Mark Teixeira Rumors: Friday

could he just pick a team already.

Scott Boras is full of crap. Will the last person to defend his negotiating tactics please remember to turn out the light before you leave the room?

PICK A DAMN TEAM ALREADY TEX!!

what does this mean!?!? is he coming to the angels?? come back to the o.c. tex, boston sucks!!

how you the kid?? i hope you are right

Just copied this from a blogger on LoHud--->

Hunter’s mood brightened considerably when told of Henry’s e-mail. Earlier Thursday, when told Red Sox officials were meeting Teixeira at his home, Hunter said, “That [stinks]. I definitely want him to come back. He made us complete. I know we were up by 11 games when we got him, but he made us that much better.”

Later in the evening, Hunter, who tried to call Teixeira this week and sent him a text-message Thursday night, felt a lot more confident about the Angels’ chances of retaining Teixeira.

“What the Angels did was spectacular, they gave him an offer that blew everyone away, and it shows how badly they want this guy,” Hunter said. “I’m so happy they did that. I can sleep better at night. We can’t let Tex go. He’s very special on this team.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-teixeira19-2008dec19,0,6519013.story

Good grief Tex, just pick a team and be done with it.

"as long as he ends up on a team that ISN'T Boston, then it's cool"

Exactly.

LMAO

People in boston must be committing suicide in the streets, they all but made him a jersey already.

really puts the Rivera signing into perspective.. why go for him if you could of gotten a more expensive Dunn or Burrell with 2x's the production, unless you are counting that money elsewhere for Tex?

"What if Boston doesn't get Teixeria AND the Yankee's do get Manny???"

Theo will hook Big Pappi up with Barry Bonds' "vitamin distributor" to get him hitting.

Hey, where did all the gloating Red Sox fans go?

Hello?!!!

Are you out there?

To be perfectly frank, I think it would be good for baseball if the Nats or O's signed Tex. We all saw how the Yanks went on a spending spree and are now rumored to be pursuing Manny. I personally think if the Nats or O's do in fact sign Tex, it'll help close "the gap" between the big market and small market teams. Not to mention to make such an offer in this economy.

Now I'm not complaining about the Yanks because complaining never got anyone anywhere. I just accept things the way they are.

Bottom Line: It would be nice to see a small market team sign Tex.

Just goes to show you how horrible the reporting at mlb.com is. One moment there posting Tex has signed with the red sox and as soon as you hit the refresh button there no longer a factor. They should wait until a deal has been made before speculating that it has gone through. Just as they also did w/ Furcal

btw, the same guy that earlier said he heard the yankees' 8/210 offer from the yankees said he heard the 10/250 offer from an unknown team.

whoever is gonna sind tex is gonna overspend by like 20 mil or so!! not 2 diss the guy but how much better does he make your team!! dont know if he is a franchise player!! everywere he has gone with the exeption of the angels who were already in contention have always lost!! dont know if wash, or bal realy want to cuff up that much money with the teams still being alot of peaces away from contention!! remember pitching wins games and those teams dont have good ptching staffs!! interesting to see who ends up getting him!! not 2 hate the guy is a premeir 1st basement but i dont think he makes those teams a whole lot better!! their better of signing guys like abreu,dunn,burrel,bradley and like two pitchers for the whole amount of money thats going to 1 guy!

"not 2 diss the guy but how much better does he make your team!!"

Well, let's see. A gold glove defender in the field who has 40+ HR power, who drives in a lot of runs and who hits for average. Who would want that?

Tex is basically the most complete 1B in the league. Guys like Howard may produce more offense, but they'll never defend like Tex. Guys like Gonzalez may defend like him, but they'll never produce as much offense. Not a franchise player?

And to say his team always loses isn't fair. If he's the only one producing, he can't carry a team alone, no matter how good he is. Ask Adrian Gonzalez in SD or Jason Bay when he was in Pittsburgh.

Tex is a great player who can improve any team out there.

tomfromsd, I get your point with Howard and Gonzalez, but your missing one key 1B...Albert Pujols. Tex would be the second best complete 1B in the league.

