Mark Teixeira: The Arguments For And Against Boston |

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Mark Teixeira: The Arguments For And Against Boston

By Administrator | December 13, 2008

Scott Boras has said all along that he believes Mark Teixeira will command a ten-year contract somewhere north of $200 million… and while many people thought the prediction was another case of Boras-Being-Boras, it seems his prediction will almost certainly come true.

If the Red Sox want to get the Teixeira deal done, they should just bite the bullet and make the offer today. C’mon Theo, if you really want him playing first base in a Red Sox uniform, close the deal NOW.

Otherwise, the matter may come down to a flip of the coin.

Okay, not really. There are several reasons Teixeira could choose any one of the three cities — the decision ultimately will come down to weighing priorities.

First the Nationals offered eight years… then the Sox increased their offer to eight years… and now the Angels have gone to eight years as well. Each destination has appeal to Teixeira, who is easily the most sought-after everyday player among this year’s free agent crop.

So it comes down to this: will the Red Sox take the initiative with Teixeira or are they content to follow the lead of others and then HOPE things work out? Theo and Company followed the former course of action with Curt Schilling, and that seems to have worked out just fine…

The Case For Washington

The Nationals offer the allure of being located in the immediate vicinity of Teixeira’s home town of Severna Park, MD. Teixeira is believed to want to bring his wife and children, ages 1 and 2, to his boyhood home — near his mother and father. He saw how his boyhood idol, Cal Ripken Jr., became rich and famous — and remained happy — by staying close to home.

Nationals president Stan Kasten says: “Players sometimes go where they feel that they, and their families, will be happiest over the long term. And they end up winning there, too”. Of course he’s going to say that — it’s really the only thing that Washington has going in its favor.

The Case For Los Angeles

Anaheim provides Teixeira with familiarity.

After being traded to the Angels by the Atlanta Braves in the week leading up to the trade deadline, he spent the final two months of the regular season in southern California. Teixeira thus had time to get comfortable with the ballpark, the organization, his teammates and manager Mike Scioscia. When and if he returns to The City of Angels, there will be no orientation period.

The LA area also affords Teixeira and his family a superior lifestyle choice… while with the Angels, the switch-hitting first baseman rented a house in Laguna Beach.

Lastly, baseball on the West Coast is a bit more laid back than it is on the East Coast. While the team is well-supported (annually drawing in excess of 3 million fans), the atmosphere is much more relaxed and criticism of players is rare.

Of course, the ‘relaxed’ atmosphere can be a drawback, too. Bruce Hurst once left the Red Sox to go to San Diego — to be closer to his family and to escape the white-hot intensity of Boston baseball… he later said it was a horrific mistake.

The Case Against Boston

Teixeira was projected as a first-round draft pick after finishing high school at Mount St. Joseph, in Baltimore. The Red Sox considered drafting him, but Tex told the Red Sox that a $1.5 million bonus offer would not be enough to sign him.

He believes the Red Sox (Dan Duquette) spread the word that he was unsignable and determined to go to Georgia Tech. The Red Sox have a different story… but perception is reality. What matters is that Teixeira believes it. In 2006, he told Baseball America: “The Red Sox told everybody I wouldn’t sign and when it got to a late-enough round they said, ‘Let’s take a flier on him. They spoiled me for everyone else”.

The Red Sox still offered the $1.5 million they would have paid him in the first round, but Teixeira was not enticed — he turned it down. After three years at Georgia Tech, he was drafted by the Rangers and got $9.5 million to sign.

Does Teixeira harbor any resentment towards the Red Sox? Who knows? His life and his career have turned out extraordinarily well, and from all reports he is a remarkable young man who is well-adjusted and happy… so you wouldn’t think he harbors any animosity.

The Case FOR Boston

To start with, this Red Sox ownership and General Manager aren’t the same ones that slighted him prior to the 1998 draft,

Secondly, Teixeira considers himself an “East Coast person” and Boston is about as “East Coast” as it gets. Fast-paced… Stressful…

Intense.

Especially about its baseball team.

And Boston is only 400 miles, plus or minus, from Severna Park.

