Guys (and girls):
I’m still enjoying some much-needed time away but I wanted to take a moment to say thank you once again to all of you for coming by this year.
(absent from the picture is my little one, age 5)
Thanks also to those of you who have sent me some good articles to read while I am away. I’ve got a good “reader mail” rant to post and some other interesting links to share/discuss. In fact, I’ll open the floor to you guys: If you have something on your mind and would like to craft a guest posting, shoot something my way. Just keep it clean and I’ll post it. A fun way to end the year.
I’ll come back with a flurry, likely over the weekend as I’ll be flying East on New Year’s Day.
Best wishes for a safe, healthy and happy 2009, friends!
Of course, that’s merely quibbling about a few million over 8 years, less than $1m/year after all:
I’ve heard from a reliable source that the first baseman turned down about $5 million more from the Nationals to sign with the Yankees. And the Nats would have gone higher, but were never given the chance. Teixeira jumped at Brian Cashman’s first offer.
I guess it wasn’t ALL about the money – just mostly about it. Being on a contender every year also brings a certain appeal.
I wouldn’t exactly say that Teix put the name of this blog to the real test, but at least he gave it a run. Now, if CC took the Brewers offer, THAT would have put my theory in the trash!
Seems that the Yanks held their ground pretty well against Boras, seemingly calling his bluff a few times in the final few hours before signing Teixeira. Kat O’Brien has some good behind-the-scenes stuff: As for Teixeira, an official involved in negotiations gave a rundown of the back-and-forth between the Yankees and Teixeira’s agent, Scott Boras. The Yankees had made a substantially lower offer to Teixeira before the winter meetings; an offer that was quickly pulled once Boras informed the Yankees how much he was seeking. The Red Sox, Nationals, Angels and Orioles bid on Teixeira in the next few weeks, with the Yankees not making another contract offer until late Monday. Around midday Tuesday, Boras said Teixeira would agree to an eight-year contract, but only if the average annual value was $24 million per year, making the total contract value $192 million. The Yankees conferred, then told Boras no, that they had made a fair yet firm offer and would hold pat, the source said. Boras responded by saying that Teixeira would likely be a Red Sox. The Yankees refused to budge from their offer, and 20 minutes later, Boras called back and said Teixeira would take their eight-year, $180 million contract offer.
Even Tuesday, hours before Teixeira agreed to terms, the Yankees were pessimistic about getting the 28-year-old slugger, the source said. Boras told the Yankees they needed a 10-year deal, with the last two years as player options. That got an absolute no from the Yankees, who had offered eight years and $180 million ($22.5 million per year).
Seriously, just read it. No blockquotes here. Just do it.
I’ll be jetting cross country tomorrow morning for a week in sunny, warm San Diego. I’ll try (though not too hard) to get something up here if there’s any new news to discuss, but otherwise, I’ll be on break until after New Year’s.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and a safe, healthy and happy New Year.
–Jason
Shysterball has an excellent take on the Yanks bonanza:
Baseball’s prime directive is to be a financially successful and entertaining enterprise, and it has gotten better and better at this even as the Yankees have gone nuclear with their payroll. Some would even argue that there’s a causal relationship there. I don’t know if that’s the case, but it cannot be denied that the Yankees’ success and subsequent largess of the past 15 years has correlated remarkably well with the growth of baseball’s attendance and revenues.
Maybe that’s cold comfort for Blue Jays and Orioles fans, but unless and until the Yankees’ spending habits either (a) make a mockery of competitive balance; or (b) send fans away from the game in droves, those habits are not worth worrying about, and I don’t see how any of their moves this past month are likely to lead to either of those developments.
Maury from the Biz of Baseball has an excellent posting about the Yanks entire spending spree and the reasons/enablers that made it all possible. You have to read this. To summarize Maury’s reasons:
- Not Landing Santana
- Missing the Playoffs for the First Time in 14 Years
- Shedding Player Payroll in Preparation of an Aggressive Off-Season
- New Yankee Stadium and Tax-Sheltering
- The Perfect Spending Storm
Maury’s got another entry that lays out the “cartoonish” figures of the Yanks this coming season.