"tomfromsd, I get your point with Howard and Gonzalez, but your missing one key 1B...Albert Pujols. Tex would be the second best complete 1B in the league."

Well, I'll give you that. Pujols is plain awesome. I'm ashamed to say I didn't even think about Albert.

I guess the only thing that makes Pujols "riskier" is that lingering elbow injury he's playing with. It just seems that sooner or later, he could be looking at TJ surgery.

if anyone has learned anything from the Furcal situation its that nothing is settled until a signature is on the dotted line. pretty much EVERYTHING right now is a negotiating technique by Boras to get as much money as he can. right now if each team involved was to ask Boras who was the highest bidder he would probually say one of the other teams,. even to the actual team who has the highest bid.
IF Tex simply wants the most money he would probually sign with Washington. IF he ever wants to win during his contract he will sign with one of Boston or LA.
the agents in baseball have the teams by the balls, they tighten and losen their grip to get what they want. just once i would love to see a team negotiate with an agent and then tell the agent to stick it and pull back the entire contract offer.

All I know is I went to bed resigning myself to the fact that one of my favorite players was going to be joining my least favorite team. Then I woke up to a quote from John Henry saying the Sox were out of it. It is a GOOD day no matter where he goes and if somehow the Yanks did get involved and do pull this off it will be a GREAT day for me!

LMAO

People in boston must be committing suicide in the streets, they all but made him a jersey already.

Posted by: jolivarez | December 19, 2008 at 01:30 AM

as long as he ends up on a team that ISN'T Boston, then it's cool

then basically Boston's offense will be almost exactly that of 2008 - no change

Posted by: levelboss | December 19, 2008 at 01:18 AM

Boston's offense last year was 3rd in Runs Scored last year behind the Cubs and the Rangers.

I've been okay from the beginning with them staying pat with their offense. In fact I've been ridiculed for suggesting that I'd rather not be paying someone $23-25m when they're 35-38. The Sox have done well in not tying their hands with obtrusively long deals (Drew may be the closest to it) and I wasn't enamored with them doing it this time. Don't get me wrong I think Mark Teixeira is a very good ballplayer, but he's certainly not in that small list of "Elite" players.

" say B.S. to this report as John Henry knows Borass' act and is calling his bluff much like when Borass said Dice-K would get 6/80 and be referred to as "Fort Knox" in the U.S. instead of Japan's 'National Treasure"."

Then again, I also remember the Red Sox trying to call Boras' bluff on Johnny Damon. Damon is now playing in pinstripes.

I'm not a NY fan, before you get all excited. I couldn't care less if Tex ends up in Boston. The only thing I'm saying is that calling a bluff doesn't always work out. So if Boston really wants Tex, they can't afford to take too many chances.

"I think Mark Teixeira is a very good ballplayer, but he's certainly not in that small list of "Elite" players."

What's an elite player then? I don't know if I'd take anyone but Pujols over Teixeira at 1B. Even if you broaden it to include other positions, there aren't too many Gold Glovers with that kind of bat. I'd say he's pretty elite. Just IMHO.

giantsfan - DC is not a small market team. It is the 5th largest.

"Wouldn't this be unlikely after acquiring Swisher (who BTW is vastly underrated IMHO - this guy is a good player)?"

I agree about Swisher being underrated, I do think he bounces back this season. However, he is not Teixeira and more likely than not never will be close. I was a tex fan since his days in Texas and would love to see him on the Yanks.

Unlikely..maybe, but not totally out of the realm of possibility.

What's an elite player then? I don't know if I'd take anyone but Pujols over Teixeira at 1B. Even if you broaden it to include other positions, there aren't too many Gold Glovers with that kind of bat. I'd say he's pretty elite. Just IMHO.