And it is also only a couple of hours by airplane to Atlanta, the hometown of Teixeira’s wife.

Third, those who know Teixeira say the three things that matter most to him are family, business and winning. It seems he cannot get all three in one place, but that he can get closest to having his cake ande eating it too by signing with the Red Sox.

The family (proximity to Severna Park and Atlanta) issue has already been addressed, except for the consideration that as a member of the Red Sox he will return to his hometown three times each year to play against the Orioles.

From a business standpoint, Boston isn’t Los Angeles - so there are not likely to be many television or film appearances in the offing (as there would be in Los Angeles). But sports heroes in Boston are like movie stars elsewhere and Teixeira will assuredly be inundated with sponsorship offers. Baseball is religion in New England… the city’s passion for the Red Sox is legendary.

The city’s passion for its baseball heroes is equally legendary.

And let’s not forget that he would be starting his career in Boston with a base salary of somewhere between $160 million and $200 million (I know, he would be receiving the same amount of money in Washington or Los Angeles, too… but this is an article about BOSTON, so bear with me).

Lastly, winning is good for business. Teixeira would be joining a winning organization in the Red Sox. The team has made the playoffs in five of the last six seasons… it has played in the ALCS in four of those years and won two (of the last five) World Series. The farm system is deep in prospects, the cash box is stuffed with cash, and the ownership will not hesitate to spend money to put a winning product on the ballfield.

Over six seasons in the major leagues, Teixeira has appeared in just four playoff games… in those same six years, the Red Sox have appeared in twelve post-season SERIES.

And lest we forget, Fenway Park is an extraordinary ballpark to hit in, espcially for a left-hand hitter (guys like Freddy Lynn and Mo Vaughn never hit as well elsewhere, and David Ortiz can attest to the relative merits of playing eighty-one games each season in ‘the friendly confines’). Tex will put up some gawdy numbers playing on this team in this ballpark…

The kind of numbers that will be GREAT for business.

If Teixeira is as competitive as those who know him suggest he is, all of these factors should be huge selling points for signing with the Red Sox.

Boras wants ten years and $200 million. I say give it to him. Close the deal, Theo… make it a Merry Christmas in Red Sox Nation…

and in the Teixeira household.

Topics: Sox Front Office |

4 Responses to “Mark Teixeira: The Arguments For And Against Boston”

JOE Says:
December 13th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
THE REDSOX SHOULD GO OUT AND SIGN TEIXEIRA AND SPEND THE 35-40 MIL. THEY HAVE IN STEAD OF BEING CHEAP AND LOOSING TO THE YANKS,SABATHIA AND BURNETT.
larry Says:
December 13th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
JB,
You are right except I would offer him 8 years and $25 million - total value of $200 million- with no restrictions such as an opt-out. The Yankees would be the only team to match this. With the Yankees looming, you have to strike and strike fast. It is an easy argument to Teixeira to say you are better off with an 8 year contract at $25 million/year rather than a 10 year contract at $20 million. Teixeira is smart; he can figure this out. THEO AND RED SOX OWNERSHIP- GO FOR IT. YOU WILL BE HAPPY IN THE LONG RUN.
Larry
Sox May Be On The Verge Of Wrapping Up Teixeira In Time For XMAS | Says:
December 18th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
[...] To read my previous article on the reasons Teixeira might sign with Boston, or elsewhere, click here. [...]
Brian Says:
December 21st, 2008 at 3:03 am
It’s funny how you make a huge reason for Teix to stay away from Boston into a reason to choose Boston. No star likes being in a fishbowl all the time. Just ask Manny. You Red Sox fans drove that guy nuts. Good job.

The best choice for Mark Teixeira is to stay with the Angels. We have no real competition in the AL West unless the A’s figure out how to win again. The Rangers will stink forever in that ballpark and the Mariners are a joke. The Red Sox and Yankees have each other and the Rays to worry about.

I think Mark Teixeira wants to play for the best good team that gives him the best chance to get to the World Series. That’s the Angels for now. So his choice is easy. With the money he’ll be making he can buy his own family jet and his family can fly anywhere.