It seems that the hot topic this summer will be Mark Teixeira and a possible trade. This could end up another Alfonso Soriano/A.J. Burnett situation, where there’s tons of words wasted but no deal.
Buster Olney believes the Rangers will get some "tepid offers," with no team willing to pony up top prospects. He also mentions that the Yankees have little to no interest in getting involved. Though I think that could change if Brian Cashman is pushed out of power.
Teixeira makes $9MM this year, and could make $14MM or so in arbitration for 2008. As a Boras client, you know he’ll hit the open market after that. So if you trade for him, you’re basically getting 1.7 seasons of Teixeira for $20MM or so.
He’s an above average hitter, no one can argue that. An average first baseman will post an .800 OPS, while Teixeira should be around .900. The Tigers, Braves, Dodgers, and Orioles are all contenders with a weakness at first base. Maybe no one is shelling out two top shelf prospects/young players, but some team should at least come up with one. I still like a Daniel Cabrera for Teixeira swap. Cabrera, while young and inconsistent, keeps the ball on the ground and at least has the potential of bringing fair value. His 2007 walk rate, while still a problem, is easily the best of his career.
Not sure if the Braves would give up Salty for Tex, but I imagine Jon Daniels would be receptive. The Dodgers could give up one solid guy, maybe a James Loney. The Tigers might be able to solve their problem simply by playing Marcus Thames at first every day. Who says he can’t post an .850 OPS?
