Arod + Teixeira on the Rangers in 2003 = Last Place

The guy is good but even teamed with the "greastest" player of our generation (ha ha) there was no World Series ring. Luckily the Nats may have better pitching then the Rangers had.

They can have him!

just one question....who the hell is Collin Balester???? he's calling his team to win the WS after just 15 starts in his career?? hahahahahaha. they really are clueless down there in washington

I think Collin is a little too optimistic. One player is not going to turn a team that lost 102 games last season into a World Series winner. Teixeira is a good player, but even with him, the Nationals are a last place team. If that is where he wants to play for the next 8-10 years just because they are willing to pay him a couple million more per season, then all the more power to him.

Let him got to the Nats - make his money and be a baseball loser.

I doubt that Teixeira would mean World Series 2009 in Washington, but its obviously a step in the right direction. Give the talent, the fans, and other free agents an indication that the Nationals aren't a joke, and perhaps within a few years, they could be on to something.

I think it's nice that a young player has confidence and enthusiasm about his team. Plus, I don't think he was taking himself 100% seriously there.

Anyways, Teixeira isn't worth 8 years...nobody is in my opinion. It's too risky.

John Henry: Let Tex walk, if he want to play for the Nats for 10 years of frustartion let him.. spend the money on another catcher and more pitching.......F$#@ Boras.

LOL Do people think Teixeira has even considered Washington?. Being an east coast kid he probably dreamed of playing in Fenway. Now that the Sox have called his bluff he must really be shaking!

I actually heard that Balester interview. It seemed pretty clear that, while he certainly expects the Nats would be much better with Teixeira, he wasn't exactly serious when he said they'd win the World Series.

You have to hand it to Collin -- he's a nobody that's got people talking about him and mentioning his name!

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA... sorry, needed a good laugh after reading that.

Mark my words: if Teixeira chooses the Nationals, he will be demanding a trade in a few years. Hasn't he learned ANYTHING from A-Rod's deal with the Rangers?

there has to be alot of weed in washington

Listen little Nationals man, you not going to win nothing except an elbow in the puss while the refs arent looking from me, Claude Lemieux! Go back to being a boring bunch of losers while the big boys at the table decide where Tex is going. Go on... shooo!

I think everyone overlooks just how deeply, deeply offended his guy was when the Sox first tried to draft him. Blame Duquette, et al. - whomever you like - but Tex, down to the bone, and his family, especially his Dad, were privately irate with the Sox stunt/antics/tricks, etc., when he was coming out of high school.

The Sox could have signed him if they were fair with him and they weren't. And Tex hasn't forgotten. Look at it this way: you love you Dad, it's your moment in the sun, and someone rains on your parade BIG TIME. Think he forgot that personal embarassment/affront to his Dad, let alone him? Think he had motivation this past year to payback the Sox in the playoffs (uh, he pretty much played/hit better than he ever had before)? Face it - the Sox were pawns in this from Day One, nothing more, nothing less. He doesn't want to play here and wouldn't ven if we were the only team in the hunt. My guess is it's the Nats or O's, 8 years, big dough, opt-out after 3 (maybe 4) years. But I do love the fact the Angels wised up (he's not a west coast guy - more of a Ripken wanna-be) and moved out and on. Oh well.... Time to sign Dunn and a good righthanded bat.

As a life-long Sox fan living in DC, I have to take a moment to observe that Tiexera, Ryan Zimmerman, and Eliijah Dukes (provided he stays out of trouble) is as good a middle of the order as there is in the NL East. I will take my chances. Having said that, they are not a WS contender; yet, neither were the Rox two years ago.

I hope the Sox land Teix, but for god's sake don;t pi$$ on something you know little about.

Flame on, if you like. But that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I was stoked at the thought of getting Teixeira....but now after hearing the kind of cabbage he wants would love it if he went to another team and the 'Sox could look for other ways to build the club for 2009 and beyond. Pap's money is going to go up...if Beckett comes back strong he'll need some more loot, Bay's going to be something of a bargain and the pen could use some love. Our infield corner defense is good, and Youk is very consistent. Yeah a big bat is needed but no more mistakes (Lugo, overpriced free agents {lots}, and poor trades) will keep the Sox open for moves that won't mortgage the future. 160million....heck, 195 million...I'm

Who doesn't care anymore where Teixeira goes? He's lost a lot of credibility in this ridiculous transaction...It was easier to pick a president.

