The Teixeira Watch: Part V - AM says the O's "have flexibility" on Tex

[G.O.A.T.]

I agree but think about a company like Under Armour. A Baltimore company endorsed by a Baltimore Hero that is from Baltimore and the face of the O's.

I love it. Seeing him Nick and Matt doing the Under Armour thing would be sweet.

[Lucky Jim]

There is no reason at all you have to be all in or all out. Tex is young enough that he will still be a great player when Wieters, Matusz, Arrieta and Tillman hit their prime.

There are only three reasons I can see not to go after Tex:

1. If the salary you are going to pay him will preclude you from spending ample money on the farm system, international scouting/development, etc.

2. If the salary you are going to pay him will preclude you from obtaining or retaining other talented players in the future.

3. If you think it would be preferable to be absolutely awful for another 1-2 years to keep getting top-5 draft picks.

As to the first two, none of us knows the answer. The Orioles' economics are a black box. All I can say is I trust MacPhail to not allow either of these things to happen. He's too smart for that.

As to the third, I have no desire to be a 68-70 win team (or worse) EVER. It seems like every year it gets to be mid-August and when the team swoons some posters are actively rooting for us to lose to improve our draft status. I'd gladly take a .500+ season and take my chances with a no. 15 draft pick rather than watch a terrible team. One of the posters (Mackus?) proved pretty conclusively that a top-5 draft pick has been a bust about 2/3 of the time and that's just not good enough odds for me to want to endure more losing. I'd rather have a decent team and build from there.

I'm not sure how you can't envision some substantial effect on 1 and 2 from this. I think that's a given.

Further, if we're five years from the "prime" of Tillman, Arrieta and Wieters (and I think that's probably fair) then that means we will have paid a ton of money waiting for them (with Teix in tow).

Where do you stand on an opt-out, Frobby? I can't fathom how a contract to Teix with an opt-out before six years makes a lick of sense.

[Carroll County]

Excellent post Oriolebird79. I also think that a no trade clause and an opt-out clause are both things that are important to Teixeira and Boras, and not necessarily that he wants the largest dollar figure contract, but rather the contract that will be best for him for the length of his career (his career earnings).

[UpstateNYfan]

I just want to say, as another listener to the Sinkoff show, he may be an Oriole fan, but he thinks Bako is our starting catcher. He isn't a good source for Os stuff, just a fan.

I agree. I hear him everyday on the way home from work. I take all he says with a grain of salt, or less. It's just nice to hear mention of the O's occassionally on a radio station in enemy territory. Any other O's fan in the Albany area??

[JamesI]

I agree. I hear him everyday on the way home from work. I take all he says with a grain of salt, or less. It's just nice to hear mention of the O's occassionally on a radio station in enemy territory. Any other O's fan in the Albany area??

Personally, I'm amazed I'm not the only one. Everyone around me seems to be a Yankee or Sox fan.

[cmcgarvey]

Something I have also been thinking about is endorsements. IMO Tex would get a lot more endorsements and make a lot more money with the O's because of it. With the Red Sox or anywhere else he is just another player. Here he is a hero returning home and the face of the franchise. There will be all kind of companies (like Under Armour) lined up wanting him.

Maybe he can endorse Clipper City Brewery the way athletes and movie stars used to endorse booze and cigarettes back in the early 20th century.

"Drink Clipper City BaltoMärzHon and you too can hit 30 home runs or more for 5 seasons in a row."

[JayGibbons31]

I agree. I hear him everyday on the way home from work. I take all he says with a grain of salt, or less. It's just nice to hear mention of the O's occassionally on a radio station in enemy territory. Any other O's fan in the Albany area??

Yeah I'm in the Albany area, and I'd agree with your assessment on Sinkoff. He's not the most knowledgeable guy on the radio.

[JTrea81]

I'm pretty sure Cal could get him in with the Esskay people...

[Ruzious]

$21.5 million a year is pretty WOW to me!

Yeah, but realistically 150 mil had almost no chance of getting him. And by "the wow offer" I'm referring to Belkast's famous post. Like I said, I thought it was a good first offer - to get things started, but in this situation, it's clearly not a wow, imo.

[Dipper9]

Okay I'm tired of trying to catch up. It seems like EVERYTHING I read is either someone posting old news or someone RESPONDING to the posting of old news. Arghhh!

I have some new thoughts.

1- I think Tex should be willing to accept somewhat of a hometown discount- simply for the fact that he'll probably be able to double his annual salary in hometown endorsements.

