NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Time for some trickle-down economics.

The City of Arlington -- or at least 60 percent of the registered voters who showed up on election day -- decided to give the Rangers a $500 million subsidy. Ostensibly, it is for a stadium. Be that as it may, it is now time for the Rangers to spread some of that economic windfall around.

About $150 million-$180 million to be exact. It can be paid out in installments. Say about $30 million a year for five or six years. That's the going rate for aces right now -- give or take a million -- and it's only headed higher in the year to come.

If the team's intent is to contend and win in 2017 and beyond, then there is no choice. They must get off the find-a-center-field hamster wheel for a few moments and turn to Yu Darvish. What they do about Darvish -- not what they do about center field or another back-of-the-rotation starter -- will dictate in which direction the team is really heading long-term.

In short, either the Rangers must sign him, and now, or -- take a deep breath here -- consider trading him before the season starts. What they cannot do is play the season out with him as a pending free agent, then run the risk of him going to free agency and getting really nothing in return, not even a first-round draft pick. He could be the team's best asset going forward, but also its most tradeable commodity.

We mention this because Washington became increasingly desperate Tuesday after losing out to Decisive Dave Dombrowski and the Boston Red Sox in the Chris Sale sweepstakes. The Red Sox used a monster package to get Sale from Chicago. It may make the Nationals very eager potential trade partners. And if not the Nats, there are a slew of AL East teams that must now consider how to keep up with the Red Sox.

This is not a plea to trade him. Not even to shop him. He's the ace the Rangers have long sought after and belongs atop the rotation.

But if the Rangers aren't going to be able to re-sign him, then he's the one player they could deal this winter who could help them fulfill their dual-sighted objectives of competing in the short- and long-term. A full year of Darvish for another contender might well be worth a controllable major league pitcher, albeit not one at Darvish's level, and prospects to help restock the system. We probably should note the Rangers have dealt 14 legitimate prospects in the last 18 months, five of them high-upside starting pitching prospects.

The return would shrink substantially if the Rangers get off to a rough start in 2017 and have to deal him as a July rental.

To be clear, there has been no buzz about the Rangers engaging clubs on a Darvish deal. But there hasn't been any word of teams being laughed out the door if they ask about him either. That only makes sense. It behooves GM Jon Daniels to listen to anything another GM says.

There is a way to head off all this talk, of course: Get to work on extending him. Like, immediately.

By all accounts, Darvish has given the Rangers the indication he's open to conversations about an extension. Maybe even amenable to one. But with each day he gets a little closer to free agency, and each day the free agent market, even if it's not necessarily strong on starting pitching this winter, gets a little crazier.

Closer Mark Melancon got $15.5 million per year and he's not the most highly sought after closer on the market. Starter Rich Hill got $16 million per year; he's six years older (36) than Darvish (30) and gets blisters by the bunch.

On the eve of these meetings, Daniels said there were no plans to talk to Darvish about an extension until sometime after the meetings conclude. That was sensible, in theory. The Rangers had some immediate needs to address. It was widely assumed Washington would end up with Sale.

Things change quickly at the winter meetings.

"We haven't had extension talks at this point," Daniels said Tuesday. "It would be premature to speculate on what would or wouldn't happen afterwards."

When pressed on if the Rangers would owe it to themselves to consider alternatives if a contract extension doesn't come out of those talks, Daniels said, "Sure. Yes."

The Rangers haven't made real progress on any of their immediate needs and may have to wait a while to address them. The Nationals are suddenly looking for other solutions. It is time to be creative.

Time to pay him. Or consider trading him.

Twitter: @Evan_P_Grant