Oh please! The Nationals had one of the worst seasons last year in the history of baseball! If the Sox can beat the Angels with their pitching and Teixeira the Nationals don't stand a chance even in the National League(yeah I know the Phillies won). Hey, is this pitcher a Boras client?

I'm in DC. You have no idea how awful the Nationals are. Really dreadful and beyond hope. If they sign Teixeira it will be to save the franchise which has just about lost every die hard baseball fan and all the "front running" phonies with which the DC area is jammed. He would be walked four times a game if necessary for the opposition to protect a lead. Talk about career suicide! Even Baltimore would be a better choice since they can play a little Of course the Orioles have absolutely no pitching so are certain to be out of it by August 1st even with Teixeira.

Why not D.C. The Nats have every right to improve their team. They are headed in the right direction, and signing Tex would be a huge boost. You Red Sox fans are as bad as the Yanks' fans, you think MLB revolves around your teams. Such a breath of fresh air that the Rays took it to you last year and possibly for years to come. Tex to Nats. I say bring it on!!

Is this guy on drugs??????? The nats will not be good ever. If teixeira doesnt sign with the sox he is just as stupid as this dumb@$$ pitcher.

Texeira + Wily Mo = World Series Lock!
(I hope it happens)

umm, Balester--your team lost 100 games last year. I'm guessing Rob Neyer could do up some quick win shares math and deduce that 3 or 4 Mark Teixeiras aren't enough to get your sorry team to the playoffs. The only reason your comment will escape endless humiliation is because your team is SO bad, and you are as-yet such a complete nobody, that no one will remember it.

say what you will about the nationals, but who would've predicted this time last year we'd be seeing tampa bay in the world series?

this idiot should be given a drug test promptly!

Colin Ballester sounds like the Johnny Damon of Washington. Everything's rosy and going to work out in the best possible way! Not.

I saddly have to say let Tex go. We can afford to outbid the Nats, but it simply doesn't make baseball or fiscal sense to do so. This guy is not great. He is very good. I would argue that Youk, on an all-around basis, is just as good. What happens if the Nats sign Tex is a complete guess. Frankly, who cares? I just want to see the Red Sox competing deep into the playoffs every year, and want ticket prices to remain stable. Not signing Tex frees us to pursue more pitching, a top-notch catcher and some important but less expensive role-players. Sounds like a plan to me.

Good luck in D.C., Mark. As a Borat client, we know you'll take the highest dollar amount. Joe Girardi, good luck managing Manny. Make sure you write down which knee he says is bothering him when he pulls himself out of the line-up.

You are all whacked!!!!!! It'sa bailout, baseball style. Screw the O's and Sox along with everyone else out therelookomg for his services. Tex needs to stop the foolishness and sign with the worst franchise out there. Help our Nations Capital.

Well this guy is obviously joking. Professional athletes who play on bad teams have a tendency to be chronically optimistic..if Tex has any brains he will sign with the Sox...I mean is the decision really that hard?

If Teixeira goes to the Nationals it will be because Boras told him too. Boras loves to take the most money and put his clients in a terrible situation. He sent AROD to Texas you best better believe he will send Teixeira to Washington if they are the highest bidder. That would be fine with me though because in two years when Washington can't afford him anymore, my Mets can come in a trade for him.

Life 101: There is more to life than money. Is Teix smart enough to figure it out? Maybe he enjoyed all the losing he did in Texas. Now MVP Pedroia, on the other hand, took less money to stay on a winner.

I think the Sox should increase their offer to Teix to 8 yrs/$184M. The Sox can afford this, but I doubt he is worth more than that. If he would rather play for a loser for 10% more, then he is a loser.

oh no the sox don't who they want and they start throwing everyone else under the bus. There's no problem with optimism

As we have all learned, it is so much more fun to win championships than to watch superstars accumulate stats in a losing effort.

If he accepts the Boston offer, good for him and good for us, but if he doesn't, then we are fine without him.

Just wake me when it is decided.

I really can't wait for all of us to be reading "breaking news" on ESPN.com three years from now when Boras is manning the phones for Teixeira looking for a contender with the payroll and first base vacancy. Can we bet on this happening, actually?

BTW... no team is winning the World Series with John Lannan or Scott Olsen as their respective "ace".

I really can't wait for all of us to be reading "breaking news" on ESPN.com three years from now when Boras is manning the phones for Teixeira looking for a contender with the payroll and first base vacancy. Can we bet on this happening, actually?

BTW... no team is winning the World Series with John Lannan or Scott Olsen as their respective "ace".

the hell with this prissy lil' ken doll thumbsucker already; i want some Peavey booty!

yeah, son!