Posted by: tomfromsd | December 19, 2008 at 06:56 AM

I'm not saying Teix isnt a great player, but he's not a perennial MVP threat. Pujols heads the very very short list of guys I'd give that kind of money to.

listen people, i just read on red sox prospectus that scott boras could be bluffing in order to rush the red sox or make them pay more money, 2 out of the 3 teams confirmed that they have not raised at all, that would probably be the nats but they obviously dont have enough money for that so maybe we can get back in touch and get tex, it seems odd that after all this time its just called off like that

Do you all think Boras really told Boston the real $$ in the offers Tex got?

NO WAY

He's adding 10, 15, maybe 20 million to try and squeeze as much out of the Sox as he can. Henry is just calling his bluff. That quote was aimed directly at Boras and it's saying "We're not upping our offer, make your move. And if it's to another team, then so be it."

The only argument for Morneau over Tex is that Morneau will be making about $10 million less next year and I don't think Teixeira is worth THAT much more than Morneau, but overall is slightly better in just about every way

There is a reason John Henry is a successful business man and it's because he is willing to walk away if the price exceeds his belief of what the product is worth.

Being in the Red Sox shoes (and Yankee shoes) is tough from a negotiation point of view because the Agents know the money is there; where Henry has been successful though is in setting limits and not budging.

Going back to the Damon example, Boras called the Sox bluff only to find out they weren't bluffing. I have a feeling Boras knows they aren't bluffing which is why his response was fairly tame and even he didn't eliminate the Sox.

As far as I can tell, the Red Sox made the statement they did to gauge where they actually stood based on the public response by Boras. The fact that Boras didn't eliminate the Sox in his response tells me that they are still very much in the running in terms of their offer.

Otherwise, I think Boras would have said that Teixeira prefers the other offers over Boston and has narrowed it down; in hopes of getting the remaining teams to jump in for more money thinking it is a close race between them.

"As far as I can tell, the Red Sox made the statement they did to gauge where they actually stood based on the public response by Boras. The fact that Boras didn't eliminate the Sox in his response tells me that they are still very much in the running in terms of their offer."

Yeah. What a silly game. You fly half way across the country for a face-to-face meeting, but the real negotiating happens through your cryptic public comments.

everyone cracking "Nats will suck for years" jokes are clueless, and the only thing they are basing this on is the fact that we lost 100 games last season.

Nats fans know better. we aren't gonna immediately be world-beaters, but we'll be significantly better off than people are assuming based on last years record.

tomfromsd: "Then again, I also remember the Red Sox trying to call Boras' bluff on Johnny Damon. Damon is now playing in pinstripes."

Wait. Does ANYONE think Damon is worth what the Yankees paid for him? How did the Sox make a mistake on that?

I have waited 2 days to post to gather as much info as I can. This is both a bluff by the Sox to call out Boras and an attempt to move on. The Red Sox from what I've read (if they didn't land teixeira) would like to start some more preliminary talks with derek lowe to work out a contract. keep in mind lowe said he'd accept a pay reduction to return to boston and that his number 1 priority is to win, and win now.
I just see no reason for them not to aggressively pursue signing lowe. I think 4/45 would get the job done as I think Lowe prefers guaranteed years on a winning team over top dollar.

However, that Teixeira offer is still on the table and even if they do make a signing, I highly doubt that offer is withdrawn. From everything i've read its still the highest offer.

the reason lowe will not get burnett money is stuff. burnett has some of the filthiest stuff in baseball. derek lowe is a sinkerballer who will get you through the game but the defense has to make plays. Lowe wont get more than a 13mm a year deal if he wants more than 2-3 years.

My opinion on opt out clauses has gone back and forth over the last year. Would the sox rather have Teixiera at 4y 90m or 8y 180m? Id think theyd rather sign him to the four year deal so whats wrong with an opt out clause if theyre willing to do 8y 180m but would prefer 4y 90m?

I understand that opt out clauses largely favor the player but they aren't entirely bad for the team.

ECT: Boston likes to control its players. They just dont do no-trade clauses and opt out clauses. Theo and John Henry both don't like them. And Boston would build the team around Teixeira and Ortiz would most likely not be resigned (at least not at top dollar). It would change the course of the organization to an extent. That is why they dont want to give him the opt out.

