Teixeira Watch: Part VII- Owner Says Sox Are Out

[MrMadison]

I don't see how the nats can afford to offer that kind of a deal.The owner dosen't even want to pay the rent for the stadium.As for the orioles as long as they can still afford to sign at least 2 decent pitchers i'm ok with it.

*sigh* people working with outdated information.

the Rent was paid a long time ago.

it was a contract dispute between the Lerners and the City. the Lerners felt the City did not complete all of its parts of the contract, so they withheld the money to make City do what they where supposed to. once the City did, the Lerners paid immediately.

for the record the dispute was because parts of the Stadium was not finished and the the City stopped working on it when the games started, with no intention of finishing. that was the Lerner's complaint. and obviously it was valid because the City got back on the job and finished whatever wasn't.

[lovetoaster]

Honestly, I feel the same way. Tex in Boston's line up would fill a major hole on that roster, that can't be filled at anywhere near his production. While the Yanks have improved their rotation, they are still simply adding another expensive bat to an aging roster.

I would be upset if he went to either team, but I would be more annoyed if he went to the Yankees. Just for the simple fact that if they were handing out roughly $450M on contracts to three players in one offseason, I would worry about the future of the sport and whether the O's would ever be able to compete with that.

[TonySoprano]

What did the ESPN report say?

They said the Red Sox had their limits in this economy and were outbid, presumably by the other serious candidate, the Angels.

[Mashed Potatoes]

Despite new ownership, GM, etc...maybe Tex still has a lot of anomosity towards the Red Sox???

Or more likely the Red Sox are not willing to match the ridiculous offers from the other teams. I'm guessing the reports that said they'd go 7-8 years for 180 million were BS.

[SoBo]

Compared to what they've had it is. Manny is gone, Ortiz may not return to his old form. A big bat in that lineup for years to come is what they wanted.

Losing Manny hurt. And adding Bay was nice. But he is no Manny. And it's clear that Ortiz is on the downside. They need another bat in that line up. Lowell is old. Your future heart of the line up right now is Youk, Pedroia and Bay. Sorry folks but that is not ManRam and Ortiz.

[The Wedge]

Isn't the same attitute you have towards the Nats? HMMMM....just pointing it out.

Excuse me? When have I ever shown the same sort of stupid disdain towards EVERY OTHER TEAM like some Red Sox fans do? My only comments about the Nats generally have to do with the fact that they're the relocated Expos and therefore have no local history, and the fact that I don't think Washington can sustain a team based on the history of their experiences when they do have them.

I'm eagerly awaiting an apology.

[MomoMan316]

I really believe 2 things are going on here. One is either the Red Sox are full of crap and trying to call a bluff by Boras which people are writing or it’s exactly what Red Sox owner said, they were outbid. Boras has said it would take a significant bid from the Nationals to sign Tex. Channel 9 has reported 8 for $200 by the Nationals. Now that doesn’t seem to crazy high I honestly believe there is zero reason why the Orioles should not match that offer and lock down Tex. I doubt the Orioles will because they are gutless. People continue to say he would play for Orioles before the Nationals. Now if a big bid took Sox out, that must mean Tex is looking at a larger bid, as of now the only one we know is Nationals. Orioles have shown no reason in past 11 years for us to believe different. Tex can sign with the Nationals for 8/ $200 and have a 3 year opt out. When he is 31 years old he can opt out, get even bigger money to play with Red Sox, Yankees or even possibly if we are there by then the Orioles (which I highly doubt we would sign him if we had gotten significantly better). This makes total sense for Tex, he gets big money now, if he tears it up next 3 years he can get even more, if he gets hurt or if he some how sucks, he can stay in his contract and keep getting $25 million per year. Sure he wants to play for the Birds, but if the Birds don’t pony up $25 million a year or even $23-24 million to be close to the offer, why wouldn’t he take the $200 from the Nationals? I can see him going to the Nationals or it’s a bluff by the Red Sox and he goes there. I hope I am wrong and I hope Angelos decides to spend all this money he is getting from us stupid fans!!

Or maybe it’s the Yankees trying to totally dominate the Red Sox?? Hmmmmmm…. We won’t know until he signs.

[BMoreOrioles]

It's kinda funny...I have been watching ESPN and ESPNEWS all morning and neither Gammons or Olney are showing their face.

[jcroemer]

Isn't the same attitute you have towards the Nats? HMMMM....just pointing it out.

Yeah but they deserve it because they have trouble not screaming out "O" during the anthem. Have you ever been to a game down there? It's pretty bad. And all those ex-O's fans want to do is run their mouths at the orange and black... man we don't give Nats fans THAT hard of a time... I say they are all turncoats... lets the Nats have 'em.

[Skeletor]

Was in Boston this week and mentioned something to a colleague that is a Sox fan that I thought the O's might sign Tex. He simply laughed and said "are you naive enough to truly believe that he would sign with the Orioles? You realize he's simply using you guys to drive up the price for the Yankees and Sox." I want this done so I can do a little gloating!

Why that's simply preposterous, lovey.

[isestrex]

This article has been quoted before:

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2008/12/henry_we_are_no.html

but take a look at the poll results:

With which team do you think Mark Teixeira will end up signing?

Angels 34.3%

Red Sox 28.9%

Yankees 22.6%

Nationals 9.5%

Orioles 4.7%

Doesn't look like the boston crowd gives us much chance

[jcroemer]

We won't get any respect until Tex hits after Markakis on Opening Day.

And the ball goes over the RF scoreboard?

[SoBo]

I would be upset if he went to either team, but I would be more annoyed if he went to the Yankees. Just for the simple fact that if they were handing out roughly $450M on contracts to three players in one offseason, I would worry about the future of the sport and whether the O's would ever be able to compete with that.

I wouldn't be happy with it either. Just would feel the effect on the teams performance would be lesser in NY, than Boston. In my mind he clearly fills a hole in Boston's line up.

[Greg Pappas]

Just a quick thought about ESPN. I think we should be careful when discussing the people at ESPN in a conspiratorial light. Do they have an agenda? Yes. Reader-ship/viewer-ship.

The longer the Tex drama remains, the better it is for business. Boston and NY are the two largest sports markets and bitter rivals. Discussing them is good for business. But don't think for a moment that ESPN folks will be disappointed by Tex signing with Baltimore. If the Orioles gain relevance again in the public eye, if we surge back into contention in short order, then great, more competition=better stories to tell=viewership.

Is it 'fair' that ESPN and other super station's of sports follow the same general guidelines? Is it fair that these shows spend half the show pining over the big stars and often add little real reporting/substance? No... but it's good for business. Sad but true.

They still offer real journalism/good reporting... ocassionally, and quite good at that. But again, perhaps it's time that we stop looking for the old integrity, the old days of ESPN and start looking at them for what they've become... big business.

My point is that when it comes to Tex, don't fret over ESPN reports. The more drama stirred up, the better for them. I'm not taking sides, nor making a stand... just taking a stance.

[RyanAdams420]

What is the latest from bigbird and belkast? I would have given up if I had gotten as much crap as they have...