Report - Teixera signs with Yankees

[Skeletor]

Its clear that you have access to the Orioles books, Russ. Tell us what they can afford for a team salary?

This stuff works for the Twins and A's because they're in crappy divisions. It might be good for third in the AL East. If AM thinks this route is going to grab us a division title, he's nuts.

[PrivateO]

It will be a sell out of sure. The problem is that all but 10 people will be Yankees fans.

I'm calling shenanigans.

[MarylandTerp08]

This stuff works for the Twins and A's because they're in crappy divisions. It might be good for third in the AL East. If AM thinks this route is going to grab us a division title, he's nuts.

Precisely! Even then, last world series the Twins won?

[boosbet]

As a die hard Cub fan, it is a pleasure to read the intelligent posts and passion from OH. However, the Cubs were in a similar position in 06, at the end of the season Mr. McDonough (Andy's replacement) walked around the stadium and was overwhelmed by the passion that was shown by the fans, his instructions to Mr. Hendry were go sign the best available FA. That gentleman was of course Alfonso Soriano, Mr. Hendry knew that Fonsies contract would be an albatross towards the tail end but the front office felt it necessary to show the die hard fans of Chicago that the FO is committed to the fans and subsequently winning.

Mr MacPhail, was held in high regard by the powers of be at the Tribune Company. Why? because Andy helped the Tribune print money. Perfect example, the field at Wrigley was considered one of the worst in the majors (the only field in baseball that still was crowned) the drainage was terrible and players likened the surface to a class A field. Andy would not invest the dollars necessary to improve the playing conditions thus additional dollars to the bottom line.

[Carroll County]

You call it a cop out, I call it baseball economics.

You dont want to argue because you know your wrong.

Argue about what, those trades? No, I don't want to argue because it's pointless, they're done deals. I stand by my point that none of the players we acquired for Tejada or Ramon are ever going to be major contributors to a winning Orioles team with the exception of Luke Scott, and maybe Sarfate if he can find some control before he hurts himself. Maybe they weren't salary dumps in the traditional sense, but that was undoubtedly part of the consideration.

Secondly, extending guys already producing for us should be a given. Do you disagree with that? That's why I called it a cop out answer.

Without bringing in some difference making free agents (and taking on some salary) from time to time, we're not going to be able to compete in our division, unless we catch lightning in a bottle like the Rays did last year. And with our track record of developing players, I don't see that happening.

Go ahead and defend Andy MacPhail all you want. It's not quite rational to bash him quite yet, even though I have lost faith. While he got us an awesome haul for Bedard, I can not sit here and defend a guy who did not identify the need for and value of Mark Teixeira and pursue him with more than a token offer. The guy made sense for us on so many levels, and didn't end up getting paid that much. (Yes, I know it was a lot, but it wasn't 8/200 or 10/230!).

[Redsoxfaninnh]

Well, this is the ONE scenario I had hoped to avoid and yet, always knew there was this possibility.

That said, being a Red Sox fan, it would be hypocritical to complain about the Yankees spending too much money since the Sox have more resources than 99% of the rest of MLB teams.

The Yankees are doing what they have to do in order to compete in the AL East. They have to do it this way because their attempts to build from within have failed miserably.

If the Sox backed out because they refused to offer a no-trade or opt-out clause then I am fine with that. If they were outmaneuvered by the Yankees at the last minute, shame on them.

I know this sucks for many Orioles fans but I wonder if signing Teixeira wouldn't have limited what the team could do in the future. I don't believe he would have been the piece that raised to the level needed to compete in the AL East. It seems to me, for what that's worth (I'm sure not much) but I think the right way to build is just the way your FO is doing it; draft well and make sure you develop those picks.

Thank you for the courtesy you all showed me during my time here. I'm not sure my fellow Red Sox fans are always as welcoming on our boards as you guys were to me.

I plan on staying around because I really enjoy your passion and also because it is good to see things through the eyes of other team's fan bases. I would never root for another AL East team but I will say this. Baseball is better when the Orioles are competitive. The franchise has a rich history and, as evidenced by you here, they have as knowledgeable and passionate fans as any team in MLB.

I'm going to step away and enjoy the Holidays with my wife and three kids. My son is home from college and we will all be together over the next two weeks. There is no better gift I could ever ask for at Christmas.

I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a very Happy and safe New Year!

[Scrat1]

Thank you for the courtesy you all showed me during my time here. I'm not sure my fellow Red Sox fans are always as welcoming on our boards as you guys were to me.

