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Mark Teixeira Rumors: Monday

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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  • Yankees: Olney says they initially made an offer that was markedly less than other teams, and have since withdrawn it.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).

How Will The Angels Spend Their Money?

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12:02pm: Boras gave a prepared statement regarding the Angels and Tex, saying that the player’s interest has been sincere.  Boras left the door open for the Angels, but why wouldn’t he?

11:28am: So the Angels are out of the running for Mark Teixeira.  Now what?  They’ve re-signed Juan Rivera, making Manny Ramirez a "reach" according to Jerry Crasnick’s source.  Mike DiGiovanna has suggestions:

The Angels…could also look to bolster their offense by pursuing a free-agent outfielder such as Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell, Adam Dunn, or, possibly, Manny.  Or, they could look to trade for a hitter such as Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko, Garrett Atkins or Joey Votto.  They will probably use some of the money budgeted for Teixeira to sign closer Brian Fuentes, who is seeking a three-year, $30-million deal and has said that the Angels are his first choice.

Votto seems a long shot to be traded.  Acquiring Dye or Atkins would require young pitching the Halos may not be able to spare.  Adding another outfielder would not be ideal, with Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Hunter, Rivera, and Gary Matthews Jr. in the mix for those three spots and the DH spot.  Still, it could be done.  Burrell or Dunn can at least play some first base.  The Konerko idea seems reasonable, if he’d approve the trade.

Mark Teixeira Rumors: Sunday

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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.

Olney: Latest On Fuentes

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Buster Olney has an update on the future of Brian Fuentes. Fuentes will likely not be receiving the three-year, $30MM deal he was recently hoping for, says Olney, and could expect something closer to $15-18MM over the same three year period.

Olney looks at ten teams that could end up with Fuentes, with the St. Louis Cardinals at the top of the list (although it’s not quite clear that the ten teams are ranked on likelihood of acquiring the free agent). The Cardinals have been linked to Fuentes quite often this offseason, but are perhaps waiting for the price to come down on the free agent.

The Angels and Brewers are also mentioned; both these teams will need to replace their 2008 closers. Slightly more puzzling is Olney’s inclusion of the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.

Alex Walsh can be reached at alexwalshatmlbtr@gmail.com.

Mark Teixeira Rumors: Saturday

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11:01pm: Michael S. Schmidt at the New York Times writes:

"The Yankees are interested in signing Teixeira, according to two people in baseball with knowledge of the matter, but for the moment are unwilling to pay him more than $160 million over eight years, one of them said."

10:18pm: An update from Kat O’Brien at Newsday says "the Yankees remain on the periphery of the bidding" for Teixeira.

Scott Boras has apparently contacted Brian Cashman to inform him that an 8-year/$180MM contract would be needed to land Tex. This contradicts recent reports that estimate that the Boston Red Sox have made such an offer, since they have not signed the free agent yet.

The article also reiterates the fact that the Yankees do not have an offer out to Teixeira.

6:50pm: Lyle Spencer and Bill Ladson of MLB.com report that Teixeira will decide on where to sign in the next few days. 

12:49pm: Jack Curry of the New York Times examines Boras’ "patient, defiant style" and suggests the Red Sox are throwing it right back at him.

Roch Kubatko talks about how Washington’s Ted Lerner is the one owner who could blow the other teams away with a Teixeira offer.  Many people seem to believe they’re willing to go to ten years, $200MM.  Bill Madden suggests Lerner could be this year’s "One Dumb Owner."

9:24am: Yesterday we tracked the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes as the Red Sox seemed to back out, but ultimately remained interested; the rumors continue today.

Jon Heyman writes that talks have resumed between Scott Boras and the Yankees and Angels. The Yankee front office is still deciding which slugger to pursue: Teixeira or Manny Ramirez. Heyman sees signs that "the Angels might be readying for a move," since owner Arte Moreno could consider boosting his bid from the $160-170MM range.

