Yankees Sign Mark Teixeira

"WE SIGN WHOEVER WE WANT! YOU SIGN WHOEVER WE DONT WANT!! GET IT"

Sadly, this is exactly correct.

No one can ever and will ever be able to outbid the Yankees in the current system.

For the other 29 groups of fans, this is why we giggle when they fail.

"The most egregious part of their spending spree is that the taxpayers of New York will have funded $450 million of the new stadium costs, when all is said and done."

No they're not. The funding is all in bonds, which means the team has to repay it. The only thing the city is paying for is mass transit and other infrastructure improvements. You know, the stuff cities are supposed to pay for.

I was a Yankees fan during the days Claudell Washington, Butch Wynegar, Danny Tartabull, Mike Pagliarullo, etc. They never made the playoffs during those days. I was, am, and always will be a Yankees fan. I hate bandwagon Yankee fans just as much as anyone.

The Yankees are still NOT going to win the World Series

Burnett was a horrible signing...shades of Carl Pavano a few years back. Posada, Jeter, Damon, and Matsui are all old and on their way out. Signing Tex and CC is great but they still have zero chemistry.

This reeks of Hank Steinbrenner

Can someone tell me what their payroll is sitting at right now?

Posted by: juiced | December 23, 2008 at 02:54 PM

I've got the Yankees at a 2009 payroll of $208,350,000 (which includes $10 million for Pettitte but does not include Nady's arbitration number which should be approximately $8 million).

In total, the Yankees now have guaranteed player contract obligations of $941,850,000 for the years 2009-2017.

What a great offseason to be a Yankee Fan!!!!!!!!

I really didnt think we have any shot at him.

I guess he really didnt want to go to the redsox

GO YANKEES!!!!!!!

Now the Sabathia deal doesn't look like such a win-win for the Brewers. LaPorta is no doubt, much more valuable than a Sandwich + 2nd rounder.

Great post. I feel just like you, only I am not a Yankee fan. I am glad there is atleast one of you who realizes this is not a very good signing. Sabathia was great. I don't even mind Burnett. But I hate, hate, hate this deal, for any team, not just the Yankees. 8 years for a firstbaseman? Gross.

Posted by: nrmax88 | December 23, 2008 at 03:01 PM

So signing an overweight pitcher for 8 years is better than signing a first basemen for 8 years?

Alrighty then.

Merry Teixmas to all and to all a good night!

"sox fans have every right to be confident... sure you guys have had much more success than the yankees inrecent years, so you have bragging rights, but dont say this is a bad signing, hes over rated, hes not a real good player, when every sox fan wanted him before today. come on guys, just give props"

Its a bad signing, he is not great, and he is overrated. Good player, 8 years 180 million dollars good? Not even close. Adam Dunn for 2/30, or Mark Teixeira for 8/180? Adam Dunn. D-U-N-N, in perfect cursive. Any more brain busters?

So who gets the Yanks' first rounder? Brewers or Angels?

So for the Yanks that's it for type A free agents?

Johnny Cash and Champs26Times

I am sure all of the People who don't do sports and have never cared for it, love paying for the brand new stadium.

This sounds crazy but with the economy in the toliet.. MLB,the NFL, and the NBA need to start cutting salaries, (I exclude the NHL, well cause its the NHL)
The way we are heading as a collective(the working class) very soon the sports games we take on in person(for top dollar) as a luxury will become too much for us. And then throw these Sports Franchises in a downward spiral..
This recession will not end when Obama brings the change..

"Actually he was overrated way before that, and you will regret this deal. And I can't wait to hear the Yankee fans complain on the radio shows how they sign all these guys and how they still can't win a division. Countdown until Tex gets blown away by Pabelbon in April series in the 9th inning and is then booed for the next 8 years continually."

Teix is overrated? Uh...

$10 says the Yanks don't win the WS in 2009.

"$10 says the Yanks don't win the WS in 2009."

agreed.

"$10 says the Yanks don't win the WS in 2009."

