LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- There are more than two routes for the Rangers to get where they are trying to go. You don't have to push yourself to all-in or fold completely.

The Rangers try the middle ground.

It explains why at one moment during these winter meetings they are talking about trading Shin-Soo Choo for an even more burdensome contract and the next they are talking about dealing Jurickson Profar for a controllable starting pitcher. According to industry sources, both were hot topics Tuesday, and have been for most of the winter.

The idea is simply to get better. That doesn't have to mean tanking for three or four years, like the world champions. And it doesn't mean simply trying to outspend mistakes like the Dodgers.

It means being prudent with the present and opportunistic about the future. It is, to cite the phrase of the offseason, about incremental improvement.

"A lot of what we are doing is value driven," said general manager Jon Daniels, who has added four pitchers this winter for a total of $16 million in salary in 2018. "We've looked at guys in different spots [than they've been in in the past] and we've looked at different situations. We are trying to move forward short- and long-term. You look at how teams are built, and rarely does it happen in one cycle."

So, it has been about adding pitchers on low-cost deals. If all goes right, the Rangers could have enormous flexibility at the deadline to add a piece or two. If some of the pitchers perform, but the team doesn't, there could be an ability to deal individual pieces -- especially in a market that seems to crave relief pieces -- for high value.

The latter would allow the Rangers to continue to restock the farm system, which must be a priority, as well.

What is clear is the Rangers need more pitching. And that's why, according to three major league sources, they have continued to investigate a deal for Arizona right-hander and former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke. They have discussed the idea all winter.

It would involve dealing Choo, whom the Rangers would desperately like to move off the roster to make room for more versatile players, in something of an exchange of burdensome contracts.

The issue on this deal: There is about $138 million remaining on Greinke's contract over the next four years, more than double the $62 million remaining on Choo's deal over three years.

To make such a deal work would be complex. Start with the players -- both have limited no-trade clauses, though it's uncertain if either player can block a deal to the clubs involved.

More complex: Working out the money. It would likely require the Rangers to take on significant salary. The positive side: It would get them a still-elite starting pitcher, plugging one major hole on the roster, while moving Choo, who is seen as a possible impediment to cheaper and capable left-handed bats such as Willie Calhoun, Drew Robinson and Ronald Guzman.

In short, the Rangers would likely have to add perhaps $15-20 million per year to their payroll if they made such a deal. On the other hand, $15-20 million is the going rate for an upper-level pitcher.

At the same time, the Rangers continue to talk to teams about Profar, who is only 24 and would seem to be a still worthwhile building-block for a team that is growing. Only Profar is out of minor league options and there is no regular position for him to play.

The New York Mets have discussed Profar with the Rangers, but Texas showed no interest in dealing for injury-risk Matt Harvey, who has only one year of club control remaining before free agency.

The flip side, Profar's stock isn't great enough to get them into serious conversation over 2016 Rookie of the Year Michael Fulmer, about whom the Detroit Tigers are willing to have conversations.

While Harvey's name generates buzz, perhaps pitchers like Robert Gsellman or Seth Lugo, both of whom have multiple years of control, make more sense. Both pitchers allowed less than three walks per nine innings last year in otherwise statistically rocky seasons. The Rangers have placed a high value on lowering walk totals this winter.

"We've talked about some of the low-hanging fruit that we can improve upon," Daniels said. "The walks are one. At times, it was tough to watch."

The Rangers are trying to clean things up. They are exploring more than one path by which to do that. It makes defining their offseason approach a little difficult to pin down. Then again, as Daniels said, he'd rather be judged by on-field performance than offseason headlines.

Twitter: @Evan_P_Grant

Correction, 11:15 a.m. Dec. 13: This story has been updated to reflect that Zack Greinke has $138 million remaining on his contract, not $138 -- wouldn't that have been a bargain?