Yankees Lose Teixeira

The New York Yankees are on their last leg in the American League Championship Series, and if they mount a comeback, it will be without first baseman Mark Teixeira. Teixeira suffered a strained right hamstring Tuesday and will be removed from the roster Wednesday, making him ineligible for the rest of the postseason. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said the team plans on adding infielder Eduardo Nunez to the roster for Game Five.

This news seems bad, but to be honest he has been playing like shit for most of the playoffs, so they might be better off with Lance Berkman at first base. For someone who is supposed to be the best 1st baseman in AL Teixeira is very streaky, and that's not good when you go cold for the playoffs.

DP and I were talking about our 5 most hated players in all of sports (currently playing). It took me awhile, but I think there are 3 Yankees on my list.

1. Lebron
2. A-Rod
3. Joba
4. Teixeira
5. Favre

Come on Texas 1 more!!!

Red Sox 2 Yankees 5

Well at least we can say that this is over. The Sox had 6 important games in a row against the Rays and Yankees, and what do they do? Drop all 6 of course. Right now the Sox look like a ship with holes in it. One day it's the hitting, then next the bullpen, and even if you get both of those going the starting pitching blows up in your face.

Last night the Sox once again had trouble scoring runs. The Sox had not scored in 31 innings. That was finally broken when V-Mart went deep to put the Sox up 2-1. Lester was amazing last night, but it was the bullpen that did them in. Bard came in for the 8th inning and let up 2 bombs to Teixeira and Damon (back-to-back). So, the Sox took him out and put in old reliable Okajima, but he wasn't much better letting up 2 runs on a single by Nick Swisher, who is becoming quickly one of my least favorite players in the MLB.

Like I said before Boston looks like a sinking ship. They get some good starts out of their pitchers and they are wasting it. The only way this is going to be turned around is if players like Bay and Ortiz wake the fuck up, because right now the Sox are looking like a team of guys who can't get past 1st base.

With the loss the Sox are now 6 1/2 games behind the Yankees for 1st place in the AL East, and are tied with the Rangers for the Wild Card spot.

Garza Hit Teixeira On Purpose

"Tampa Bay's Matt Garza hit New York Yankees slugger Mark Teixeira with a fifth-inning pitch Wednesday night, then said he did it because he's tired of opposing pitchers throwing at Rays All-Star Evan Longoria. "They can take whatever they want from it from it, but I just kind of got tired of people brushing him back. It's about time someone made a statement," Garza said, noting that Longoria was hit by a pitch in the opener of the three-game series on Monday night. "I hate to be that guy, but someone had to take a stand and say we're tired of it," the right-hander added. "You can go after our best guy. Well, we'll make some noise, too, and that's what happened (ESPN)."

Good for you Garza. Pitchers should stand up for their players, and that is exactly what Garza did here. I have always liked Garza. He is only 25 years old, and I feel like he is just going to get better and better. You know the Yankees are going to answer again for this, but it is worth it in the end, because if the Rays are going to get back into the AL East race they are going to need that "us vs. the world" mentality.

If you want to see the video you can watch it on ESPN (HERE) .

DC Meet Mr. Lars Anderson

There is not a lot of news today, so I thought it would be a good idea to introduce you to a future cornerstone of the Red Sox organization. I believe that in the 2010 season Lars Anderson will be the Red Sox starting first baseman (Youk sliding to 3rd). Here is why...

- He fits the mold of exactly what the Red Sox like in a player. A young (21 years old) guy who finds a way to get on base. He has on OBP of .404 in the minors, and is known for his plate disipline throughout the minor leagues, and it is not all walks as he hit well against righties (.302) and lefties (.307).

- He has the power the Red Sox will be looking for as Big Papi begans to slide. He has the ability to his 35+ HRs a year. Would a nice 3-4-5 hitter for the Sox.

- His defense is what will keep him in the minors for at least another year, but even that is said to be at least average compare to most MLB first basemen.

Here are some comments from Red Sox Farm Director Mike Hazen:

"We're happy with the progress that he's made. He's always shown the ability to hit from the day he walked into the organization. He's continued to improve in his discipline and his ability to drive the ball. He's also made strides defensively, so there's a lot of things to like here. He's somebody we're very excited about (MLB.com)."

Also, ESPN just ranked him the 7th best minor league prospect.

In short, this will be another great player that the Sox have held on to, and it will pay dividends for them, much like Lester, Youk, Pedroia, Ellsbury (?), Lowrie (?), ect. I am real excited about this kid, and I just wanted to make sure he is on everyone's radar.