Based on what?

"NRMAXX88

I am a Mets fan and i usually agree with what you say about the Mets but to tell the Yankee fans they will regret this deal is absurd. The guy is in the prime of his career and he constantly post number os .300 30 100 year in and year out. The guy is only 28 and by the conclusion of this contract he will be 36 and thats still young enough to get another big contract like Yankee77 stated before. Congrats! Next year Mets are going to sign Vlad though =/ ...."

Like I said, Helton and Giambi were both much better at the time of their signings then Tex ever has been. Giambi put up numbers Tex couldn't even dream of. Same with Helton. Mega deals for first baseman are stupid. Albert would be the exception. I am not asking anybody to agree with me. I don't care. I know this contract will turn out bad, one way or the other. Whether anybody agrees or disagrees with me makes no difference.

I hope the Nats get Dunn. Smarter signing IMO, regardless of what some naysayers say. And then they draft Strasburg.

The Empire Strikes Back.

After signing CC, AJ & Tex, nothing would surprise me anymore. If I were a free agent and I truly wanted to win, the Yankees would have to be the team.

I wonder if Cashmoney mentioned the Tex move to CC & AJ to get them onboard.

"Teix is overrated? Uh..."

Indeed he is. If he wasn't overrated, he wouldn't have made so much money. I know for a fact this deal will suck for the Yankees by the time all is said and done, so I am quite ready to take any heat anybody wants to give. Doesn't matter. 8/180 for a good first baseman? Gross.

As a (rabid) Yankee fan, I am excited, but I understand the frustration of fans of other teams.

I did not in a million years expect them to land all 3 of their big free agent targets, as there were many beat reporters not 3 weeks ago lamenting the situation when the Yanks missed out on all of their free agents.

But, their rotation is much improved, their lineup is one of the best in the game, and it's looking pretty for them right now. I like this a lot better then the Giambi signing, but I definitely understand the need for a salary cap in baseball. I wonder what they're going to do with Posada and Jeter later on...

what happened to the chat? also, with the logjam, you van have posada DH and have jeter and cano switch position for the rest of his contract (when needed)

Spending te most money or having the most stars does not guarantee a championship. I am hoing these signings pan out but know there is a chance they wont. To all non Yankees fans, why are you crying so loudly right now? We havent won anything. Every team in the majors has their shot when the season begins. If the Yankees win a title, then start your hate. If we don't, enjoy your time laughing in or faces. Its really juvenile people. And my fellow Yankees fas, stop acting like a title is a forgone conclusion.

"I wonder how many Yankee "fans" wouldn't be Yankee "fans" if they don't make it to the playoffs. I bet about 50% to 60%."

Posted by: BravesRockMySocks | December 23, 2008 at 02:58 PM

I think you're about right. If I dare say so, I'm a "true" Yankee fan (one of my favorite season ever was 1993, because it was just unbelievable to look at the standings and see them in 1st place), and in a way I was happy they missed the playoffs last year because I think most Yankee fans felt "entitled" to that playoff spot.

There are tons of obnoxious bandwagon fans. I do think at least half of them would be gone if the team wasn't consistently good.

"If it's the Yankees, it's horrible, but if it's the Nats, O's, or Red Sox, it's not? lol

BTW, enjoy the Manny signing of the Mets, what will you think of that then?"

Actually it would have been horrible no matter what. No matter who signed him. I would love if Manny signed with the Mets, and I think if the Yankees signed Manny for a 2 or 3 year deal it would have been the best move of the offseason. The only defense Yankee fans have is just assuming we all hate this deal because it was the Yankees. I have no problem with the Yankees. Still a horrible deal. How can you compare signing Manny ( a hitter in a different universe then Tex) to a deal for 3 years, when Tex is getting 8?

I am so glad they signed these players so now they can get even more crap when they dont make the playoffs!!!! The Yanks have to many individuals on the team... its a team effort.... YANKEES WILL NOT MAKE THE PLAYOFFS IN 2009!!!