LOL cubbyfan i was JUST thinking that.

ECT: I agree and I have to say i'm proud of the Red Sox in general for sticking to their guns and not panicing at the Yankees frenzy for pitching.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO COMPARE THE YANKEES AND THE RED SOX IN PAYROLL. THIS IS WHAT SEPARATES THEM.

Player wants more, team has set a value on that player, that value doesn't get increased (especially by 50 million dollars *cough arod cough cough*)

If Tex goes to the Nats his whole personna changes in my opinion,
Posted by: americans1901 | December 19, 2008 at 09:33 AM

why?

do the Nats have some sort of different, more evil and selfish form of Currency than the Red Sox, Orioles, or Yankees?

or is this another "all I know about the Nats is they lost 100 games" thing?

"Wait. Does ANYONE think Damon is worth what the Yankees paid for him? How did the Sox make a mistake on that?"

I'm not saying the Sox made a mistake necessarily.

However, market value is subjective. Maybe for the Sox, he wasn't worth that because they had a good alternative, but for NY he was because they had no alternative. Depending on the team, a player could have more or less value depending on how bad they need that player.

Obviously, being in SD, I follow SD teams. I remember Buddy Nix (the guy who was drafting for the Chargers unrtil last year) say something that's pretty true. He was asked if he thought one of his picks was a reach because that player had been projected to go much lower. He said:

"You know, that always makes me laugh. Some guys will say not to pick a guy because it's a reach when you're picking. Then you see the guy contributing on another team and you end up with another guy who may be more talented overall, but will never see the field because he's got 2 guys which are better in front of him."

I buy into that. If NY could afford Damon, and it made sense for them to bring him in, overpaying was maybe a better choice that to watch Damon perform on another team, even if you saved a little money.

Santana..
The dif between this and Arod is the Sox already have a VERY good player at 1st. When Arod opted out, the Yanks had no other option at 3rd that would even have been remotely close to Arod.
The Sox have the leverage here, the Yanks did not when it came to Arod.

A players value is only what a team is willing to pay for him. The Sox place a value on Tex according to how much they need/want him. Other teams might place a greater or lesser value depending on their needs.

""Otherwise the teams are built the same way, via FA and trades with some homegrown guys mixed in."

Wait, aren't all teams built this way? Lol"

Hahahahaha. They are. True true. Just different degrees of each.

What Melonis said, teams like TB focus on developing from within and filling gaps via FA. Teams like anaheim have figured out a great balance between the two. Teams like boston and ny look to FA and fit in homegrown guys when possible. I suppose I wasnt detailed enough in my description.

You guys are mentioning all of these first basemen you would take over Teixeira, yet no one mentions Miguel Cabrera? I understand Teixeira is much better defensively, but I will take Cabrera's bat over Teixeira's by a landslide.

"How about 120 men left on base in scoring position in 131 games. Almost 1 a game.
If you put the ball in play instead of striking out maybe someone might make an error. How about groundouts that runners score. Many good things happen when you at least make contact."

And when you make contact outs you can also ground into double plays. Strikeouts are over hyped. They count the same as normal outs.

"Boston is totally in the drivers seat regarding tex. he is an optional piece to a team that is not required, just like a fine audio system to a car, nothing more with Lowell already onboard."

Fine, but I don't see what any of that has to do with my observation on the silliness of the melodrama. I wasn't criticizing either side. Just noting that this is not how deals get done in any other business.

"remember the Dice-K negotiations? The Sox had boarded the jet and were about the fly back when Boras came running to stop the flight and accept the offer, once again, the Sox had all the leverage required for that piece that they wanted."

I wonder if you really remember the Matsuzaka negotiations. Boston offered 3/$24, and didn't budge until the deadline was upon them. Then suddenly Boras gets his client six guaranteed years at a higher AAV, and all anybody wants to believe is that Epstein and Henry pwn3d him. Whatever.

He should be a 3b...But I'd take Tex anyway because hes a gold glover and and a switch hitter.

Er beginning of 2008 rather. :)