Teixeira Announcement Expected Today
1:32pm: Heyman now has the Yanks in "deep discussions" with Tex; he says they’ve stepped up their efforts in recent hours.
1:02pm: Jon Heyman says the Yankees are still in it – they’re "talking seriously with Teixeira’s people." He agrees that a decision could be made as soon as this afternoon.
12:42pm: Danny Knobler believes it’s down to the Nationals and Red Sox. His sources say Teixeira hasn’t decided yet but is expected to make up his mind today.
12:08pm: Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has the Nationals at nine years, $180MM and the Red Sox at eight years and around $170MM.
10:55am: Chico Harlan of the Washington Post talked to a Nationals spokesman who is not aware of any plans for an announcement today regarding Teixeira. WEEI’s Alex Speier notes that it is not a lock that Teixeira signs by Christmas.
10:28am: Buster Olney and Peter Gammons say Teixeira’s decision is "seemingly imminent." The journalists say the Orioles’ negotiations for Tex "appear dormant." They suggest the Yankees are lurking in case Boras offers Teixeira to them at a discount (or perhaps just to drive up the price for Boston).
10:20am: According to Thom Loverro of the Washington Times, "there will be an announcement today regarding the future of free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira." Loverro says there are strong indications the Red Sox will be the victor, though it’s unclear whether those indications are based on inside information.
We learned from Roch Kubatko yesterday evening that the Nationals upped their bid to $178-184MM over eight years (Jim Williams says $178-183MM).
Odds and Ends: Boras, Wigginton, Burrell
Tuesday linkage…
- Changed my mind on the chat…we will not be holding it at 2pm today. The time/day of the chat is TBD.
- Here’s a list of the largest contracts in baseball history. You can see why Scott Boras would want Teixeira to reach $190MM.
- Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times notes that aside from Felipe Lopez, all of Boras’ free agent clients are unsigned.
- Peter Abraham explains the Yankees’ large luxury tax.
- The Reds have yet to open talks with Aaron Miles, Ty Wigginton, and Pat Burrell. Talks are ongoing with Jerry Hairston Jr. and Willy Taveras, though Walt Jocketty is not making much progress with Rocco Baldelli.
Olney’s Latest: Lyon, Cabrera, Castillo
The latest from ESPN’s Buster Olney.
- Olney says the Brewers "might take a look at" free agent reliever Brandon Lyon, who’s been linked in other reports to the Twins and Red Sox. It’s been reported that Lyon seeks a multiyear deal and may wait until Brian Fuentes signs. Nick Piecoro suggested that one unknown Lyon suitor views him as a starter.
- Olney says the Brewers will probably reach out to Trevor Hoffman, and the Dodgers will also take a look. He adds that the Dodgers will not attempt to re-sign Derek Lowe despite his sinking price tag.
- The Dodgers turned back to Rafael Furcal after realizing Orlando Cabrera had an asking price close to the amount Furcal signed for. The market for Cabrera seems weak, perhaps since he will cost a draft pick. Cabrera signing with the Dodgers would’ve been ideal for the White Sox, who would’ve swiped L.A.’s #17 draft pick in June.
- Olney says the Mets continue to attempt to unload Luis Castillo, who has $18MM left on his deal.
- Interesting note: "For the first time in recent memory, the Yankees’ offices will be closed in the week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day — one of the signs of the more measured leadership of Hal Steinbrenner."
Mark Teixeira Rumors: Monday
8:07pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says baseball people expect Teixeira to sign before Thursday. Rival execs see the Red Sox as the favorite. The Orioles and Nationals remain engaged; the Yankees are the wild card. Heyman says the Yanks would only want to spend slightly more than the $161MM they committed to C.C. Sabathia.
7:20pm: Roch Kubatko of MASN Online learned from multiple sources that the Nationals "have sweetened their proposal to Teixeira, offering him an eight-year deal worth $178-184MM." He’s been told they’re willing to go nine years and there’s been talk of ten.
9:02am: ESPN’s Buster Olney sums up the Mark Teixeira situation in his blog today. Olney says Teixeira’s "leverage has probably maxed out, and now only runs the risk of being diminished." The status of the involved teams:
- Angels: out of the running.
- Yankees: Olney says they initially made an offer that was markedly less than other teams, and have since withdrawn it.
- Orioles: Olney says they’re at seven years, $140MM (as opposed to the $140-150MM range we’ve seen reported). Offer has not been upgraded.
- Nationals: eight years, $160MM based on published reports. Olney is not sure whether the Nats have raised this offer but heard from confidants of "one high-ranking executive" that they have not. Olney’s Nationals sources expressed pessimism about their chances.
- Joe Posnanski: out of the bidding.
- Red Sox: Were willing to do $170-175MM when they flew out to meet Teixeira and Scott Boras; "might be nudged to $180MM." We know that the Red Sox did not pull their offer, but haven’t spoken to Boras since Thursday night.
- Olney wonders: will Boras shoot for $190MM with the intent of topping Derek Jeter‘s $189MM? If he tops it, Boras would secure the third-largest contract in MLB history for Teixeira (with his Alex Rodriguez deals taking the first two slots).
Impacto Deportivo Manny Report
5:02pm: Hal Steinbrenner denies the report as well, says Kat O’Brien. She says no offer is on the table for Manny. Interestingly, O’Brien said she’s heard the names Pat Burrell and Jason Giambi mentioned for the Yankees.
