Teixeira update

Adam,

Thanks for the update - I love getting them, even when there is little to report. With this snow any talk of the boys of summer is welcome :)

I say Sox still get Tex

How much do you want to bet, daddy's little boy Hank swoops in with daddy's big checkbook and signs Teixeira??? Something to the effect of "we realize a player like Teixeira doesn't come around very often...etc."...

How come no one is mentioning what is probably the most likely sticking point -- an opt-out or no-trade?

Even if the money is similar, if Nationals offered him an opt-out ala Sabathia or a no-trade clause, that could be why Henry is saying the other offers make the Sox a non-factor.

Adam, can you explain the "they love the TVs remark? You mean on the Jet?"

FROM ADAM: One of JetBlue's trademarks is the TVs in the back of seats. (They really are fantastic.) That's what he meant.

me too

Tex has reportedly said all along he wants this done by Christmas.

The fact that Scott Boras and no other team this morning, nor this afternoon, has said a word about things seems strange. It seems likely that Boras, Tex, and those team owners would be lining up today to close that alleged better offer. But the silence on that front speakes volumes it seems to me.

The no-trade clause is a non issue seeing how he will be a 10-5 player after year 5 of contract. The opt-out is the dumbest thing ever for a club to offer. This whole statement from Henry in my opinion is just Boras saying someone is offering 10 years and Henry saying Good luck with that team. I think the Sox will get Tex and it actually is very good for Boras if he does sign with the Sox. This will start the LA bidding war for Manny.

i still think Teixeira will end up in Boston.Boras will package him with Tek.

I don't doubt that the Nationals may have made him a great offer, but there is absolutely no way he is signing with the Nationals. No player of his caliber would waste their time and talent with the Nationals, who are going nowhere for a long time to come. This is all a bluff by Boras in an attempt to squeeze out every last penny for the Sox or whatever other team besides the Nationals that may have also made an offer.

C'mon Red Sox! Give Teix $22-23 mil per year for 8 years and close the deal. You can certainly afford it! I will be very disappointed if the Sox do not get Teix because of $1-2 mil per year. The Sox will struggle to make the playoffs next year without Teix! We deserve better than that!

Tex worth the cash? i'm not so sure. He's got the glove .the bat, good teammate 180m tho?? If it does'nt fly I'll be ok with it

“it seems clear we are not going to be a factor”

I believe this to mean the Sox won't be a force driving the price ever-higher. Indeed, the fact that their offer was announced publicly guarantees this. See anyone else announcing details of THEIR offers?

Scott Boras wants the Sox to add another year to the deal... That's where the extra $20M is coming from... It's not about the annual salary; it's about the length of the contract.

I don't trust the Yankees. They are pigs!

I don't trust the Yankees. They are pigs!

I don't trust the Yankees either. They are pigs!

People are losing their jobs left and right and everyone is worried about whether we get this guy or not. What a shame.

As one who negotiates for a living, this is a classic tactic used by negotiators (and its fun to follow all these machinations). Henry has effectively shifted the power away from Boras and Tex by calling their bluff and leaving the negotiating table. Power is EVERYTHING in negotiations, and the Red Sox now have the power. Boras has no other offers as big as what the Sox offer was, so there will be some kind of face-saving move in the next 24 - 48 hours by the Sox to let Boras back in the door - but now it will be on the Sox's terms. Boras is well known for driving up offers from MLB teams in the late stages of negotiations by throwing out "red herrings" and forcing clubs to bid against themselves. Its a smart tactic if he can make it work, but again, not in this case.

The one variable here is what happens if the Yankees swoop in with $25 million a year and snatch him up like they did with A-rod. If that happens, then it happens and you let the Yankees choke on that one. Spend the money you would have spent on more pitching!

It will be fun to watch this play out over the next few days!

i hear this lars kid, this minor league prospect... he plays a damn mean bass guitar, just check out his punk rock and roll sensation group, rancid!

as far as the texan, well, suffice to say i don't think he plays a mean bass.

good night!

Excellent post, Claude Lemieux! Just because the Yankees were stupid enough to outbid themselves doesn't mean the Red Sox have to.

But I agree, those Yankee ba$tard$ could swoop in at the last minute like they did in 2004, and I don't count them out until things are official.

A "why are you saying that grin": nice. I think I'll use that myself someday.

BTW, is that Claude Lemieux the professional hockey player?

I'm a long time Sox fan and hope the Sox drop out of this. Bring me back the same old affordable, always-the-runner-up Red Sox and flush all this excess hep down the drain.

