One of the biggest obstacles to the Yankees acquiring Mark Teixeira this winter is the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It appears they want to retain him, and will make a sizable offer to the 28-year-old first baseman. Not only that, but the Red Sox appear interested, meaning the price might get a bit steep. Probably not 10 years, $200 million steep, but it’ll get up there.
The good news is that the Angels don’t necessarily play Scott Boras’s game of gauging the market and waiting it out in hopes of extracting the largest possible offer. They like to make big offers and act quickly, as evidenced by the Torii Hunter acquisition last winter. Word from Angels GM Tony Reagins is that the team won’t let the Teixeira situation drag out.
“In any situation, you get to a point where you have to make a decision and move the business forward,” Angels GM Tony Reagins said. “In any negotiation, there always comes that point where you have to say, you’re in or you’re out.”
When will that point be? Rosenthal speculates that it could come as soon as next Thursday, though that’s doubtful. There’s little chance that Teixeira accepts an offer before at least gauging the market. You don’t hire Scott Boras as your agent so you can take a hometown discount before hearing other offers. You don’t turn down $140 million without the intent of hearing higher bids.
I have a feeling this might be some hot air coming from the Angels. They’ll surely make an aggressive offer to keep Teixeira, who hit .358/.449/.632 in his 234 Angels plate appearances. I don’t expect them to just bow out, though, if he doesn’t immediately accept the offer. There will be plenty of them, and it’s in his best interest to take the time to examine each of them. (Especially if the highest one is from the Yankees.)