- The Yankees now have four of the highest contracts in all of MLB (Alex Rodriguez has the largest in all of baseball at $275 million over 10 years, while Derek Jeter is second at $189 million over 9 years, on top of the Teixeira deal and Sabathia deals). Those four have combined contract totals of a staggering $805 million, or $205 million more than the cost of the Mets’ Citi Field.
- The total base salaries of A-Rod ($32 million), Jeter ($20 million), Teixeira ($20 million), and Sabathia ($14 million) for 2009 will be $86 million, or more than the Opening Day payrolls of more than half the league last year (Brewers, Indians, Giants, Reds, Padres, Rockies, Rangers, Orioles, Diamondbacks, Royals, Twins, Nationals, Pirates, Athletics, Rays, and Marlins).
YANKS SIGN CASH TO MINOR LEAGUE DEAL
The Yankees stole another player away from the Red Sox on Tuesday, though Boston will hardly bemoan the loss of Kevin Cash as much as it did watching Mark Teixeira take, well, the Yankee cash and run to the Bronx.
IIATMS note: This is a repost of something originally posted on 12/4/08. I have decided to repost it due to its relevance given today’s news. There’s a similar article in SI.com on the subject out as well.
There’s a worthwhile read today about Mark Teixeira. In short, he comes across as a calm, stone-cold assassin. And that’s not meant as an insult. This is a guy with a plan, an approach, a sense of utter coolness. One of many differences between the successful Yankee teams of recent vintage and the successful RedSox teams is their personality.
Yanks have been called “corporate”, “boring”, “methodical”. The Sox are “dirt dogs”, “scrappy”, fun-loving”. Both are true yet both have their exceptions. And Teixeira would clearly fit snugly in the Yanks clubhouse as he has those same traits. Again, that’s not a knock, it’s just his personality.
Tex, as he is known, fits the profile of the modern superstar — polished and savvy, mindful of his image as well as his OPS. He was switch-hitting in elementary school, was a member of the National Honor Society at Mount St. Joseph High in Baltimore, went to Georgia Tech and became an assistant player representative in only his second major league season. When he walks into the clubhouse, dressed in slacks and a button-down shirt, the first thing he does is turn off his cellphone so he is not distracted and does not bother anyone else. He says he has a “plan for every day,” which requires that he eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before each game and scarf down a Power Bar in the middle innings. “Some people would call me obsessive compulsive,” Teixeira says, “but I take my job very seriously and my preparation very seriously. I am not the kind of guy who goes out at night and parties.”
If you ask me, I’d take a team of 10 of these guys. Boring assassins. Might not be as much fun as Manny leaving to take a leak in the Monster. More ARod than Manny. I want guys who are committed to themselves and their team first. I never want to question a player’s committment. That’s what makes Jeter “Jeter“; we know he’s going to go all out every day. We don’t have to wonder if Jeter will show up or not. We don’t have to wonder if Jeter will beg his way out of the lineup.
Worried about his presence and “clutchness”?
When the Angels acquired Teixeira from Atlanta on July 29, they were 11 1/2 games up in the American League West, and some players worried that a new addition would upset clubhouse chemistry. To the contrary, Teixeira led the Angels in every major offensive category after the trade and they set a franchise record for wins (100), with Teixeira showing a free-swinging team how to work deep into counts.
……
At the All-Star break, the Angels ranked 29th in walks. In the second half they ranked 21st. “He was the perfect guy for their lineup,” says Mariners pitcher Jarrod Washburn. The Angels lost to the Red Sox in the first round of the playoffs, but not because of Teixeira. He batted .467 with a .550 on-base percentage in his first postseason series.
If the Yanks are unable to sign Sabathia, I would be totally comfortable with them landing Teix.
I try to be fair and rational. I love the game of baseball. And I am also a Yankee fan. Those things are in constant conflict and I try like heck to be consistent and logical. Sometimes I succeed, other times I fail.
But the “baseball is doomed“, “we need a salary cap“, “the Yanks are ruining the game” stuff is just whining. Baseball is healthy. The economy is in the shitter, no question, and it will impact the gate this year. But most of baseball’s non-gate revenues are guaranteed TV/Radio/Internet revenues. Fewer people going to the games will end up watching online or with an MLB package. Baseball will continue to thrive, much less survive.