Buzzkillington

Salt in the wound???

"The whole process was confusing. Sometimes I'd tell Scott to stop calling me, then I'd call him five times a day saying, 'Tell me what you know!' Two weeks before Christmas, I talked to [my wife] Leigh about it again, and we kind of decided that, hey, the Yankees are where we want to be. Cash [Brian Cashman] might want to give Leigh a hug, because when I asked her during the process, 'Where should I go, where should I go?,' she'd always say, 'I just want you to be happy.' Finally she said, 'I want you to be a Yankee,' and it was a done deal. Once we got the contract figured out, it was a no-brainer for me (Boston.com)."

LET THE HATRED BEGIN!!!!!!!!!!!


-BMack

Mark-Mark and the Well-Paid Bunch

"%&$#* the Yankees!!!"

"Screw Steinbrenner and all his money!!!"

Sound familiar?

The same curses rampant in New England households yesterday were just as popular back in 2004 when Alex Rodriguez was introduced as a Yankee. We were pissed. I'm just as pissed about the Mark Teixeira deal. I can't wait to boo him next year and buy a clever T-Shirt degrading him because it's my duty as a fan.

My fan-hood aside, after some reflection, I've realized that our boys got beat at a game the Yankees are much better at. This is what they do: outbid teams. Any Red Sox fan who didn't think this could happen had their head in the sand...err ice I mean.

OK. I agree with you. Teixeira signing with the Yankees was worst-case scenario. I was not happy upon hearing about the deal and bemoaned the fact that this was a major opportunity lost. At the same time, if you know baseball and how the Bronx Bombers operate then this wasn't necessarily the most surprising news.

Who thought he wasn't this hired gun who would take the biggest deal put in front of him? He had no allegiances to the Red Sox and, for good reason, had the show-me-the-money mindset.

Now that the player we were all drooling over for the past month or so is in pin stripes it's time to face the facts, people. The Yankees are the most talented team in the American League as of right now and, on paper, will continue to be for the next 3 or so years. Let's also give credit where credit is due. They had a plan to reload, even if the way they did it was in excess.

This is the first time since they have had top-flight pitchers in their primes since the late '90s. Their rotation of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Chien-Ming Wang, Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes is most likely the deepest in baseball. Burnett is the only one who would scare me as a New York fan. He has yet to prove he can win a meaningful game and has a laundry list of injuries. Not hamstring injuries but elbow injuries that could flush the Yanks' investment down the drain. For the record, I'm not saying this because I don't like the Yankees (which is true, of course) but because the Marlins are my second-favorite team and they won a World Series without him in 2003. Not a coincidence.

They've had formerly great pitchers who hadn't been worth their salaries in years such as Kevin Brown, Randy Johnson, Mike Mussina (until last year) and Jaret Wright. Oops. Just kidding. Jaret Wright never really had a prime, did he?

My point is that not only are the Yankees spending an egregious amount of cash but they are spending it on players who can actually get them to the World Series on a consistent basis. Teixeira is a far better signing than Jason Giambi was after the 2001 season. As I've said before, he has no flaws and will be a great fit anywhere he goes. It was evident a guy like Giambi was a DH in waiting and even back then there were whispers of steroids.

There is another aspect of these signings to think about. I would compare their 2008 off season to the Celtics' of 2007. They are "going for it" and have about a 3 to 4 year window to do so. The difference is the Celtics have the likes of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce signed only for the duration of that championship window. The Yankees are on the books for CC Sabathia and Teixeira for long after that.

Obviously I'd be far more concerned about Sabathia down the road than Teixeira due to his penchant for staying at the dinner table too long but Teixeira won't have the same type of value as a 33-year-old. He is obviously a great player but I think he'll be a 25-homerun, 100 RBI type player by then. The deal is basically what the Braves did with Chipper Jones, who evolved into that kind of player, on steroids. Even as a Sox fan I know the latter half of the deal would've been too much money for a great-turned-good player.

The Yankees did pretty much everything right in terms of personnel this off season. You, nor I, should be complaining about their deep pockets. Notice I haven't conceded the East to the Yanks yet, just that they are the most talented team in the division. The Devil Rays proved last year that the amount of cash spent doesn't always translate to a deep playoff run. The Bombers have spent money in this manner before but on the wrong guys. It seems as though this time they've gotten it right.

I'll be checking back later with a Celtics-Lakers preview.

