A thin free-agent market and the high price tags on some of the talent available for trade is forcing general managers to get creative in their search to plug roster holes.

With circumstances in the current Hot Stove market what they are, teams are looking at players in a very different light:

• The Yankees were interested in free-agent third baseman Mike Lowell as a possible option at first base.

• The Mets are reportedly eyeing free-agent shortstop David Eckstein as an option at second base.

• Free-agent second baseman Tadahito Iguchi is drawing interest from several teams, including at least two who are considering Iguchi as a possibility at third base.

• The Phillies, who acquired middle infielder Eric Bruntlett as part of the Brad Lidge-Michael Bourn trade last week, will give Bruntlett a look at third base during Spring Training. Bruntlett has played all over the diamond but has shown enough of an arm to convince scouts he could at least fill in at the corner, though he's played only 15 of 273 career games there.

Perhaps it may prove to be nothing more than anecdotal evidence, but versatility is clearly in vogue these days as general managers try to find answers, even to the point of fitting round pegs in square holes. Experience is nice, but in some cases, it's clearly not a deal breaker.

According to the New York Daily News, the Mets are entertaining the idea of signing Eckstein, 32, to play second base.

The Daily News reported Mets GM Omar Minaya and manager Willie Randolph had met this week with the MVP of the Cardinals' 2006 World Series champion team in Greenwich, Conn., hometown of Mets COO Jeff Wilpon.

Whether Eckstein in inclined to change positions is unknown. He has played 14 games at second base -- all in 2001 -- in his eight seasons in the big leagues. The rest of his career has been spent at shortstop.

Eckstein hadn't returned phone calls from MLB.com on Friday, and his agent, Ryan Gleichowski, wouldn't go so far as to acknowledge contact with the Mets.

The Yankees had been interested in Lowell, who is also talking with Boston regarding a contract extension, and once it became clear New York was closing in on an extension with third baseman Alex Rodriguez, the Yankees let Lowell know they were still interested in his services -- as a first baseman -- though those discussions apparently did not progress.

Of Lowell's 1,262 career games, all but 14 have been at third base, and none were at first base.

Then there's Iguchi, who was approached by Philadelphia about playing third base but was released after informing the Phillies he'd prefer to try and find work as a second baseman. That's not surprising, considering he's spent all of his 390 career games at that position.

On Friday, Iguchi's agent, Rocky Hall, confirmed five teams were interested in his client, including the Angels, Astros, Brewers, Padres and Rockies.

The Angels are set at second base with Howie Kendrick and Maicer Izturis, but have been looking for a third baseman. The Brewers have Rickie Weeks at second base and National Rookie of the Year Ryan Braun at third, but have reportedly been toying with the idea of Braun as a left fielder and, in any case, are looking for a backup option at third assuming Braun remains at the hot corner.

Elsewhere on the Hot Stove front Saturday:

Astros: Houston has reportedly reached a verbal agreement with free-agent infielder Geoff Blum, a Houston television station reported Friday night.

KRIV-TV, citing Major League Baseball sources, reported Blum will rejoin the Astros, a team he played for in 2002-03 before Houston traded him to Tampa Bay for pitcher Brandon Backe. Blum's game-winning home run for the White Sox beat Houston in Game 3 of the 2005 World Series. He spent the last two seasons with San Diego.

Houston GM Ed Wade would not confirm the deal and Blum was not available for comment. In nine seasons in the Major Leagues, Blum has a career batting average of .251 with 71 home runs and 344 RBIs.

Mets: Trading for Orlando Hudson, the Diamondbacks' Gold Glove second baseman, is another option the Mets might pursue, but they would prefer to sign a free agent to play second rather than trade for one, and use their primary prospects to deal for a starting pitcher.

Rangers: Torii Hunter is still No. 1 on the Rangers' priority list this offseason, but general manager Jon Daniels is exploring all options. That includes at least inquiring about some of the big names that are supposedly on the trade market, whether it's pitcher Dontrelle Willis and third baseman Miguel Cabrera with the Florida Marlins, pitcher Erik Bedard with the Baltimore Orioles or pitcher Johan Santana with the Minnesota.

"There are a lot of big names being floated out there," Daniels said. "It's real slow right now. Until the first domino falls, it may take some time. Teams are holding on to their resources for guys at the top of the list. I don't know if any of these big names will even be moved, but I'm glad we made the decision to make our big trade at the end of July. If we had held on to Mark [Teixeira], there would be a lot of competition right now."

The Rangers' priorities are finding a center fielder and getting help in the bullpen, but that doesn't keep Daniels from at least asking some of these teams what they want for their marquee players. The answer is roughly what the Rangers received from the Braves in exchange for Teixeira and reliever Ron Mahay.

"For the right players, we are inquiring across the board to see whether it makes sense as far as the asking price and the contract," Daniels said. "We'll make a decision on an individual basis, but we're looking at all premium players."

The Rangers know the free-agent market is weak beyond center field, which is why they have expanded their search to Japan. They have interest in both outfielder Kosuke Fukudome and pitcher Hiroki Kuroda.

Kerry Wood and Eric Gagne are among the free-agent names that the Rangers have talked about to upgrade their bullpen. Others who could be of interest are Scott Linebrink and LaTroy Hawkins.

Twins: According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Twins are one of seven teams interested in veteran switch-hitter Tony Clark.

Clark, 35, hit .249 with 17 homers and 51 RBIs last season with Arizona, where his leadership was integral to the Diamondbacks reaching the postseason. The Twins are a good fit because he could DH and spell Justin Morneau at first base. Clark is believed to be seeking a two-year deal.