Mark Teixeira Rumors: Friday
3:48pm: Jon Heyman believes the Red Sox are at their final number, at least $180MM. Scott Miller explains why you shouldn’t be surprised if the Nationals sign Teixeira.
2:39pm: Buster Olney and Peter Gammons suggest a lower amount was offered by Boston: $165-170MM. That’s seemingly at least $20MM short of what Boras wants. He might be happy with eight years, $184MM ($23MM per).
Olney, Gammons, Adam Kilgore, and Nick Cafardo are all on board with the sentiment that the Red Sox remain in the mix for Teixeira.
9:33am: Jon Heyman says the Red Sox remain interested in Teixeira, but are sticking to their eight-year offer of $180MM or so. Nick Cafardo has a similar take. Tony Massarotti and Thomas Boswell are good reads as well.
9:05am: George King learned from Brian Cashman that it was not the Yankees who outbid the Red Sox for Teixeira (if they were indeed outbid). Chico Harlan says the Nationals are in a holding pattern until the Tex situation is resolved.
8:03am: Mike DiGiovanna says Boston’s eight-year offer in the $175MM range was "significantly" better than the Angels’ eight-year proposal. But DiGiovanna talked to Torii Hunter, who spoke to Teixeira and said the Angels "gave him an offer that blew everyone away." Also, DiGiovanna finds it doubtful that the Angels would match the two-year, $45MM offer the Dodgers made to Manny Ramirez.
7:50am: Alex Speier of WEEI examines both vague statements, as well as past Red Sox-Boras battles. Meanwhile, Joel Sherman offers thoughts on the idea of Teixeira signing with the Nationals, drawing parallel to the Rangers’ A-Rod contract.
12:52am: Yesterday evening we received this surprising statement from Red Sox owner John Henry:
"We met with Mr. Teixeira and were very much impressed with him. After hearing about his other offers, however, it seems clear that we are not going to be a factor."
Michael Silverman was able to get this quote from Scott Boras as a semi-response:
"The Boston ownership was kind enough to request and travel to meet with Mark Teixeira. While it was a very positive meeting Mark was candid and advised he is in the process of making a decision and is now attempting to eliminate teams."
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Teixeira, Giants, Braves, Bradley, Pirates
On this date 17 years ago, the Blue Jays signed 40-year old future Hall of Famer Dave Winfield to a one-year, $2.3MM contract. The signing was a good one as Winfield helped the Jays to their first title in 1992. That year he hit .290-26-108 with a .377 OBP and 137 OPS+, including what would prove to be the series-winning two-run double in the top of the 11th of game 6 of the World Series. Did I mention he was 40? With this year’s crop of free agents playing euchre as they patiently wait for Mark Teixeira to make up his mind, let’s take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…
- Sully Baseball is not worried about the Red Sox possibly losing out on Mark Teixeira feeling the money may be better spent on pitching.
- The Bottom Line wonders if the Red Sox are better off waiting a year and going after Matt Holliday to replace Jason Bay.
- El Lefty Malo projects the Giants offense for next season and shows that one more big bat would give them a league-average offense.
- Braves Blast laments the Braves inability to land a starting pitcher so far this off-season and wonders what options are left.
- The Launching Pad does not see any of the remaining free agent pitchers as an upgrade for the Braves over what is already on the roster.
- Goat Riders of the Apocalypse is aggravated by the lack of big moves from the Cubs and while they would like Milton Bradley as a Cub, they think it is unlikely.
- Baseball Handyman offers grades for the free agent signings to date, with only the Francisco Rodriguez contract earning an ‘A’.
- The ‘Burgh Blues takes a look at the Pirates inability to find pitchers that can find the strike zone.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here.
Mark Teixeira Rumors: Thursday
9:58pm: Red Sox owner John Henry said:
"We met with Mr. Teixeira and were very much impressed with him. After hearing about his other offers, however, it seems clear that we are not going to be a factor."
Wow. From favorites to out of the bidding.
9:16pm: Gordon Edes says Boston’s eight-year offer is more than $160MM but less than the $184MM figure Lynch mentioned. In a newer article, Edes talked to a Red Sox exec who called the idea of a $25MM salary for Tex "ridiculous." This info gels with the Gammons/Olney suggestion of $22MM per year. Edes adds that it won’t be a "take it or leave it" type of meeting.
