TwitterDecision Due?
23 Dec 2008
SI.com wording is now: "…reached an agreement in pricincple…"
DOUBLE UPDATE: Heyman now says the Yankees are on the verge of signing Teixeira. He makes it sound like a virtual done deal. 8 years, $180mm with a FULL no-trade clause. ESPN is reporting it too now, although nothing official.
UPDATE: Jon Heyman at SI says the Yankees have entered the fray and are in deep discussions. This could be Scott Boras using Heyman as a puppet or they are really going to make a push and commit over $400mm over the next 8 season on 3 players. If indeed the Yankees are in the mix, a decision today would seem less likely.
Word is out that Mark Teixeira and Scott Boras will bless us all with their decision today. Apparently it is between the Red Sox and the Nationals.
My take: If the Red Sox land him, great, he is a welcome addition to the line-up, especially with the health of David Ortiz and Mike Lowell in question. If he signs with the Nats, then the Red Sox probably dodged a bullet as why would anyone want to play for the Nationals? I’m not knocking the city or the people there, just the fact that, at least in the short term, the are not going to be competitive.
If a player takes 3% or 4% more money and does care about the team, that says a bit about that player.
We shall see.
Dec 23, 2008 @ 15:38:05
while I would like the Sox to have Tex, the Yanks getting him still doesn’t make them a lock on improvement. Lots of stats to be replaced, from Moose to Giambi to Pettitte.
While I remain a proponent of Tex, his time here in Atlanta was unimpressive. Stats were ok, but he did it in non critical situations. I wonder if the dimensions of Yankee Stadium will be his savior and make him even better than the stats show.
Dec 23, 2008 @ 15:43:38
BL, while I fully understand that much is still in the air, I couldn’t disagree more. Tex is a tremendous player and for a team that has gone without a real first basement for as many years as the Yankees have, he will be a revelation.
Dec 23, 2008 @ 16:34:30
agreed, but he will be an on-base upgrade for sure. If the new stadium is similar for lefties he will have monster stats.
I still don’t know if he is a winner or not, some players don’t exude winning. Jeter exudes it, somebody like Sheff did not.
so far I don’t believe Tex does. He had great stats and was believed to have a huge series against the sox but he didn’t knock in runs when they needed them. Same as in Atlanta.
An upgrade over Swisher and Giambi (LY)? For sure. Good signing if you win it.
I never thought he was worth the money he gets. Like many, I hate the money thrown around at these guys…
Dec 23, 2008 @ 16:52:23
the more I think about this signing I wonder if baseball needs to add a 2nd wildcard to each league.
btw – it could be said that the Yankees are “going back to the future” so to speak. 1980′s moves of signing the biggest and best free agents to build the team could be here again…
couldn’t resist
Dec 23, 2008 @ 19:07:58
BL,
I don’t follow your comment about the 2nd wildcard. How does the signing of Texeira lead you to that conclusion?
Dec 23, 2008 @ 19:32:02
BL- I can’t help but wonder, how much of this is because he signed with the Yankees?
I totally agree that these guys get paid way, way too much, but you praised Teixeira for years on this site, what has changed?
(and as for the 1980′s they didn’t sign the best free agents, they just kept trading away young guys and signing crappy players (not Winfield) However, 2002-03 you could make the case they did the same thing as now when they signed Matsui and Contreras)
Dec 23, 2008 @ 21:16:52
2nd wildcard was because the Yankees/Rays/Sox are the three best teams in the AL, all three cannot make the playoffs unfortunately.
Before the Tex signing, the Yankees lineup was nowhere near what it has been in recent years. Now, they have one more guy that gets on base a ton and does it both with average and walks.
I still praise Tex, just don’t like the price no matter who signed him. I also have doubted him based on what I saw of him in Atlanta relative to that high salary.
Is he a great player at $15m by today’s standards? Yep. Would I have been pissed if the sox ended up with him at $23 or whatever per year?
Yep, for overpaying. Manny wasn’t overpaid for his time in Boston. He produced repeatedly in the clutch and struck fear in opposition.
Tex isn’t in that class no matter the stat lines. $15m per year, great move, great player to have. At the salary Boras got for him I don’t like the deal for any team.
Kind of deal that will inflate players salaries for years to come.