My TeixQueera Thought

Yesterday I went on the record by saying Mark TeixQueera is a scumbag and I didn't want him on the team(this is before the Yanks got him.)A lot of you called me foolish. Now all I have to say is:

Teixeira Opts for Pinstripes

According to Buster Olney of ESPN, Teixeira has chosen the Yankees. The deal is said to be 170 million over 8 years. Average annual value of 21.25 mil per year.

I can't really say I'm shocked by this. The Angels and Red Sox pulled out, it was highly unlikely he was going to DC and the Yankees never really said much of anything. They went out of their way to deny the Manny rumors but didn't offer much on Tex. Sly on their part.

I'm looking forward to this season more than ever now. If the Yanks can't win 110 games with their lineup as presently constituted, it will be one colossal failure.

I'm sure they'll be more later as the details emerge. Stay tuned.



BMack Reaction:


Well I am been following this story for weeks now, and I wish I had better news.The Yankees got him. They now have the top 4 highest paid players in the MLB. It took me about 15 mins to digest this, but now I am starting to think straight and here is where I stand....

- Ok I am not going to throw a fit, and say there should be a salary cap, but I think everyone can agree this is getting out of hand. No, I probably wouldn't complain if this was the Sox, but I would still agree there should be a salary cap, and salary min. The Yankees are 1 of 2 teams that go over the limit (the other is the Tigers), when is enough is enough, over 400 million on three players to a team that already is paying Jeter and ARod.

- Well pressure is on the Yankees they don't win it with the team they have Girardi should be shot.

- At least I have a reason to hate the Yankees again. I have kind of missed it, because lately they have been a joke, but now I have new life breathed into me for my undying hatred.

- DP was right with his post earlier...that is all I will say on that.

- Could Manny still be a Yankee? Ugh, my stomach just turned again.

- What do the Sox do now? Well I think they will do nothing, but if they do something it would most likely me signing Lowe, Sheets, or Smoltz to be the 5th starter. Will be interesting, but most liekly they will stick their young threesome of Buchholz, Bowden, and Masterson.

- Why the Fuck did the Yankees sign Swisher?????

-BMack

Teixeira Story Ends Today?

We are all sick of the reports, but I feel like I have an obligation to move this information along, so without comment here is what the Globe is saying:

"Has Mark Teixeira's day of decision finally arrived? Reports are starting to trickle out that free-agent slugger will announce his destination today, and at least one suggests the Red Sox will win the sweepstakes.

The Washington Times website reported early this afternoon that a major league baseball source told reporter Thom Loverro that there will be announcement today regarding the 28-year-old Teixeira's future.

The Globe's Nick Cafardo reports that league sources told him that the Nationals and Red Sox appear to be the finalists, pending a last-minute offer from the Yankees.

Cafardo says the Nationals are now offering nine years at $180 million, while the Red Sox have apparently not altered their offer of eight years at approximately $170 million. While the Red Sox' offer is at a higher annual value, the Nationals' offer of an extra year could be a factor (Boston Globe/Chad Finn)."

"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.... **UPDATE** Heyman now has the Yanks in "deep discussions" with Tex; he says they've stepped up their efforts in recent hours.
(Sportsline).


I don't know to believe, but that is the latest, so hopefully this will all end in the next 24 hours.

-BMack

You Know What? Fuck Teixeira!

I am officially starting the Fuck Teixeira smear campaign. This guy isn't on the team and that is the way I like it. I have never been a Mark Teixeira fan and I don't want him to be on the Sox. People worry about Papi's line up protection and the Sox lack of run production since Manny left, but I believe they will be fine. I don't want to pay 170-200 million for this ass. I know Boras is going to be looked at as the evil one in this, but Teixeira has a conscious too. I think the Sox should spend this money on re-signing Youkilis and then sign Holliday in the off-season. If Lowell is healthy, which I expect him to be, there is no reason to sign Teixeira. I hope he goes to the Nationals and rots in hell.

With that being said, Fuck Teixeira!

Daily Teixeira Update

With the Angels and Red Sox stepping out of the Teixeira race, the Nationals have upped their offer, some reports have it at 9-10 years $180 million. This obviously would beat the Sox offer (in terms of length. I really don't see him taking this offer, and being on a team that sucks for the next decade, but who knows when Bars is his agent. The only way I see Teixeira going to the nationals is if they give him an opted out option in year 3 or 4, but I don't think the Nationals are that stupid. If Teixeira doesn't take this offer in the next day or so, I think the Sox are right back in this race.