2- I really worry that if we DON'T get Tex, and the depression settles in before spring training hits, that when the energy and excitement inches back as we get closer to Opening day- all of a sudden- all of the focus will be on Matt Wieters- and "When will he come up? How great is he gonna be??" The pressure and attention of this team will suddenly be weighing heavy on Wieters, and I really worry about the toll that could take on a young player. With Tex in tow, the pressure and attention is on him, which would at the very least, deflect the spotlight from the likes of Wieters and Adam Jones, the 2 youngest members of the new "nucleus" to this team.

3- All the talk of trading Markakis in Bedard fashion is beyond premature. Can we get a grip here? Yes, Nick will be let down and I'm sure he might channel thoughts on what life might be like when he gets closer to free agency... but that's a few years off. I'd think he's gonna want the security of an extension sooner rather than later. He's not in Roberts shoes.

4- And the obvious, yes, Roberts will be traded IMO if Tex isn't signed- something we can all agree on... so that simple fact alone- does incur thoughts of a great depression for the upcoming baseball season. With Brob gone and our starting pitching in shambles- I don't think we'd have the same ride we had for the fist half of the season. In fact, since I'd suddenly be wondering if we'd even be able to sign Markakis, it might even make the whole "watching the team to see them develop" angle not so much fun...

Anyway- sorry for the rambling on random thoughts... but again, scrolling down each page to see the same info posted over and over was driving me crazy!

I am not trying to ignore the rest of your thoughts, but the "home town discount" is the fact that Tex even CONSIDERS the Orioles. He will not play here for less, but if we offer him a fair deal, that's where the home town discount comes into play. If he was from anywhere else, HE would have no interest in playing for Baltimore, and frankly, WE would not have as much interest in him. THAT's the "home town discount." If anyone is expecting a monetary hometown discount, I think you're mistaken.

[Aberdeener]

I am not trying to ignore the rest of your thoughts, but the "home town discount" is the fact that Tex even CONSIDERS the Orioles. He will not play here for less, but if we offer him a fair deal, that's where the home town discount comes into play. If he was from anywhere else, HE would have no interest in playing for Baltimore, and frankly, WE would not have as much interest in him. THAT's the "home town discount." If anyone is expecting a monetary hometown discount, I think you're mistaken.

This hurts to hear but it's true. No professional baseball player can truly be excited about playing here until we show some improvement. Tangible improvement.

[TGO]

I'm pretty sure Cal could get him in with the Esskay people...

No way, Cal is going to ride that gravy (er, grease?) train for a long time.

[24fps]

Something I have also been thinking about is endorsements. IMO Tex would get a lot more endorsements and make a lot more money with the O's because of it. With the Red Sox or anywhere else he is just another player. Here he is a hero returning home and the face of the franchise. There will be all kind of companies (like Under Armour) lined up wanting him.

Teixeira coming home to play for the team he grew up loving - and taking a discount to do so - makes for a great story in this cynical age. It's also one that's marketable if handled correctly. At this stage, it's hard to put a number on additional revenue generated from that angle though. A lot can happen in 8-10 years.

A pile of cold, hard dollars sitting on the table waiting for you to pocket them, has a clean, simple clarity to it.

If he and Cal actually managed a private word sometime during the course of these negotiations, I hope they discussed the value of being a hometown hero from the practical side and Cal impressed on Teixeira the rarity of the opportunity before him.

[SoCal]

I just wanted to throw some food for thought out there. A guy I know who works in sports media in texas made the following comment regarding Tex:

his teammates in Texas called him "P.I." behind his back for "Perfect Individual"...as in, thats how he thinks of himself...

he's a clubhouse cancer...keep him far away from your baseball team...

I really don't know much about tex as a person. Does this conflict with most reports? The guy who said this has plenty of credibility when it comes to sports insider info (in TX) IMO.

[UpstateNYfan]

I actually have some empathy for Tex and the decision he must make, assuming he has some emotional ties to the O's. He certainly realizes how much hostility he will receive everytime he enters OPACY in a uniform other than the Orioles. I believe Boras is always looking for the largest contract and will be pushing that on Tex. The last conflict that Tex has to consider, if his contract too large, will he deter the O's from signing others and delaying a run for the playoffs. 8 to 10 years is a long contract, the largest he will ever sign. I don't think being a free agent is quite as "free" as it seems. Sabathia took the money, but I doubt it was the choice he really wanted. We will see how Tex will handle a similar situation.