Personally, I hope that the Nats get Teixeira. I have a feeling Lars Anderson is going to be a STUD for the next 10-15 years for the Sox and having Teixeira and Youk will block him in the minors. Let the Nats get him to keep him out of the AL East and let the Sox young guns carry them to the series.

I think Ryan V. is about the only one out there that gets it. Balester had his tongue firmly planted in cheek when he made his comments. It was a joke, get it?

Somehow, fans around the country think that Nats fans and the club are completely deluded into thinking that signing Tex is going to transform the club into being a winner. This is a ridiculous presumption on your part, and I don't know anyone here in Natsington who believes that. Tex is would be a solid building block for the long term future of the team, which has only been owned by the Lerners for two years and had to be completely rebuilt. Core players Zimmerman, Dukes, Flores, Milledge all spent significant time on the DL last year, but if healthy this lineup can compete, and within 2 years a much improved farm system will be producing. Laugh all you want, if that makes you feel better.

Dowell, I don't think anyone here said the Nationals don't have a right to sign Teixeira. They have as much as anyone else. The fact remains, though, that all logic dictates he shouldn't. If he wants the money, he will sign with the Nationals, and that's fine, it's his prerogative. But, if he wants money, contention and one of the best baseball atmospheres in the game today, only the Red Sox can provide that. If that extra 1-2 million per season is really that important to him, then by all means, let him sign with the Nationals.

Also, RWF, if you honestly think that what the Red Sox old management did to a kid out of high school has hurt Teixeira so much, you're another Collin Balester. I can assure you that Teixeira doesn't hold any ill feelings about it, nor does his father. I still believe Teixeira will end up in Boston because I think he's a great kid that knows what's best for him. That said, if he wants the money, good luck in Washington, and I hope he has fun there.

Ha! By the time Washington wins a WS title, they'll have been bought out and moved to another city. This NL joke has about 5 years left in them. Send them to Tennessee or Oregon.

"I think everyone overlooks just how deeply, deeply offended his guy was when the Sox first tried to draft him."

Yeah, one and a half-million for a kid coming out of high school was an insult. And then, when all thirty teams passed on him through the first eight rounds, the Sox offend him again by drafting him.

Not saying everything the Sox did was above board. But gimme a break.

My favorite scenario is Tex signing with the Nats which exposes him as a fraud and Boras as a someone who doesnt see the big picture only the green. I still bet on the Yanks signing him but quite honestly at this point I dont want the guy. I would also love to see Tek fall on his face with Boras and end up signing a 1 yr deal somewhere else.

Here is a prediction:
In two years, Ortiz will be struggling, Youlk will be playing 3rd, and the Sox will be three games out of first (held together by a stellar rotation and a solid bullpen). Theo will trade an up and comming Anderson and a pitching prospect for Mark Teixeira.....the team will be sparked (shades of trading for Cabrerra in 04) and go on another WS run. The Sox will have saved 60 million (2.5 seasons with the Nats) and the Nationals will continue to suck. Let them have him.......it will send a message to Boras that the Sox aren't to be relied on as the highest bidder for every client of his. Theo needs to go get Peavy, and trade for another power hitting first baseman (see Fielder, Dunn, maybe even Delgado). Just dont trade Masterson, Bowden(spelling?) or other young pitchers.....give them Bucholtz.....I was saying he was overrated after he threw his no no against a September Orioles team already out of the hunt. Trade him while he still has value....the kid has mush between the ears.

Good, let him go to the nats (little flying bugs) we still have mikey and the stanks dont get tex either, if he does got to the nats then it was all about the $$$$$$$$$

I hope Tex and his millions are happy as cellar dwellers in DC. Seems to me when you are in that income bracket you should want to play for a winner, which is enjoyable, rather than for a loser. With Tex on their payroll the Nats can't afford any supporting players. It takes a TEAM to win the World Series.

I am a tried and true Red Sox fan. No one who knows me can credibly question my credentials. I am not an internet troll looking to stir up trouble. But I have to say -- this dismissive attitude towards the Nats is embarrassing. No need to hate on the Nationals. No wonder so many people hate the traveling Red Sox show.

Balester was joking. The nationals are building. We made a bad decision in the beginning of last year, we had veteran guys like Willy Mo Pena and Paul la Duca, who choked real hard. With that money, we were trying to replace them with better talent (i.e. Tex), thats the strategy and thats the right thing to do. Rag all you want, but Washington is one great talented player short of being a contender for the NL East. The players there are only getting better.