When someone tells me they are a yankee fan I have a hard time believing they are fans of the game that we all love. You are just a fan of big business.

As a Yankee Fan for a long-time, I am not impressed by this move. I think Swisher would have been just fine at 1st. Now, we have a logjam at 1st and in the outfield. Matsui isn't well enough to be traded for anything worthwhile. I also feel Nady should be allowed to play one full season before being shipped out(that guy gets canned more than tuna). Swisher could be traded but he was so happy to be a Yankee (and an affordable one at that)!

To all those people saying the Yanks bought themselves a championship: A lot can happen in 162 (+11) games. Players get hurt. Teams get hot / cold. Let the season play out.

And ... the Yankees haven't broken any rules. In fact, they are showing a lot of faith by giving long-term contracts to players when other teams only want to go year to year. The unfair advantage is that our fans are loyal. I live in AZ now but subscribe to YES. When I lived on Long Island, I can remember it taking almost two hours to get to the stadium for a regular season game. Do that many people drive from Madison to go see the Brewers or Canton, OH to Cleveland or from Sacramento to watch the A's? The Yankee Brass must satisfy a rabid fan-base. So, don't blame the Yankees ... as if your team would do anything different, given the chance.

question our loyalty to the yankees???
i remember listening to the yankees on the radio as i layed in bed as a child...
as far as i can remember the yankees were it for me.. it was a long 80's let us have fun with this now!!!

Love you red sox fan that go wah wah wah when you dont even need a first baseman not our fault manny dont like j00

how long until teixera, CC, and burnett get tired of smelling urine, trash, smog, and yankee fans?....2 weeks.

CC is gunna tell everyone hes opting out in 3 years by may.
and just when we thought we had the best playoffs in 14 years...the yankmees try to buy their way back...but it aint gunna work.
cubs win a world series before the yankmees

Manny would have been our DH. Damon, Cabrera/Gardner, and Nady would be our outfield with or without Manny.

WASN'T ONE OF YOUR OWN REQUIREMENTS TO BE UNBIASED DIERKES?

EDIT THIS

2:55pm: Olney now agrees it's an eight-year, $180MM deal ($22.5MM per year). Bill Madden says Teixeira told the Yankees he preferred them all along, after the Angels and Red Sox backed off. Ha.

HA? REAL NICE

180 for Tex is crazy..

I said this weeks ago, Why not trade Hughes and kennedy for a First baseman..Fielder, Agon, I am sure the Astros would listen on Berkman..

WASN'T ONE OF YOUR OWN REQUIREMENTS TO BE UNBIASED DIERKES?

EDIT THIS

2:55pm: Olney now agrees it's an eight-year, $180MM deal ($22.5MM per year). Bill Madden says Teixeira told the Yankees he preferred them all along, after the Angels and Red Sox backed off. Ha.

HA? REAL NICE

Posted by: Dominatio | December 23, 2008 at 03:22 PM

It is real nice. Leave it there.

"I'm not going to give you heat, I just think you're wrong. Basing "bad deals" on Helton and Giambi is like saying you should never sign a starter long-term because of Hampton and Kevin Brown, etc. etc. I'm sure we can come up with a ton of examples of bad signings, not only at 1B.
"

You would be right. You should never, under any circumstance, give a pitcher an 8 year deal. No matter what. I do think CC is an exception. People call him overweight and fat, I see him as incredibly durable and big and strong enough to withstand a long season. But under ordinary circumstances, I would never go above 5 years on a pitcher no matter what.

EVERY team has obnoxious fans, especially teams that win.
I hate the bandwagon fans as much as anyone. But the "real" fans are there thru the good and the bad.
I sat at the stadium in the 80's when there were 500 people there. I sat there thru the rough times and I am enjoying the good ones.
Anyone can question my loyalty and Ill respond by inviting them to watch ALL 162 games with me (cause I do watch them all), Ill invite them to see my collection of memorabilia, my Yankee gear and the NY tattoo I have.
I know for a fact there are a lot of "real" Yankee fans becuase I am one of them.

