduled in Surprise, Arizona. Will their spring training locale be the only surprise in store for the Rangers this spring, or will Slammin' Sammy offer up a shock or two as well?

Quick Hits

The Tigers want to sign him Carlos Guillen to an extension, and he wants to stay. So what's the hold up here? The 2006 Tiger of the Year, as selected earlier this week at the Detroit Sports Fans Choice Awards, will be a free agent after the 2007 season, so the team better decide what it wants to do soon. Guillen has developed into a top hitting shortstop, but he's been injury prone, and there's the possibility Detroit may want to shift him to first base full time in a couple of years. Obviously that's a factor as the Tigers try to determine how much to offer him. For what it's worth, Guillen reportedly appeared much trimmer and more fit on Tuesday at the awards ceremony and better conditioning will certainly help in his quest to stay healthy again in 2007. He plans to report to spring training early.