3:34pm: Impactivo Deportivo sticks to its guns despite the Cashman denial.
MONDAY, 8:27am: MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch asked Yankees GM Brian Cashman about this report. Cashman responded: "Not true."
SUNDAY, 10:53pm: According to a report in the Dominican newspaper Impacto Deportivo, the Yankees are on the verge of signing Manny Ramirez to a three-year, $75MM deal. The report says negotiations are advanced and an announcement would take place Monday or Tuesday. If true, this would be an incredible scoop. However, there is reason for skepticism. The money and timing just don’t seem right.
A look at Impacto Deportivo’s recent history:
- 11/24/08: Reported the Braves as the mystery team in on Rafael Furcal, offering four years and $52MM. The offer was inaccurate, but they did nail the mystery team.
- 11/12/08: Correctly scooped the Damaso Marte signing.
- 2/21/08: Incorrectly indicated the White Sox reached an agreement with Bartolo Colon. Also incorrect on a similar rumor involving the Royals.
- 1/21/08: Correctly scooped the Octavio Dotel signing.
- 11/18/07: Correctly scooped the Luis Castillo signing.
Yankees Sign Chien-Ming Wang
According to a press release, the Yankees signed arbitration-eligible starter Chien-Ming Wang for 2009. Wang is under team control through the 2011 season. River Ave. Blues notes that the two sides went to a hearing about $600K last year, and the Yankees’ victory continues to pay off.
Odds and Ends: Napoli, Schilling, Bradley
Links for Monday, to be updated as more come in.
- RotoAuthority suggests Mike Napoli could be a top five catcher in fantasy baseball next year with enough playing time.
- Curt Schilling gives his thoughts on agents.
- Geoff Baker thinks Milton Bradley would be a good fit for the Mariners.
- River Ave. Blues likes Gabe Kapler for the Yankees.
- Nationals pitcher Collin Balester calls it – World Series sweep if they sign Mark Teixeira. Balester keeps a blog here, check it out.
Mark Teixeira Rumors: Sunday
11:37pm: Kat O’Brien and Ken Davidoff have a new column up. They say that despite John Henry’s Thursday statement, the Red Sox did not pull their $170-180MM offer. The Yankees have not made an offer; they’re debating it internally.
6:18pm: The Angels confirmed to Mike DiGiovanna that they’ve pulled their offer and are no longer pursuing Teixeira.
6:02pm: Brown, who seemingly had the Angels’ withdrawn offer scoop first, has more. He says Arte Moreno decided that Tex did not intend to play for the Angels and were being used to drive up the price.
Brown also learned that the Red Sox have not spoken to Boras since Thursday night.
5:15pm: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Angels withdrew their offer to Teixeira. He says the Angels’ decision "appears more final" than Boston’s "not going to be a factor" statement. Rosenthal believes the Angels offered around $160MM over eight years, but Tex wants to be on the East Coast. Tim Brown says the Halos will not re-enter the bidding for Teixeira.
1:56pm: A few Mark Teixeira notes from Buster Olney’s blog this morning:
Olney talked to someone who talked to a member of the Nationals’ front office. The word is that the Nationals "absolutely do not expect to win the bidding for Teixeira."
Olney also heard that the Yankees did make an offer to Tex at some point, but it’s now off the table. Kat O’Brien explains that Scott Boras is trying to bring the Yankees into the bidding, and their front office is divided.
Dan Graziano says Teixeira is "as on-board with the Boras plan as any client he’s ever had besides his ultimate client, Alex Rodriguez." Stan McNeal offers a Boras translation machine at Sporting News.
Murray Chass: Furcal, Sabathia, Lowe, Teixeira
Murray Chass has a nice Sunday post covering some of the biggest names in the game. Let’s take a look:
- Chass summarizes the Rafael Furcal fiasco nicely, and explains the potential legal hazards that refusing to work with the Wasserman group could lead to.
- Brian Cashman has said that his refusal to trade for Johan Santana last year was because the Yankees knew C.C. Sabathia was going to be a free agent this year. Chass looks at their numbers side-by-side and points explains how by not trading for Santana, the Yankees risked missing out on both aces.
- The Mets are very interested in Derek Lowe, but not his pricetag. Boras wants similar money to Barry Zito – about $18MM per season – for the 35-year-old Lowe. The Mets also like Oliver Perez, but he’s another Boras client with a big price tag. The Mets don’t want to add another big contract.
- Is there really a team with a $200MM+ offer on the table for Mark Teixeira? Chass isn’t so sure. It seems that Boras always has a "mystery team" in on the negotiations, but his client never seems to sign there… Don’t count the Red Sox out just yet.
Odds & Ends: Webb, Mitsui, Burnett
Some links for the afternoon…
- Nick Piecoro looks at the Brandon Webb situation. The D’Backs ace is eligible for free agency after the 2010 season.
- NPB Tracker says Koji Mitsui may require a Major League deal to come to the States.
- Ted Berg interviewed Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. Newman takes a look at Koji Uehara, Kenshin Kawakami, Ken Takahashi, and Mitsui. They’ve all been linked to the Mets.
- George A. King III from the NY Post looks at whether or not A.J. Burnett will be able to handle the Yankee spotlight.
- Tim did an interview with Kevin Seefried from 6 Pound 8 Ounce Baby Joba, covering many topics related to the AL East.
- RotoAuthority analyzes some of the most undervalued players in Fantasy Baseball coming into the 2008 season.