It's Mark Teixeira Time, Nationals!

The push to bring Mark Teixeira to Washington, DC continues!

Last week, I wrote about why Teixeira should sign with the Washington Nationals instead of the Angels and Red Sox. I'm happy to report that it looks as though the Nationals are one of the last two teams in the running for Teixeira.

Not surprisingly, the Orioles appear to be out of the running because they will not increase their offer.

Surprisingly, the Red Sox appear to be out of the running because their offer has been topped, according to owner John Henry.

It seems that the Nationals will be competing against the Angels for Teixeira. No offense to the Nationals or Washington, DC, but the Angels have plenty to offer Teixeira: a great chance to win, winning culture, lots of talent around him, sunny beaches, etc.

If his decision were specifically based on location, the Nationals would have next to no chance to land Teixeira.

However, fortunately for the Nationals Teixeira is a Scott Boras client. Boras' clients are notorious for specifically going where the money takes them. If that is the case, then the Nationals only have one option. They must go big.

And when I say big, I mean really big. With the Angels reported to go as high as eight years/$160 million to land Teixeira, the Nationals need to take a play from the 2005 Mets playbook and go higher. The Mets never would have landed Carlos Beltran in 2005 if they had not offered him $20 million more than any other team.

If the Nationals go as high as, let's say, eight years/$184 million or nine years/$189 million, will that be enough to seal the deal? Only time will tell, but the Nationals will be putting themselves in a fantastic position to land the cornerstone player they desperately need.

Yes, they will need to overpay to bring Teixeira to DC, but this move will change the franchise and give the Nationals the credibility that they do not have. The Nationals must do all they can to outbid the Angels and convince Teixeira and Boras that the Nationals are the best spot.

The only way to do that is to go big. And at this point, what do the Nats have to lose?