(My Sportsbook) - Heading into the weekend the Rangers have the third-lowest wining percentage in the American League and are last in the AL West, trailing third place Anaheim by 7 1/2 games.

On Thursday night the club suffered its worst loss of the season, an 11-0 setback against the New York Mets in the finale of a three-game set in Arlington. The defeat was the second in a row and the 11th in the last 12 outings for Texas.

The win for the Mets was the most pronounced this season, and it may well have been because earlier in the day the team fired general manager Steve Phillips who took over the club in July of 1997.

While the change for New York probably won't get the team back into the playoff picture by season's end, it did shake up the team and show them that no one is off limits when it comes to trying to right the ship. And that's why the players in the Ranger uniforms have to start looking at themselves in the mirror.

Already this year Texas has allowed opponents to score in double figures 14 times, although the Rangers won two of those contests.

The squad may lead the AL in home runs with 100 through 64 games, but they are tied for fifth in runs scored (334) and are batting .272 overall. Those numbers are certainly respectable, but where the team really seems to falter is on the mound, posting a 6.11 ERA.

The starting staff, with Ismael Valdes as the only player to have a winning record at this juncture (5-2), has produced a bloated 6.73 ERA. Colby Lewis and John Thomson have each been given 14 starts and have four wins apiece. But the difference between them is a 5.14 ERA for Thomson and a 8.66 mark for Lewis, who has pitched into the seventh inning only once this season.

Needless to say the team needs a jolt, something to wake up everyone in the clubhouse, and that something could be letting go of a high-profile player or two.

The team refused to give in to the demands of catcher Ivan Rodriguez last year when he was in search of a new contract with the club, so for them to put several players on the trading block right now in order to get something in return is not out of the question.

Coincidentally, Rodriguez is sure to hear his share of cheers tonight as he returns to Arlington for the first time since abandoning the Rangers following 12 years of faithful service.

General manager John Hart has not disguised the fact that he is being proactive in his approach this time around.

"I've spoken with a number of clubs over the past week, but right now it's really just a case of people positioning themselves as buyers and sellers," Hart noted before Thursday night's blowout according to the Dallas Morning News.

"But we really don't have anything of substance going on right this moment. As we head toward July, things will probably heat up as we'll be under the [July 31] deadline."

Players who could bring the most attention would be those who are currently playing on the last year of their contracts, specifically Carl Everett, Thomson, Valdes, Juan Gonzalez, Rafael Palmeiro and Ugueth Urbina. Gonzalez and Palmeiro both have no-trade clauses in their contracts and could block any deal however.

Certainly, having built a contract a few years back that pays All-Star shortstop Alex Rodriguez an average of more than $25 million a year for 10 seasons doesn't help when you are trying to balance a budget, so he could inadvertently be helping some of his teammates pack up their lockers at the Ballpark in Arlington.

It also doesn't help that the Rangers have $7 million tied up in Rusty Greer, who is going to miss the season with a shoulder injury and more than $12 million being handed to a 1-3 Chan Ho Park, who is also on the DL with a rib cage injury.

So what this means is that for the next two and a half weeks the rest of baseball will be keeping close eyes on those mentioned above, expecting to strike great deals at what could end up being the fire sale to end all fire sales.

WHO'S HOT

The bargain-basement Hank Blalock, making just over $300,000 for the 2003 campaign, has six RBI over his last six games, most on the club, and is second in total bases with 14.

Michael Young, coming in at $250,000 for the year, posted 10 hits and five runs scored for the squad over the last week and was second with five RBI.

WHO'S NOT

Free-agent acquisition Doug Glanville ($1 million) is batting just .190 in his last five contests, with a slugging percentage of .238.

COMING UP

Now that they have gotten ridden of the Mets, Texas plays host to the Florida Marlins for three games this weekend before jetting off to Oakland next week for three games with the A's at the Coliseum.