-BMack

MLB Rumors

Things are getting crazy in the MLB, here is a quick breakdown...

Andy Pettitte - Reports are that he will eventually sign back with the Yankees. No shock here, I think we all knew he is basically going to finish his career in pinstripes.

Jason Giambi - Not a big market for the former MVP. The only team that seems interested in him are the A's, but I think the market will really start to shape itself after Teixeira is signed. I wouldn't be surprised to see if the Angels go after him, if they really out of the Teixeira talks.

Mark Teixeira - As DP related earlier the Angels are out of the running for Mark Teixeira. I don't believe it, I think this is the teams (including Boston) way of saying enough is enough and Teixeira has to make up his mind of where he wants to play.

Manny Ramirez - The Yankees have denied that they offered Manny a 3 year deal. The Dodgers offered him a 2 year deal and he turned that down, but I think the Dodgers will step their offer up a year, and include a team option. Manny is looking for a 4 year deal worth around $100 million.

-BMack

Angels Now Out Of Teixeira Talks

I really think that Scott Boras is probably losing his mind. Now, both the Sox and the Angels are calling Boras' bluff and don't want anything to do with him. I guess that only leave Baltimore, the Nats and Maybe the Yankees to overpay for the Slugger.

I don't really know what to think of this all, and I can't give you a clear cut answer to which team he is going to, but if this turns into a trend than I think this will put the Sox back in front for him. 200 million for a player is way to much and Scott Boras and Mark Teixeira are both starting to look like assholes trying to get that much.

We'll keep you posted on this. I just hope this all gets resolved before X-Mas.

Daily Teixeira Update

"This may actually be more of a non-update, but here goes: Based on what Nick Cafardo and I have heard from sources around the league involved with Teixeira Mania (and what a quick trip around the internets suggests) the Red Sox remain a prominent – if not primary – factor in the race to sign the first baseman. Those monstrous offers John Henry referenced in his e-mail last night, it seems likely, are merely figments of Borasian negotiation. As Tony Massarotti explained in his edifying column this morning, the agent has done this before, and Henry may be (successfully) calling a bluff. Then again, the most definitive piece of information available is a statement made by the Red Sox owner saying “it seems clear we are not going to be a factor,” so it would seem premature to start calling the Red Sox favorites again (Boston Globe)."

I don't know what to think anymore, but this seems to fall in line with what I was saying yesterday. This "deal" that Boras said he got, that blew the Sox out of the water does not exist, so the Sox are calling his bluff. This could blow up in their face, and some other team could up their offer, and steal Teixeira, or the Sox will still have the best offer on the table and Boras will have to admit his defeat. The more I am reading, the more I like what the Sox are doing. Even if they don't get him, they had to put some kind of line in the sand, if not Boras would have them signing like a 10 year 250 million contract. You have to draw the line somewhere.

-BMack

Angels Sign Rivera / My Thoughts On Teixeira

"The Angels announced Friday that they have agreed with free-agent outfielder Juan Rivera on a three-year deal worth $12.75 million (MLB.com)."

Rivera is a solid outfielder, who had a really good 2nd half of the year in 2008. With Garrett Anderson still unsigned, Rivera could see a lot more playing time, which means he might be able to get back to the numbers he posted in 2006 (.310 with 23 home runs and 85 RBIs). It is a solid signing by the Angels, but Teixeira still remains their priority. I know Boston came out and said they are out of the Teixeira hunt, but I don't buy it. This is what I think happened...

Boston was ready to sign him to an 8 year $180 million deal, so they flew down to Texas to get it done. Boras pulled his normal shit, and said he got a better offer. The Red Sox got pissed, and called his bluff. If there is a better offer then Teixeira should be signed in the next day or so. If not, I think Boston is still the front runners (yea I still think he's coming to Boston, maybe I am crazy).

-BMack

Sox Out Of Tex Race

Thursday afternoon it looked as if the Boston Red Sox had taken strides toward completing a deal for first baseman Mark Teixeira, major league sources told ESPN.com.
But by Thursday night, Red Sox owner John Henry had sent an email to The Associated Press saying they had been outbid for Teixeira and "are not going to be a factor" in acquiring him.
"We met with Mr. Teixeira and were very much impressed with him," Henry told the Associated Press. "After hearing about his other offers, however, it seems clear that we are not going to be a factor."ESPN\

Fuck, Fuck, Fuck, Fuck. Bob convinced me we were going to get Mark Teixeira and I believed him until this dreadful morning. I don't know what to think of this. Part of me wants to think that this is just a ploy to scare Boras and the rest of the league. However, part of me thinks the Sox have just had enough of Scott Boras and don't want to have to pay 200 million dollars for this guy. Either way, I think this means we aren't getting him.