I plan on staying around because I really enjoy your passion and also because it is good to see things through the eyes of other team's fan bases. I would never root for another AL East team but I will say this. Baseball is better when the Orioles are competitive. The franchise has a rich history and, as evidenced by you here, they have as knowledgeable and passionate fans as any team in MLB.

Hope to see you around. Intelligent, civil posters are always welcome no matter what team...maybe even Yankees fans.

[Mike B]

I think we learned that the Orioles want to compete but only at affordable prices. I have been worried from day one that if the Yankees decided they wanted him he was gone. This may have been Teixiera's hometown but it is no longer the town he lives in.

I do not think the blame can be put on AM as much as I think it belongs to PGA. A owner either must lead in a situation like this mess or in the very least gives his GM the mandate to get this guy and then have his back when the dollars start flying.

At the end of the day PGA did not step up again. Their is an old saying that seems to fit our O's, Money talks and BS Walks. We seem to fit the second part of the phrase.

[SrMeowMeow]

Well, I've stayed off the boards for a few days since my semester ended, so I'm a bit more insulated emotionally. I also have a pretty forgiving view of people in authority, but my take is as follows:

1) MacPhail knows what he's doing. Some people have been crying about a "front-office failure," but I'm pretty sure MacPhail had a price he was willing to pay, a clear concept of Teixeira's value, and an unwillingness to be played in the negotiations. The only way to do that is to know your price and not be bullied. We can see that effect in SG's posts that were quoted earlier (not to pick on him in particular, many people did this) where over the course of the negotiations his subjective upper limit changed. This is exactly what teams have to avoid; especially if you start to count on a player. If you pencil in Mark Teixeira as countless posters did, unconsciously, in their projected 2009 rosters, you become willing to pay more. Lots of offseason scenarios went like "sign Teix, trade Scott for pitching, move Huff to DH, etc." or something similar, and since "sign Teix" is the foundation of that, people become willing to rationalize paying whatever it costs to get him. This is how Boras makes his money, and smart GMs have to avoid this trap even if it means not getting the player.

2) Nobody here knows anything worthwhile about the state of the Orioles' finances. Nobody knows if Teix will pay for himself in tickets, what the Orioles can afford, what payroll is justified, whether Angelos is cheap. People make generalizations to support their own arguments, but seriously. Most of the posts regarding finances have been both completely unfounded and stated as fact. You know who does know every detail of the Orioles' finances? The Orioles. I'm going to trust them on this one.

3. It sucks that he went to the Yankees. It's not just that they're the Yankees and I hate them, they're also the team least vulnerable to being hurt by contracts. They don't even really have the risk that we would have assumed, since apparently they have an unlimited payroll

4. People need to apologize to the national media. There's a thread on this already but people need to face it. There have been shameful, baseless and frequently personal attacks on the media whenever people heard something they didn't like. There may be a media bias, but people's reactions were incredibly disproportionate. Maybe this bias exists because the sport really does focus around the Yankees? This offseason sure did. I will gain immense respect for posters who take responsibility for their own statement.

5. I want to hear an explanation from Belkast. This has also been said, and some people think it's unfair to ask. I don't. I can overlook the unflagging optimism, and even the information. I'm not even actually upset. I just feel like there was a real disconnect between what we heard, and reality. There are statements Belkast made that are impossible to explain, such as the presence of a "wow" offer that was apparently presented. I don't really expect an apology or think I deserve one somehow, and I actually hope Belkast stays away for a few days for his own sake as some people are getting bitter. I just really want to know what went down. If insiders get routinely misled to this degree I think the board might want to consider tightening its vetting policy.

6. We will survive. Teixeira would have meant meaningless marginal wins in 2009, and he's not so good that he was a must-sign. There will be other first basemen, and other free agents. There's been doom and gloom about how the free agent class will never be this strong, or how it's a "perfect storm" (my new most hated phrase due to its overuse here in the past few weeks ) for Teixeira. But, honestly, if MacPhail and Angelos decided that they couldn't justify the salary, I don't mind.

The way I would build a team is what MacPhail seems to be doing, and what hard-core rebuilders should ascribe to, if they're willing to bite the bullet: junk 2009 and 2010. All our current veterans will be gone. Jones, Markakis and Wieters will be established or not; at least, we'll have more information. We will have three top-tier pitching prospects beating down the doors to the majors after progressing at their own pace (Arrieta in 2009? Quoi?!). We will be in a better position than we are now even if we sign nobody. THEN we can do this drama. THEN the marginal wins will be worth more. Signing Teixeira now would have just added another card to the house we're building; another gamble, another decision that would have to pay off to accelerate the rebuild. Obviously it's not the likely case, but think how great having Barry Zito would be right now. I know we could just jump the payroll to $130M because Baltimore is a big city and Angelos lives in a house made of hundred dollar bills, but still. Even the die-hard Teixeira supporters must see that there was risk, right?

