Mark Teixeira Update

CC Sabathia got quite the contract at $161 million from the Yankees, but Mark Teixeira is likely to top that this off-season.

Unlike Sabathia he has recieved more than a couple $100 million offers. The Angels, Red Sox, Orioles, Nationals and others have all shown interest in the 28-year-old slugger.

Recently some teams have dropped out of the race which has opened a window for the Yankees to get involved, but so far their offer has been some what of a low-ball offer of $160 million over eight years. That offer has also reportedly been taken off the table.

The Angels were thought to be early favorites after trading for him at the deadline this year. According to reports they have now pulled out of the race because they feel that Teixeira is only stringing them along to drive up the price. The offer they had on the table for most of this off-season was in the eight-year, $160 million range.

The Red Sox were other favorites, but have pulled out after they made an offer in the $170 million range. Not many believe that they have actually pulled out and this is just a team playing with Scott Boras. It is reported that their offer is still on the table.

At some points the Nationals have seemed to be very aggresively pursuing a deal even though it makes little sense for them to do that. Offers from them have been in the $160 million range as well. Teixeira is from the area and I can see this team getting back into it. My guess is they could end up being that, “One dumb owner,” who offers him the $200 million deal Boras has been looking for.

The Orioles have made little news lately. Teixeira is from the Baltimore area so the team has put out a $140/seven-year offer hoping to get a home town discount.

So far it looks like the offer the Red Sox have on the table is the largest one. There is some thought that the Yankees that with other teams publicly saying they are out that the Yankees will now jump in more aggresively.

Sweeny Murti said that the Yankees have taken advantage of situations like this to make their move. Most notably with Johnny Damon. He also thinks that if they up yearly payment they could get the four or five year deal they crave instead of the seven or eight year offers that are on the table.

From Murti’s blog:

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“Offer Teixeira a 4-year deal worth $102 million. Blow him away with an average annual value of $25.5 million, not far under A-Rod’s megadeal. The Yankees get their short-term commitment while Boras gets the big number he’s looking for. There are tens of millions left on the table, but here’s where it could pay off. The four year deal means Teixeira will hit the open market again at age 32, still in his prime.

Remember, when Boras got A-Rod his first big contract with Texas, the opt-out clause made A-Rod a free agent again at 32. If we assume that the economy will rebound in four years time (for all our sakes, let’s hope it happens faster than that!), then Teixeira will still be in excellent position to get another contract in excess of $100 million. In four years as a Yankee, he is sure to add more All-Star appearances, Gold Gloves, and maybe even a World Series ring, all of which will add nicely to his resume and eventually his bank account.

For those that think this is overkill after the quarter of a billion dollars they committed to Sabathia and Burnett, I have two words—pipe down. The Yankees have money to spend. This is what they do. So spend it. Who can argue that the players they are adding don’t make sense? If the Steinbrenners took all this money that was coming off the books and put it in their pockets, then that would be a greater crime. Other GM’s can talk tough, but if any one of their owners came to them and offered an extra $100 million for the payroll, not one would say, ‘no thanks, we’d prefer to do it the right way.’”

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That sounds like it could work, but it depends on how the market continues to develop. We’ll keep you updated.