The San Diego Padres were in talks with Jackson but Bowden notes they fell out of the running when they indicated they were not willing to offer the free agent a four-year contract. This would lead one to believe that the Cubs and Rangers are willing to go four years for the right-hander considering they’re the final two remaining in the Jackson sweepstakes.

The Rangers have missed out on several high-profile free agents this winter, including Zack Greinke, Josh Hamilton and Mike Napoli, and haven’t been able to swing a trade for an impact player such as Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton.

While the Cubs are considered a rebuilding team, they did reportedly pursue free agent right-hander Anibal Sanchez before he re-signed with the Detroit Tigers. In the same way they could be pursuing Jackson to pair with ace Matt Garza.