So now lets look at plan B's.
Manny, Abreu, Garrett Atkins, Prince Fielder, Ben Sheets, Derrick Lowe.

I don't think we are going to get any outfielders, but we will see.

MLB Rumors

Mike Cameron - The deal between the Yankees and Brewers appears to be dead. The deal was to center around Melky Cabrera and Igawa for Cameron, but the two clubs have not talked in over a week, so the deal seems have fallen apart. To be honest I thought this was a terrible deal for the Yankees.

Manny Ramirez - There are rumors the Yankees offered Manny a 3 year contract worth around $75 million, but now there are reports coming out that there is a split in the opinions in the Yankees front office. I would hope so considering this guy is known for hating media attention, and has more then a little bit a erratic behavior. Not that I think it is a bad idea for the Yankees to sign him, but I do understand why there would be some worry.

Mark Teixeira - Not much has changed on this front. The Sox are rumored to have made an 8 year $200 million offer. Some GM's already think the Sox have ran away with the race for Teixeira. "I think they're in the lead and ahead of where everyone else is right now," the GM said. "I'm not sure who's bidding against them at this point (ESPN)." The GM was not named.

-BMack

Daily Teixeira Update

Well it seems that Teixeira's hometown team (Baltimore) is out of the running for his services. Baltimore refuse to go above its 7 year $150 million offer, and it looks like every other team has passed them by. I doubt Teixeira is going to give that big of a hometown discount, as the Nationals have offered him an 8 year $160 million offer, and the Red Sox have been rumored to have upped the money from that.

The Sox have come out and said they will not sign Teixeira to a 10 year deal, but I don't think that will matter. I think if the Sox offer him 8 years 200 million, and an opportunity for an opt out, that they can get the deal done.

The Angels have an offer in for Teixeira, and it seems to be in that $180 million 8 year deal range. The Yankees have not made an offer, and it seems more and more likely that they only threw their name in to scare the Sox, and to make them pay as much as possible for him. Rumors are the Yankees will go hard after Manny if the Sox sign Teixeira.

-BMack

Red Sox Make $200 Million Offer To Teixeira?

ESPN's Dan Patrick said on his radio show this week that the Red Sox made an 8 year $200 million offer to Teixeira. Neither the team, nor Teixeira have confirmed the offer, but if it is true, the Sox are now seen as the front runner. I have to say I believe this report, and I think they will have Teixeira signed before Christmas, since that is when he said he would want to be signed by. This can also be seen as a reaction to the news that the Yankees would be throwing their hats into the ring for Teixeira's services. Either way, I really can't wait to see this guy for the Sox for year to come.

-BMack



DP's Take:


"The Boston Herald reported that the Red Sox have extended an offer for Mark Teixeira that could cost them an "historic" amount of money.
While not reporting terms, the offer for the free agent first baseman is "believed to be for at least eight years." The Red Sox have a club policy of not commenting on their negotiating stance with any free agents."ESPN
Big Tex has already been offered contracts by the Nationals, Orioles, and Angels and it seems if this one is going to be a bit bigger. Teixeira is a guy who the Sox can't pass on and if he finds his way to play on the Sox it will be hard to say good bye to Lowell. Hopefully he will agree to the terms soon, because I want this BS to be over with. Then after we sign Teixeira we can finally move on to more important business, trading for Ichiro.

Yankees Set Eye On Slugger?

MLB.com is reporting that the Yankees have switched their focus from pitching to hitting, after signing Burnett, and Sabathia. Now the Yankees seemingly never ending money pile will go after players like Manny Ramirez, and Mark Teixeira. At this point I really don't know what to think. Tex has been getting offers of about 8 years 160 million, but reports are saying he is looking for a 10 year 200 million deal. I wasn't sure if he was going to get it, but with the Yankees after him, he is sure to get it. I still think he is coming the Sox, but the price tag is going to be through the roof.

My gut is telling me there is a good chance the Yanks will get Manny, but don't they have enough corner outfielders/DH on the team? It would really pain me to see Manny in a Yankees uniform, but he is so set on chancing a buck, that he very well could end up there.

-BMack