Edes says the Angels haven’t budged off their original offer, which is north of $160MM. The Nationals have been told by Boras that they’d have to pay extra.
8:38pm: The Red Sox "aren’t close to getting a deal done" with Teixeira according to an updated report by Dan Roche of WBZTV.
8:34pm: When asked whether the Angels might improve their offer to Teixeira, Tony Reagins simply repeated that he had already made him a "fair offer."
6:55pm: Dan Roche of WBZTV also confirms the meeting. He suggests an eight-year Red Sox offer in the $180MM range, but hears that Boston doesn’t expect anything "conclusive" tonight.
6:38pm: Buster Olney and Peter Gammons confirm Lynch’s report. ESPN has heard from major league sources that Boras may soon meet with Red Sox executives. Olney and Gammons heard from another team’s executive who expects the offer to be for "about $22MM" per year for eight years, or about $176MM in total.
5:21pm: Mike Lynch from Channel 5 in Boston reports John Henry and Theo Epstein will meet with Scott Boras tonight with the aim of signing Teixeira tonight or Friday morning. Lynch says the Sox are offering eight years and $184MM.
1:59pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman on rumored offers for Tex:
One source said he believed that Boston was in for close to $180 million over eight years and the Angels in for about the same. The Nats may be as high, or even higher than that. Some suggest they have either hit the $200 million mark, or gotten very close. Or that someone else has.
Heyman expects Teixeira to sign next week, and agrees that the Red Sox are the favorites. He provides odds of each bidding team signing Teixeira.
8:55am: Yesterday’s Mark Teixeira post focused on the Orioles – they seem to be falling behind, though Andy MacPhail said there’s flexibility with their offer.
We learned today from Kat O’Brien of Newsday today that the Yankees have not made an offer to Teixeira, and may not if the bidding gets too high.
Nick Cafardo’s been talking to a GM involved in the bidding, and that person says the Red Sox have the highest offer on the table. The offer could be eight years at the highest average annual salary. Sean McAdam says the Red Sox have their own ceiling and won’t get into a bidding war. He adds that there’s no backup plan for Boston – "it’s Teixeira or bust."
Heyman’s Latest: Perez, Greinke, Dye, Garland
The latest from SI.com’s Jon Heyman, non-Teixeira department…
- Heyman describes the Mets’ chance of signing Oliver Perez as "remote for now." He names other "potential suitors" – the Brewers, Dodgers, Reds, and perhaps Mariners.
- Apparently some Yankees people wouldn’t mind if Andy Pettitte passed on their $10MM offer, as they’d be able to pursue Ben Sheets or Derek Lowe.
- The Red Sox "looked into" trading for Zack Greinke but didn’t like the price.
- Heyman says the Reds, Braves, and Rays are still showing interest in Jermaine Dye.
- He says the Dodgers, White Sox, and Mets "could be possibilities" for Jon Garland. A return to Chicago?
Peavy-Boston Possibility
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe discusses the possibility of Jake Peavy being traded to the Red Sox:
The Red Sox have "some" interest in Peavy, but as of a few days ago the teams had not entertained any substantive trade talks as Padres GM Kevin Towers knew that Boston was not on Peavy’s wish list. But now that talks with Atlanta and the Cubs have broken down, Towers needs a new team to deal with and the 27-year-old Peavy, according to his agent, Barry Axelrod, probably would OK a deal to Boston. But if there’s a Mark Teixeira splash, the Red Sox might not have the money to entertain it.
Padres CEO Sandy Alderson recently said the team is no longer actively pursuing a Peavy trade, but left the door open in case a team approaches them. While the Red Sox easily have the young pitching to get it done, they’d also have the leverage to shoot for a bargain in a trade with San Diego. Kevin Towers has historically been Theo Epstein’s most frequent trade partner, but keep in mind that Peavy is in control.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Teixeira, Markakis, Johnson
We have a new column from Ken Rosenthal this evening.
- Mark Teixeira is holding up many areas of the free agent market, as guys like Brian Fuentes and Milton Bradley know the Angels will be interested if Tex signs elsewhere.