Hey Sue,
Lighten up. Yes people are losing jobs, homes, cars even their savings. This is a difficult time for many of us. I have a good friend in the hospital with recently diagnosed cancer. I am worried sick about him. Sports gives us a bit of diversion. We know these athletes live in a different world. Good luck to them. If I want to "worry" a little over whether the Red Sox get Teixeira, please allow me a little sweet spot to stop thinking about all the bad stuff for just a while. You have a nice Holiday and give something to a home shelter near you.

Bora$ is the Devil and will be the down fall of baseball

Turn the tube on!!! Breaking News!!! Yankees sign Teixiera to 9 year $206 million dollar deal!!

Got to love Boston baseball. It's freezing and snowy out and the hot stove is keeping it warm. Tex is a great player; but, if they aren't able to sign him, I think we still look real competitive going into 2009.

A Balt. tv station said that Mark Texiera was with Ripken and there GM today is this true ?

Save your money John Henry and go get Peavy and Lowe.

WELL I THINK TIS A TRUE SIN THE GREED THESE BALL HAVE, AS PEOPLE IN OUT COUNTRY, LOOSING JOBS, HOMES, NOT TO MENTION NO MEDICAL INS, COME ON PUT A CAP ON IT!!! ANYWAY 8 YEARS.....TOO MUCH CAN CHANGE, LOOK WHAT FLAKEY MANNY DID...POOR MANNY. HE S/ HAVE BEEN MADE TO RETIRE W/ WHAT HE DID, NEVER MIND "MORE $'S". REALLY IS TEIXEIRA WORTH THAT...IS ANYONE!!!

Has everybody forgotten about Mike Lowel in this whole thing? Lowell is as solid as they come, both on the field and off, and if TexMex comes to town it's by by Mikey. The Sox will be the lesser for it. Lowell sucks it up like a vacum at third and is a clutch hitter. I say leave everything as it is. Lowell at 3rd and Yuke at 1st. Spend the money someplace else, like the bullpen!! Lowell will come off his hip injury just fine and resume his stellar play. Have we forgotten he was the 2007 World Series MVP??

"... what's the rush, john henry?"
- benicio del toro, from the film 'Basquiat'.

... like OMG, i'm still freakin' posting a day later y'alls. sweeeeet!

Pinning your hopes on a subpar player from Texas, you really game planned for this guy when you played him

Pathetic

JoeFeb,

You are absolutely right! Lowell is our man! and if for some strange reason we get him. I say keep Lowell anyway. Rotate Youl, Lowell, Teixeira and Ortiz. This way you can slowly get Lowell and Ortiz back into the "swing of things" and have back-up throughout the season in case one of the 4 go down.

...hey it sort of worked in the outfield this past season, why not the infield and DH this upcoming year?

^^^Joe Feb

Youk to me is a better 3rd baseman than Lowell RIGHT NOW!! Tex is obviously a upgrade. If we dont sign him, im cool. We were one game away from the World Series. But adding Tex would make us a pretty darn good club.

JoeFeb, by most estimates a Tex-Youk corner infield is more solid than a Youk-Lowell infield. Lowell's looking every bit his age. It would be much better to upgrade and also have a younger infield. That said, of course the Sox could survive without Tex. But there's no doubt they'd be better with him.

If the sidebar is true and the Yankees are seriously in the mix now for Tex, the Sox, and specifically John Henry, will have no on ebut themselves to blame. Yes, we've heard all the comments, the Sox don't actually need Tex, he is more of a luxury, blah blah blah. I agree with Mazz, the Sox really do need him now, espcially since they've probably alienated Mike Lowell. Assuming these reports are true, this is getting to be the A-Rod saga all over again. The Sox are that close, it falls apart at the last moment, John Henry fires off a stupid email to the press, the Yankees see an open window and swoop in...after the news Thursday, who could not see this coming? If Henry, Theo and Larry don't see this coming it would be incompetent.

THe fact is, if the Yankees do sign Texeira, it would be devastating for the Sox. Don't start with the "Yes, but since the Yanks got A-Rod they haven't won anything." The fact is, they would have a lineup of A-Rod, Jeter and Texeira in the infield. The Sox offense, while still potent, would not match up to the Yanks. The Sox may still have an edge pitching, but the offense, especially with Big Papi an uncertainty, would be lacking. Texeira would be a major investment in the future.

For crying out loud guys, just get the stupid deal done.

With Nascar losing sponsors and teams worried about being able to race next year, wouldnt it be great to see the Yankees overspend one more time and then go bankrupt????? Don't think it could happen? I bet you never thought GM Chrysler Ford Merrill Lynch AIG>>>>>Shall we go on? The Yankees going bankrupt would be even sweeter than winning the world series.