From ESPN’s Jayson Stark:

• Bronx glue: The best thing that could happen to Mark Teixeira‘s checking account is the Yankees’ missing the playoffs. Even though Jorge Posada‘s long-term future might well turn out to be at first base/DH, missing the playoffs — because of an offense that will score nearly 200 fewer runs than last year — likely would make the Steinbrenner family just desperate enough to put the team in the mix for Teixeira. And it’s a good thing for him, because it now seems like virtually a lock that that other team in New York, the Mets, will pick up the $12 million option on Carlos Delgado (who actually leads Teixeira in homers, 30-27).

• Boras’ auction house: But how much is Teixeira worth? If Scott Boras is serious about establishing a 10-year, $230 million price tag on Teixeira, he won’t have many bidders to play the Yankees against. Most teams view him as a five-year, $90 million kind of guy. “What really stands out, when you’ve got Vlad and Teixeira back-to-back in the same lineup, is what he isn’t,” an official of one club said. “Let’s put it this way: I know which one I fear, and it isn’t him. To me, when you see truly great players, they always have that extra edge, that killer instinct. Well, if this guy has it, he doesn’t project it. Hey, he’s a good player, obviously. But is he a guy who’s going to legitimately carry a club for the money he’s asking? I don’t see that.”

• What’s free about free agency: Whether Teixeira ends up in the Bronx or not, the Yankees’ free-agent hyperactivity figures to make this an expensive market for any team to shop in. The Yankees have about $90 million in expiring contracts (most of it courtesy of Jason Giambi, Bobby Abreu, Carl Pavano, Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte and Pudge Rodriguez/Kyle Farnsworth). Even if they bring back a couple of those guys at reduced rates, that’s way too much money for a team like this to have burning a hole in its pocket as it heads into a new ballpark. So other clubs already are hearing that the Yankees plan to put a full-court press on CC Sabathia, Ben Sheets (if Sabathia rejects them) and Teixeira. And that will drive up free-agent prices for everybody, as agents everywhere rejoice.