You don't need a GPS to figure out the Texas Rangers' current locale. It's down at the end of Lonely Street.

Elvis?

Please, Elvis. Don't check us into THAT hotel?

Next week, spring training starts in Arizona and actual baseball activity might bring some form of relief from what has been the Rangers' off-season of hell.

But when we bundle up the entire package of a failure to get this or that done, the one lingering issue that has played out this winter centers around the situation with shortstop Elvis Andrus.

I don't do polls, but my guess would be Elvis is the new face of the franchise, replacing the departed Michael Young, simply because Elvis is the No. 1 fan favorite.

Admittedly, he's my favorite. Elvis is not only the face, he's also the smile of the franchise. Best smile in baseball.

But only in baseball will intrigue swirl around a good player based on two years being left on his contract. In the NFL, two years is a lifetime. Same as the NBA or NHL.

This, however, is baseball. Two years left on a contract means urgency. Andrus doesn't turn 25 until late August, and along with such youth, he already has four full major league seasons. Yet, the contractual climate of baseball suggests this is the best time to trade Elvis. Right now, trade him.

Either that, or lose him for nothing in two years, or wait a year, and his value dims even more because he'd only have one year left.

I have a better idea. Hey, you, Jon Daniels. And you, Nolan Ryan. Step right up right now and get Elvis signed long term.

Sure, I love my idea. I think Daniels and Ryan love my idea. But it's also an idea that comes with problems attached.

Elvis went on local ESPN radio - "The Ben & Skin Show" - and while saying all the right things about wanting to be a Ranger forever, he also left no doubt he's interested in checking out what could be the ultimate gold mine, meaning free agency in two years.

You can't blame him for that. You also can't blame his agent, the notorious Scott Boras, for constantly planting that thought in Elvis' brain. That's what agents are supposed to do, and in 99 percent of the cases, Boras clients leave for another team once free agency comes.

So if the Rangers offered, oh, say, a massive eight-year, $120 million package (tearing up the current contract) would Elvis be signing? Maybe, but I don't think so. It might take $130 million, or more.

Boras certainly knows that in two years both the Yankees and Dodgers figure to be in the market for a high-end shortstop, based on Derek Jeter retiring and Hanley Ramirez's contract being up. And if financial form holds in two years, those clubs are the highest-paying in the game.

Meanwhile, there's the Jurickson Profar question for the Rangers. In this highly regarded kid, the Rangers think they have the replacement at shortstop for Elvis.

So why the hesitation to trade Elvis this winter?

Yes, by the way, there has been that hesitation, and for good reasons.

First, the Rangers have a fan base angry with the off-season failures to upgrade. While no team can allow fans to dictate moves, there is a backlash worry if the anger is compounded by dealing the team's most popular player who hasn't even reached his prime career years.

Second, the Rangers have a clubhouse where veteran players are also unhappy with the way management has failed to upgrade the team this off-season. Removing a clubhouse favorite/productive player wouldn't be popular.

Granted, in the two scenarios above, if an Andrus trade brought back a high-end player, then the anger is somewhat muted. Which leads us to item No. 3.

Any trading partner knows Elvis is represented by Boras and has two years left on his contract. That downgrades Andrus' trade value.

I can also add a fourth scenario. The Rangers are obviously in a win-now mode, and rightfully so. Keeping Elvis gives them the best, and most proven, win-now chance.

But should the Rangers have taken that Justin Upton gamble last month and given up Elvis for the young outfielder? I didn't think so, but there are those in baseball who question the Rangers on that.

It has been suggested that if the Rangers had achieved some of their key off-season goals, like adding a front-line pitcher and even - another cheap second guess - re-signing Josh Hamilton, then trading Elvis for Upton, and going with Profar at shortstop might have been easier to sell.

If, if, if.

Currently, Elvis will be on his way to Surprise by the end of next week, and will once again be the shortstop for the Rangers in 2013.

But what to do about Andrus will hang over this team all season, as much as the Josh Hamilton situation did a year ago.

Down at the end of Lonely Street is not where the Rangers want to end up. Not with Elvis.