Heyman hears that the Red Sox bid close to $180MM, but ESPN.com reports that their bid was $165-170MM. ESPN heard from an "executive familiar with the meeting" between Teixeira’s people and the Red Sox that Scott Boras seeks an eight-year deal worth $195MM.

However, when Jerry Crasnick asked Boras about this figure, he heard it was "inaccurate" and that there was "very limited discussion of economic considerations" Thursday night.

Adam Kilgore heard from a GM involved with Teixeira who believes "the Red Sox have the best offer on the table."

Michael Silverman thinks the Red Sox need to go all out for Tex and Peter Schmuck doesn’t want a few million dollars to stop the O’s from signing him.

Another Manny Update From Feinsand

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SATURDAY, 5:47pm: Mark Feinsand reports:

"Manny Ramirez has told friends that he is confident the Yankees will offer him a contract of at least three years."

Earlier this week we clarified that Manny has yet to receive any offer from the Yanks, as far as we can tell.

As this evening’s article states, where Ramirez ends up is largely contingent upon the upcoming Mark Teixeira signing. The Angels, Yankees and Dodgers are on the short list of bidders for Ramirez’ services.

THURSDAY: On Wednesday, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News relayed thoughts from a baseball official who believed the Yankees are willing to give Manny Ramirez a three-year deal worth $22-25MM per.  So this is a likely non-Yankees baseball person giving an opinion.  Feinsand added that two other officials were skeptical that the Yankees would offer three years.

Today, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wrote:  "The New York Daily News has already reported the Yankees have a three-year, $66 million offer out to Manny."

As far as I can tell, the New York Daily News did not report that the Yankees made a three-year offer or any offer to Ramirez.  If they did, please send me the link and I’ll put it up!

Gammons’ Latest: Teixeira, Cameron, Montero

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The latest blog post from ESPN’s Peter Gammons is up.

  • Gammons talked to a source close to Mark Teixeira who says Tex and the Red Sox are not that far apart.
  • The Yankees backed off on the Mike Cameron trade because Melky Cabrera is showing improved plate discipline in winter ball (his walk rate is up, though it’s only 15 games).  Additionally, Brett Gardner has believers in the organization.
  • The Diamondbacks were unwilling to trade catcher Miguel Montero to the Red Sox for Daniel Bard, while the Sox wouldn’t part with Michael Bowden.  Gammons says it hasn’t been seriously discussed but wonders if the Red Sox would eat the $22MM owed to Eric Byrnes to get Montero.
  • One part of the post that is getting attention is when Gammons names a bunch of things "we don’t know," implying that he suspects these things are possible.  For example: "We don’t know whether the Red Sox will decide not to pony up and sign Teixeira or whether there really might be a three-way deal among the White Sox, Angels and Reds that would put Jermaine Dye in Cincinnati, Joey Votto in Anaheim and Chone Figgins in Chicago."  So, not quite a trade rumor here.  The Reds would, of course, want more for Votto if he’s even available.  When this semi-rumor makes the rounds it must be discussed in the proper context – the paragraph’s theme was things we don’t know are accurate.

Angels Agree To Terms With Juan Rivera

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2:44pm: The AP reports Rivera’s three-year deal is worth $12.75MM.  It might turn out OK if Rivera is able to hit .300 to push his OBP to an acceptable range.

FRIDAY, 1:49pm: ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick says Rivera has agreed to a three-year contract with the Angels.  Three years seems excessive, but we don’t know the money yet.  Does this take the Halos out of the mix for Manny Ramirez?

THURSDAY, 10:37pm: According to Yahoo’s Tim Brown, the Angels are nearing a three-year agreement with free agent outfielder Juan Rivera. 

Brown says the Halos are pursuing other free agents as well and operating as if Mark Teixeira will sign with the Red Sox.  GM Tony Reagins has talked to the agents for Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell, and Adam Dunn, but not Milton Bradley.  The Angels may also sign a closer, and Brian Fuentes makes sense.

Odds and Ends: Abreu, Millwood, Wigginton

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Links for Thursday…

Rosenthal’s Latest: Teixeira, Markakis, Johnson

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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.
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