And with a very basic economics background melded with several summers of construction gigs, I can tell you with a ceiling, there must be a floor. Take a look at the 2008 payrolls and you’ll see the average of about $90 million per team and a total of $2.7B. There are 17 teams below the average, 13 above. So where is the ceiling and where is the floor?
Select View Full Post to continue reading.
As I hoped, postulated, ruminated…. Teixeira will indeed be a Yankee. It seems that they were laying low, waiting for the Boras camp to come a’calling. I’ll keep the updates coming as I get them.
Teixeira, who hit .308 with 33 home runs and 121 RBIs in 2008, will receive an eight-year, $180 million deal from the Yankees with a full no-trade provision.
Holy crap. The Evil Empire lives*. If those figures are to be believed, they were on par with Boston, below the Nationals and above the Angels and Orioles. Not quite the “Beltran Offer” but clearly not the highest bid on the table.
Per Buster Olney:
Free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira has reached agreement with the New York Yankees on an eight-year contract worth more than $170 million.
The Yankees swooped in on Teixeira on Tuesday when it was believed the Boston Red Sox or the Washington Nationals were the likeliest of his future employer. The Red Sox’s offer was believed to be in the range of $170 million, and the Nationals reached out with an offer perhaps greater than that of Boston.
Said here almost 2 weeks ago:
It just feels like the Yanks are quietly lurking on the Teix scenario. If they, at the last minute, call Boras and tell him they’ll match the Nationals 8 year, $160m offer, I can see them walking off with the two best players this offseason, plus at least two other very good pitchers. The Evil Empire striking again.
Obnoxious? You betchya. At least the ownership is committed. Or should be committed. Whatever.
The Lineup:
- Damon, LF
- Jeter, SS
- Teix, 1B
- ARod, 3B
- Matsui, DH
- Nady, RF
- Posada, C
- Swisher, CF
- Cano, 2B
Not sure how the bottom 3-4 guys shake out right now.
Merry Teixmas to all!
* And yes, I know there will be hell to pay if the Yanks don’t win it all.
Except now it’s not coming from my mouth (or keyboard), but from Buster Olney.
Buster on the Yanks lurking, possibly waiting for a “Beltran Offer“:
The Yankees made an initial offer to Teixeira, a proposal not close to the others, before they withdrew their bid, and they have maintained contact with the agent, Scott Boras. Three years ago, Carlos Beltran was a free agent, and near the end of his negotiations with the Mets, he offered to sign with the Yankees for a six-year, $96 million deal, or more than $20 million less than what the Mets had offered. The Yankees declined the proposal.
With Teixeira’s negotiations with the Red Sox last week, in the failed meeting between the team executives and the player, the Yankees are at least preparing for the possibility that they will be presented with a set of parameters by Teixeira that would bring him to New York. If the first baseman gives the Yankees contract figures that absolutely would result in him signing with the Yankees, they want to be ready to respond.
Buster on the Boras/ARod/Texas parallel:
The Nationals reportedly made an offer of eight years and $160 million to the first baseman, and while some within the organization have privately expressed skepticism about their chances of signing Teixeira, they are viewed as a formidable participant because of their owner’s deep pockets. A lingering question throughout these negotiations has been whether Teixeira would be willing to play for the Nationals or the Orioles, teams that figure to struggle in the immediate future, as they rebuild their pitching staffs.
Another Boras client did take a lot more money with a non-contender once — Alex Rodriguez, who signed a record-setting $252 million deal with the Texas Rangers.
Stay tuned, they are expecting Teix to make his decision today.
A bit off-topic, but this is a quick story about my brother’s fantasy football team. Feel free to skip it if you hate this stuff.
He was in the finals in his office league and according to him, clearly the favorite. The guy he was playing had the Bears D/ST yet to play. My brother had both kickers playing last night to choose from. We discussed playing Crosby since every kick would doubly hurt the Bears D/ST. We knew neither was a good option though, due to the weather.
Here are his emails to me late last night:
Timestamp: 12/22/2008 10:56 PM
Subject: “Tonite“
Body: That missed FG was worth 4 to me and -1 to my opponent. And I’m down by 5!Timestamp: 12/22/2008 11:42 PM
Subject: “This kick“
Body: For the titleTimestamp: 12/22/2008 11:57 PM
Subject: “I’m sick“
Body: That missed FG cost me the title.
That, my friends, is pain.
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