Texas Rangers slugger Juan Gonzalez has a new agent. That could mean a new attitude toward approving a trade prior to the July 31 deadline.

	Juan Gonzalez Right Field Texas Rangers Profile
	2003 SEASON STATISTICS GM HR RBI R SB AVG 78 23 66 47 1 .289

Rangers general manager John Hart told ESPN on Sunday that eight teams have inquired about the availability of Gonzalez. While Hart insists no formal deals have been proposed, the New York Post reported that the Yankees are interested in Gonzalez to boost a sporadic offense.

The fact that trade discussions are ongoing just two weeks after Gonzalez invoked his no-trade clause to reject a deal to Montreal might be attributed to his change in representation.

Gonzalez told The Dallas Morning News that he has fired agent Jeff Moorad and replaced him with Fernando Cuza of SFX Sports Group. The newspaper reported that Hart already has been in discussions with Cuza, who was Gonzalez's agent earlier in his career.

Hart told ESPN that he wants to make sure Cuza and Gonzalez are aware of all options regarding the player's future. Hart also said Gonzalez wants to remain in the American League, preferably for a team that plays on natural turf. That would rule out the NL's Dodgers, reportedly one of the teams initially making inquiries.

One team fitting that criteria is Kansas City, which in 1995 replaced the artificial surface in Kauffman Stadium with natural grass. The Royals reportedly are interested in Gonzalez, according to the Morning News, and can offer the sort of young pitching that would make the trade attractive to the Rangers.

The Royals might appeal to Gonzalez because Kauffman Stadium is more of a hitter's park (the fences were moved in and lowered in '95) and Tony Pena is one of the few Latino managers in the majors. Pena is from the Dominican Republic; Gonzalez is from Puerto Rico.

The Yankees apparently would also love to have Gonzalez, who entered Sunday tied for fourth in the AL in home runs with 23 and seventh in RBI with 66.

The Post reported that a Yankees-Rangers deal could be finalized if the two teams can solve financial and personnel issues.

Gonzalez makes $12 million this season, but $4.5 million of that is deferred. According to the Post, the Yankees would like to pick up the remainder of Gonzalez's contract this season, which would be around $3.75 million.

But perhaps the biggest hurdle with the Yankees would be Gonzalez's willingness to play in New York. He rejected a deal in 2000 when he was in Detroit. Two years later, Gonzalez spurned the Mets as a free agent.

Cuza, however, might be able to work on Gonzalez's New York state of mind. One of the agent's clients is Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera, and the SFX group represents Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina, Jason Giambi and Hideki Matsui.

The Post said Cuza also worked with Hart last season when Ruben Rivera landed in Texas following his departure from the Yankees for swiping Derek Jeter's glove.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman would not discuss specifics involving Gonzalez, but he did tell the Post, "The way we are looking at things is if something makes sense, we will do it."