Does Mark Cuban Have a Chance?

Mark Cuban might not even get to the plate in his potential attempt to buy the Texas Rangers.

It was announced in court on Friday that chief restructuring officer William K. Snyder had worked out a "substantially enhanced" offer for the team from Pittsburgh attorney Chuck Greenberg and Rangers president Nolan Ryan, according to multiple reports.

The deal means that next Wednesday's auction for the team may be off, leaving potential bidders like Dallas Mavericks owner Cuban and Houston businessman Jim Crane on the sidelines.

Snyder eliminated all side deals in the Greenberg-Ryan bid. Arrangements had originally been made in which owner Tom Hicks could sell parking lots and a building at Rangers Park to the group and pocket nearly $70 million, even while creditors clamor for their money from the bankrupt team.

Those deals are out, and the new bid from Greenberg-Ryan is reportedly about $40 million higher than the original cash price of about $310 million.

Still, Cuban's attorney, Clifton Jessup, attacked the backroom deal, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He said that Cuban could have beaten other bidders if the auction had gone off as planned.

Crane's attorney said his client had found new investors and could have also made a solid bid, either with Cuban or alone.

On Wednesday, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez filed an objection to auctioning off the team, raising concerns about whether he would receive the $24.9 million he's owed in deferred compensation.

Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association and the team's lenders also filed objections to the plan.

Other current and former players listed as creditors include Rangers third baseman Michael Young ($4 million), Kevin Millwood ($12.9 million), Vicente Padilla ($1.7 million), Mickey Tettleton ($1.4 million) and Mark McLemore ($970,051.97).

Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com