Battle For Teixeira

ESPN’s Buster Olney gives his take on the Mark Teixeira situation in his blog this morning.  Olney believes the Yankees will "bid heavily" on Tex, perhaps $120MM over six years.  Teixeira turned down $140MM from the Rangers last year, though that was for eight years.  Ken Davidoff of Newsday believes that since the Yanks are prioritizing pitching, they’ll probably go with cheaper options like Casey Blake or Kevin Millar.

Olney says there’s debate about Boston’s level of interest in Teixeira – do they truly want him, or are they trying to drive up the price for the Yankees?  He suggests a scenario where the Sox sign Teixeira and keep Mike Lowell – Kevin Youkilis goes to left field, Jason Bay to right, and J.D. Drew to center (pushing Jacoby Ellsbury to a utility role and leaving Coco Crisp out of a job). 

Meanwhile, the Angels told Francisco Rodriguez’s agent that their initial focus this winter is signing Teixeira.  Dylan Hernandez and Mike DiGiovanna see the Halos in the six-year, $120MM range.