The Slanch Report

While I’m disappointed to see the Yankees land Mark Teixeira, this doesn’t change my outlook for the 2009 Boston Red Sox. However, the 2010-2017 teams I’m a bit more concerned about. Of COURSE the Yankees swoop in at the last minute and sign Teixeira, it’s a great move by Brian Cashman, let everyone else get bogged down in daily rumors and innuendo, and then, when the heavy lifting has been done, bring me the best offer and I’ll beat it. That’s just smart business. Out of all the teams that were pursuing him, no one needed Tex more than the Yankees or the Angels. Now the Angels are SOL and announced that they aren’t going to go after Manny Ramirez, meaning that their offense looks to struggle once more without protection for Vladdy.

With the signing of Teixeira the Yankees now have the 4 highest paid players in MLB on their team. A-Rod, CC, Tex and Cap’n Jetes. Wow. Based on the reports, the deal is for 8 years for $180 million, which brings the Yankees offseason spending on a grand total of three players to $423 million. That’s a lot! Oh, and the Yankees infield now makes approximately $75 million just on their own. Yikes!

The good news for Sox fans is that presumably Mike Lowell stays now! So that’s neat, for the next year or two. Sigh. Lars Anderson our power-hitting first base prospect better pay off… It looks like the free agent contract for Joe Mauer (free agent agent at the end of the 2010 season) is going to be RIDICULOUS! Otherwise, it looks like the Sox are left with the one that brung them to the dance.

At least now I can think 0ut loud all the negative things about Teixeira that I was trying to talk myself out of when this whole business began. For example, since he left the hitter’s park in Texas he hasn’t been the same power-wise. He’s not a centerpiece player, he’s a strong complementary one, and not really worth $22.5 million for the production he provides, maybe 18-19. Teixeira has been an All-Star all of ONCE and he’s been nowhere near an MVP award. My other big concern is that Teixeira is brutal in the early months of the year, and while he powers up later in the season, I wonder how he’ll handle it in the very different weather of the Northeast as compared to Atlanta and Texas. While he had a very nice OPB during the playoffs this year, besides making a great play with the glove, he did little besides hit singles and get walks and so he did pretty much nothing to help his team score runs.

Fortunately, now Tex and A-Rod can together destroy the Yankees in the postseason.

The one thing this signing deprives us of is the hilarious Teixeira press conference after signing with the Nationals where he would have said it was about coming home and nothing to do with them offering him more money. Now he can say he came to NY for the mystique and to win and no one will begrudge him, so his public image can remain blemish-free. Unfortunately, now I have 8 years of looking at Tex in pinstripes and wondering what could have been.

Teixeira and A-Rod only played one season together in Texas, but they combined for 73 HRs and 202 RBIs, and that was Tex’s rookie season. I expect the two of them to roughly hit 400-500 HRs combined over the length of their deals.

So long Tex. Now I hate you and your horse face.