"""who says the yankees don't buy championships? lmao, ya, whatever. exhbit a: 400+m committed in one offseason. 1 no trade clause, 1 opt-out clause. ya, this is pretty pathetic. congrats on buying your next 6 championships to go along with your tainted 26 already. it's official, tex, cc, and burnett are nothing but mercenaries. i'm gonna laugh so hard when these deals eventually castrate the yankees 6 years down the line and their bull**** franchise finally becomes crippled beyond repair. here's to wishing for 80's yankees all over again.""""

ANSWER ME THIS: HOW IS MARK A MERCENARY WHEN HE TOOK LESS THAN BOSTON TO BE A YANKEE???????? OH DAYUMMM

I am hearing its official the Yankees have traded Nick Swisher to the Atlanta Braves for JoJo Reyes, Brandon Jones, cash condieration, and a fill in prospect...

"You would be right. You should never, under any circumstance, give a pitcher an 8 year deal. No matter what. I do think CC is an exception. People call him overweight and fat, I see him as incredibly durable and big and strong enough to withstand a long season. But under ordinary circumstances, I would never go above 5 years on a pitcher no matter what."

Then I can understand your point in that long term deals are very risky. However, if you want to land this type of talent, someone's going to give a contract this long. To land these players, you have to go that far.

It's great to say you should never sign a long term deal, and I think it has merit, but I just don't think it's based in reality of the current baseball landscape.

Eff him.

signed,

Baltimore.

Jones gives the Yankees flexibility if they trade Melky for Cameron and Gardner has trouble hitting. Reyes is a minor league arm/fill in at best with this team but he adds depth and i hear the other prospect is a crappy hitting shortstop...

Well... good signing by the Yanks, they are going to be scary next year.

I wonder if they're done or they still go after Manny...

I'm kind of disappointed, I thought the Yankees would sign every single player in major league baseball so that way they can ensure a penant:
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/27656

Relax with all the Yankee hate guys. Sure, it's pretty ridiculous they have spend over $400M on 3 players, but lets see them win it first. They've had the highest payroll for how long now? Tex is a great signing, so is CC. I'm interested to see AJ pitching till he's 37 though...

Dominatio - I kind of agree with you on that. Not too classy for that to be thrown in there.

Of course, Teixeira says he preferred the Yanks all along. Does any free agent ever sign with a team and announce that he preferred a different team all along??? NO. It's a bunch of BS. He preferred their money and all of the recognition that it will give him to play for the Yankees. But if they don't win, they'll hate him there.

Also, in about 6 years, the yanks are gonna have a bunch of broken players with $20M contracts. Of course, they'll have won 5 WS in a row, so...

Ugh. It only gets worse. Next year, Damon and Matsui (combined $26 million) come off the books. Matt Holiday is probably already shopping for real estate in Manhattan.

Posted by: midtown | December 23, 2008 at 03:31 PM

I'd rather have Austin Jackson

"So Manny on the decline at 36 puts up the Best stat line of 2008? Hell yeah!"

Am I saying Manny isn't a good hitter? I love the guy, I'd just rather have a guy long term who's younger and in his peak years than a guy who's due to decline and plays horrible defense. Would love either guy on my team.

"Oh, okay, so now we are paying 1B 180 million to play defense? I don't care how old Manny is, he hasn't shown any signs of slowing down. It a short commitment. I don't care how old Tex is, the chances of something going wrong before 8 years are up is quite large, and besides, Tex was always overrated. Once again, Dunn for 2/30, or Tex for 8/180. Is this honestly a decision? Dunn will make 2/30 because he is good for a 900 OPS every year, and Tex will make 6 times that because his defense is better? Seriously?"

If you're arguing Dunn vs. Teix I'll take Dunn on that deal as well. However, that doesn't mean the Teix deal is bad, just that Dunn is very undervalued.