- Rosenthal believes the Yankees should continue to be aggressive and make a competitive bid for Teixeira.
- The "poor working conditions and occasionally unruly crowd behavior" make it hard for the A’s to attract free agents. Their move in 2012 should help.
- Rosenthal believes Chase Utley‘s seven year, $85MM deal could provide a framework for a Nick Markakis extension.
- The A’s will wait for free agent bargains now that they’ve lost Rafael Furcal.
- The Red Sox and Mets are the main suitors for Derek Lowe, with the Yankees less likely.
- The Braves have been shopping Kelly Johnson for an outfielder. Attempts to acquire Ryan Ludwick or Corey Hart did not work out.
19 Teams Interested In Joe Nelson
There’s a good chance your favorite team has inquired on free agent reliever Joe Nelson. MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro learned that Nelson’s agent has received inquiries from 19 teams. A few teams have topped a $1MM in their offer. The known suitors: the Royals, Cardinals, Red Sox, Braves, Rays, and Mets. Nelson is hoping to sign before Christmas.
On Friday, the Marlins made the thrifty decision to non-tender Nelson, a positive development for the 34 year-old reliever. He hasn’t ruled out the Marlins, but a return doesn’t seem likely.
Mark Teixeira Rumors: Wednesday
2:15pm: Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun talked to Orioles president Andy MacPhail, who reminded that the Orioles have flexibility with their offer.
10:46am: Nick Cafardo talked to a GM for one of the five teams in the Teixeira bidding who believes the Red Sox are in the lead. So…was it Andy MacPhail, Jim Bowden, Brian Cashman, or Tony Reagins?
9:54am: According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Orioles have not improved their initial offer to Mark Teixeira. The Red Sox, Angels, and Nationals have higher bids on the table. Olney’s source believes Teixeira would have to "really, really want to play there" to take Baltimore’s offer.
Based on the most recent reports, the Red Sox appear to be at eight years, the Nationals at eight years, $160MM, and Angels at eight years and at least $160MM, and the Orioles at seven years in the $140-150MM range. I’m guessing a ninth year and an opt-out clause will be two of the biggest factors when it’s all said and done.
Odds and Ends: Ponson, Pie, Dohmann
Links for Wednesday…
- Check out the recent minor league transactions, always some familiar names.
- Scott Erickson‘s wife talks about his comeback bid.
- The Red Sox have had "early-stage conversations" about an extension for Kevin Youkilis.
- The Phillies invited ten players to Spring Training and signed a bunch of minor league free agents. The Royals invited four, including Lenny DiNardo and Oscar Villarreal.
- Roch Kubatko suggests the Orioles should try to acquire Ryan Garko.
- Curt Schilling weighs in on Mark Teixeira‘s options.
- Dayton Moore still doesn’t sound willing to trade Zack Greinke.
- Peter Schmuck and Craig Calcaterra discuss the Sidney Ponson case, which could have a significant impact on the game.
- RotoAuthority looks at the current top fantasy draft picks at each position.
- Gordon Wittenmyer expects Felix Pie to be traded.
- Cesar Izturis‘ contract is actually for two years and $5MM guaranteed, plus incentives.
- John Fay looks at options for a right-handed bat for the Reds.
- Reliever Scott Dohmann is headed to Japan on a $650K deal plus incentives.
- Chris Capuano can earn over $3MM this year based on incentives.
- Willie Bloomquist hasn’t received an offer yet, and he doesn’t expect to return to Seattle.
Updated Diagnosis For Rocco Baldelli
WEDNESDAY: Baldelli told Marc Topkin that more sophisticated tests have revealed "his condition is a less-severe and treatable channelopathy."
TUESDAY: From Ken Bell of ABC6 out of Rhode Island:
Great news for Rocco Baldelli. A visit to the Cleveland Clinic last week revealed that doctors had misdiagnosed his illness. Baldelli missed much of last season, and when he did play, he was limited because of extreme fatigue. Doctors thought it was mitochondrial disorder, which can be fatal. The Baldelli family told me tonight that the Cleveland Clinic diagnosed his condition as channelopathy, a non-progressive, highly treatable disease.
Bell adds that the Red Sox have not contacted Baldelli, who is a free agent. The story is also being reported by WPRI 12 out of Rhode Island.