And MacPhail, with the authority Angelos gave him and that we pleaded for him to have, made an informed and intelligent baseball decision and decided that the risk was not worth the return at this stage of the rebuild. That is all I want, it is everything I want, and it is why I am actually happy with the result.

[raypetty]

Your a class act, RSFIN! Happy Holidays to you and your family and may GOD bless.

[Austin]

Well, this is the ONE scenario I had hoped to avoid and yet, always knew there was this possibility.

That said, being a Red Sox fan, it would be hypocritical to complain about the Yankees spending too much money since the Sox have more resources than 99% of the rest of MLB teams.

The Yankees are doing what they have to do in order to compete in the AL East. They have to do it this way because their attempts to build from within have failed miserably.

If the Sox backed out because they refused to offer a no-trade or opt-out clause then I am fine with that. If they were outmaneuvered by the Yankees at the last minute, shame on them.

I know this sucks for many Orioles fans but I wonder if signing Teixeira wouldn't have limited what the team could do in the future. I don't believe he would have been the piece that raised to the level needed to compete in the AL East. It seems to me, for what that's worth (I'm sure not much) but I think the right way to build is just the way your FO is doing it; draft well and make sure you develop those picks.

Thank you for the courtesy you all showed me during my time here. I'm not sure my fellow Red Sox fans are always as welcoming on our boards as you guys were to me.

I plan on staying around because I really enjoy your passion and also because it is good to see things through the eyes of other team's fan bases. I would never root for another AL East team but I will say this. Baseball is better when the Orioles are competitive. The franchise has a rich history and, as evidenced by you here, they have as knowledgeable and passionate fans as any team in MLB.

I'm going to step away and enjoy the Holidays with my wife and three kids. My son is home from college and we will all be together over the next two weeks. There is no better gift I could ever ask for at Christmas.

I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a very Happy and safe New Year!

You're a good guy, happy holidays to you. Congrats on having an awesome team.

[mweb]

Bingo.

Though the dust hasn't settled yet, I like how you're already blaming AM. Perhaps Angelos shot it down...we don't know yet.

But yes, the O's are a joke of a franchise.

The O's may be a joke of a franchise, but failing to offer at least 8/180 to Tex is in no way a reason why. Perfectly sane not to offer that type of deal. I can see why they would as well, but this is far from a joke. Only those who look to bash AM/the O's in general and/or got overly caught up in the Tex hysteria could say otherwise imo.

[jcroemer]

Well, this is the ONE scenario I had hoped to avoid and yet, always knew there was this possibility.

That said, being a Red Sox fan, it would be hypocritical to complain about the Yankees spending too much money since the Sox have more resources than 99% of the rest of MLB teams.

The Yankees are doing what they have to do in order to compete in the AL East. They have to do it this way because their attempts to build from within have failed miserably.

If the Sox backed out because they refused to offer a no-trade or opt-out clause then I am fine with that. If they were outmaneuvered by the Yankees at the last minute, shame on them.

I know this sucks for many Orioles fans but I wonder if signing Teixeira wouldn't have limited what the team could do in the future. I don't believe he would have been the piece that raised to the level needed to compete in the AL East. It seems to me, for what that's worth (I'm sure not much) but I think the right way to build is just the way your FO is doing it; draft well and make sure you develop those picks.

Thank you for the courtesy you all showed me during my time here. I'm not sure my fellow Red Sox fans are always as welcoming on our boards as you guys were to me.

I plan on staying around because I really enjoy your passion and also because it is good to see things through the eyes of other team's fan bases. I would never root for another AL East team but I will say this. Baseball is better when the Orioles are competitive. The franchise has a rich history and, as evidenced by you here, they have as knowledgeable and passionate fans as any team in MLB.

I'm going to step away and enjoy the Holidays with my wife and three kids. My son is home from college and we will all be together over the next two weeks. There is no better gift I could ever ask for at Christmas.

I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a very Happy and safe New Year!

Thank you sir, and a Happy Holidays to you as well.

[mweb]

I'm not upset at the O's for this, nor am I upset at Tex, both made logical decisions imo. I, however do continue to be upset at the baseball system which allows one team to have such an absurdly high payroll.

[man toe]

nooooooooooooo