Now that everyone has had some time to digest the New York Yankees signing Mark Teixeira to an 8 year, $180 million deal, let’s take a look at what people are saying after I give my opinion.
Personally, I don’t see why people are so upset about this. Teixeira was a luxury for the Boston Red Sox. They didn’t need him for this year, they needed him down the road. Does it hurt yes? But is it really the end of the world? By all means, no it isn’t. Remember the Red Sox were 1 game away from the World Series, a year after winning it all and we have most of last year’s team returning.
So should we write off the Red Sox in ’09? Heck no! I left this in a comment in the previous post. The Red Sox have two things the Yankees don’t right now. And that’s heart and chemistry. Those are what you need to win. All the Yankees have is a bunch of overpaid players that haven’t won anything (yes I understand there are a few Yanks that have). What have C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira won in their careers? Nothing other than a CY Young for C.C. But what happened to him in the playoffs. The Red Sox dominated him.
Center Field: Bonus fun: anything less than a World Series victory will guarantee the Steiny brothers and Cashman an EPIC FAIL.
A Red Sox Fan in Pinstripe Territory: So ol’ Tex decides to join Hitler Youth. Can’t wait to see that fuckstick at Fenway next year. In the meantime, we’ll see how their attempt to “buy second place” goes. This makes their lineup better, but it’s still not better than ours. The whole key is their pitching–if those two new dudes become some kind of co-ace, they’ll be tough to beat, but I’m not too worried about those third place losers
Fenway West: The Yankees acquisition of Mark Teixeira is bad news for the Red Sox. As a switch hitter Teixeira can take advantage of the short porch at Yankee Stadium and of the Green Monster when he comes to Fenway. With A-Rod and Teix signed to long term deals the Yankees should have solid offense for some time. By signing Teixeira the Yankees took away the one good power hitting free agent on the market for Boston. But things will only be bad if Mike Lowell and Ortiz do not bounce back this season. If they are both healthy the Red Sox should have no problem competing with the Yankees (and the Rays).
The Joy of Sox: (After this off-season, will the Yankees continue begging New York City for more millions to finish the new stadium?)
Red Sox Monster: Dan hasn’t posted his reaction yet but did have this to offer. Bang head on table now.
Sox and Pinstripes: The negative of Teixeira signing with the Yankees is that he signifantly upgrades a lineup that would have missed Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi. The positive about Big Tex becoming a Yankee is that the Red Sox are not tied to a costly long-term deal; they can give extensions to Kevin Youkilis and Jason Bay; and the door is open for Lars Anderson, the minor league phenom who will either serve as Boston’s next first baseman or DH.
Surviving Grady: The happiest guy in the world right now has gotta be A-Rod. Finally, there’s someone who’ll be booed more mercilessly than him at Fenway Park.
Wicked Good Sports Red Sox Blog: The thing is, do the Red Sox regret how things played out with A-Rod and Damon? Certainly not. Will they regret how things played out with the Teixeira negotiations? Time will tell. Still, he didn’t makes sense in Boston, not when the team would have to then trade Mike Lowell. If the Red Sox were like the Yankees, they would have overpaid for a player they didn’t need — simply to spite their rival.
Sox and Pinstripes: That said, My Christmas has come early this year. Mark Teixiera will join CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett as part of the turning over of a new leaf for Yankees’ fans. Tex wasn’t necessary, I stick by that, but put him in the middle of the lineup and the Yankees once again have the best offense in the AL. Throw Sabathia and Burnett in the rotation with a healthy Hughes, Kennedy, Chamberlain and Wang, along with insurance in Mitre, Aceves and Coke, all to replace last year’s Pettitte (if he isn’t resigned) and 20 wins in Mussina (along with contributions by Pavano, Ponson and Rasner), and the Yankees have a formidable rotation built for the long run with plenty of depth.
YFSF: A lot to think about with the Yankees spending some $400 million on three players as the nation heads into the worst period of economic stagnation since the Great Depression. The team has an enormous amount invested in its new ballpark (nevermind the taxpayer contribution), and can’t afford to display an inferior product in that showplace, given the prices it’s charging for admission. I’m sure there will be some legitimate upset among fans of other teams about the Yankees simply being purchased so ruthlessly, the product of greed and unfair economic advantage.
Babes Love Baseball: The Yankees offseason spending spree has officially hit ridiculous. And this isn’t just the rabid anger of a disgruntled Sox fan. For the record, I was leery of the Teixiera signing to begin with. Mike Lowell is my favorite Red Sox, and he’d be on the chopping block if the Sox had signed him.
Bugs and Cranks: No apology will ever come from this quarter for watching my team do what it can to try and win, whether that is signing free agents, pouring resources into scouting and signing foreign players, or paying top-dollar to convince draft picks to sign.
Sorry for not being sorry. The idea of any competition is to win. That’s all the Yankees are trying to do, and the money spent doesn’t guarantee a ring. It doesn’t even guarantee a playoff berth.
My Baseball Bias: Jason hasn’t posted his reaction yet but shows us the Yanks have the top 4 salaries in all of baseball.
Oriole Post: I guess a year where New York finished in third place, plus a new ballpark have turned them to revert to opening up the checkbook and spending freely.
For a team asking for more money to subsidize their ballpark, they sure can dish it out. My lord, let’s hope they don’t ask for a bailout — sheesh. It’s time for a salary cap of some sort and may he never win a World Series.
Scott Proctor’s Arm: The Yankees have signed three of four players in this picture. I’m a genius. And I guess everyone can go to sleep knowing Manny Ramirez won’t be a Yankees. Can’t win ’em all, I guess.
UmpBump: But is Mark Teixeira worth $180MM?
For me, it’s yes and no. I can easily argue that no player is worth such a long commitment. It’s very unlikely that the Yankees will get eight-years worth of value out of this deal just because it’s rare for any player to be healthy for so long. But Mark Teixeira is the second best first baseman in the game – and that’s about the worst I can say about the guy. He gets on base, hits for plenty of power, keeps his mouth shut and plays stellar defense and has been doing so pretty much since the moment he stepped onto a big league field in his rookie year.
River Ave Blues: “What this Teixeira signing indicates though is that a new generation of Steinbrenners is willing to spend what it takes to win just like George.”
Was Watching: The first part is the immediate on-the-field impact to the Yankees today and in the near future. Will having Mark Teixeira help the Yankees? Well, yeah…duh. With the bat, Teixeira replaces the three-hitter that the Yankees lost after 2008 (Bobby Abreu) and matches the offensive production that the Yankees have recently received from the now departed Jason Giambi. The latter got you puzzled? Check the numbers. From 2005 through 2008, Jason Giambi had 123 RCAA and Mark Teixeira had 173 RCAA over the same time span. However, during that time, Giambi had 6.17 RCAA/100 PA and Teixeira had 6.37 RCAA/100 PA. Basically, in terms of being a “force” they’re both about the same type of offensive player.
For some national reaction, you can check out MLB Trade Rumors.
