Looking for a winner, Teixeira doesn't see it in Arlington
By JENNIFER FLOYD ENGEL
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FRISCO -- Ask any GM of a team with any real designs on winning in any foreseeable time frame and he will tell you the first thing you do is re-sign your best players.
For the Rangers, it's a no-brainer who this player is.
No. 1 on their how-to-fix-this-playoffs-challenged-team-immediately list should be to re-sign first baseman Mark Teixeira, but it won't happen.
He is as good as gone.
This is hardly a revelation. Everybody has been fitting Tex for Yankees pinstripes almost since he arrived, partially because of his choice of agents, Scott Boras.
Of course, everybody in Rangersland clings to this line of thinking. It's easier to tell themselves Tex is leaving for cash than for a legit chance to contend for a championship.
Talking to him before his first and only injury rehab start Wednesday in Frisco was as close as I've heard Tex come to saying he was gone and as brutally honest as he's been about why.
Tex said playing for a team with World Series potential is his priority when choosing where to play in 2009. And he doesn't think the Rangers are all that close to being that team.
"My contractual lifetime is a year and a half, and I think we have a lot of work to do. No doubt about it," he said. "I don't know what the team's plans are. In 2003, they were rebuilding. In 2007, you still hear the same things."
Anybody proficient in verbal math realizes two plus two equals buh-bye.
His timing certainly is curious. The Rangers finally are playing decently; Tex is ready to return from a thigh injury; and fortunes are looking up in Arlington.
Of course, in Tex's defense, he was simply answering questions posed to him.
Honestly. Very honestly, in some cases.
"We're a big-market team that's playing like a small-market team," Tex said. "I know this is a business, but when the Yankees go get All-Stars every year and the Red Sox go out and get All-Stars every year, it shows you they want to compete and win."
What he has been shown by Texas is not quite that message.
Nor does he seem to harbor much hope of dog-piling with Michael Young and Hank Blalock after a big ALCS victory.
"I'm hoping it will happen this year or next year, but the window is closing," Tex said. "Everybody wants to win. I don't know any competitor who doesn't want to win. It gets old. Our fans deserve better, and there are a lot of guys in the clubhouse who want better. We've put our heart and soul into this organization, and it's a tough pill to swallow to be at the bottom of the league."
Somebody, somewhere, will probably say this proves Tex is a whiner or greedy. They will be very wrong. Tex is an unbelievably talented baseball player, a guy who makes his home in Texas, a guy who developed a foundation to benefit Texas kids. And he wants a chance to play in and win a World Series championship.
What a jerk, huh?
Tex and I only disagree on two things: AFraud and Boras.
I think he has lousy taste in third basemen and agents. He thinks I just don't know them. What I know about Boras suggests, if Rangers owner Tom Hicks slapped more zeroes than anybody, he talks Tex into staying.
Heck, if Green Bay offered the most money, Boras would have Tex in a Packers uni and playing left tackle so fast his head would spin.
"Scott Boras works for me," Tex insisted. "No amount of money takes the place of winning."
Good for him. I hope he sticks to his ideals.
What the Rangers are going to say, and probably be able to sell, is that with Boras as his agent, Tex was going to require crazy money and was going to be a Yankee anyway and they had to trade him.
"That's just an excuse from teams that lost their better players because they offered half the money," Teixeira said. "That's about as blunt as I can be."
That team will be the Rangers. That is as blunt as I can be.
Handicapping Tex's impending departure is difficult. I'd say it is 30-70 that he is traded before the July 31 deadline and 95-5 this off-season and 100 percent that he is not wearing a Rangers uniform in 2009.
And if his spoken frustrations were not enough proof, he says the Rangers have not offered him an extension.
Of course, Boras has talked to the Rangers about Tex. It was probably a 20-second conversation where he dropped phrases like "NY Yankees" and "setting the market" and "$300 million."
The Rangers have talked extension with Boras, they just haven't talked specifics.
Would Tex listen if they did?
"My ears are always open," he said.
Or, they are in theory, but...
"No player is going to sign up with a team knowing they are going to lose," Tex said. "When a player has the chance, they're going to go with a winner."
Yes, Tex is as good as gone.
And why he won't be a Ranger for much longer should make you sicker than if Boras were to blame.
Jennifer Floyd Engel can be heard weekdays 9 a.m.-noon on The Jennifer Engel Show on ESPN/103.3 FM.
Jennifer Floyd Engel, 817-390-7760
jenfloyd@star-telegram.com
Teixiera Says It All
Started by
viking4life
, Jul 12 2007 09:44 PM
3 replies to this topic
#2
viking4life
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Posted 12 July 2007 - 09:48 PM
Teixeira talk looms large for Rangers
Angels, Dodgers among the teams interested in slugger
11:39 PM CDT on Thursday, July 12, 2007
By EVAN GRANT / The Dallas Morning News
egrant@dallasnews.com
ANAHEIM, Calif. – Mark Teixeira will be in Southern California this weekend.
The question is: Will he be looking for apartments?
As the Rangers prepare to start the second half of the season, the status of Teixeira, who returns to the roster after missing five weeks with a strained left quadriceps, becomes a much bigger focus.
Owner Tom Hicks and general manager Jon Daniels on Thursday acknowledged disappointment in Teixeira's criticism of management before a one-game rehab assignment with Double-A Friso. But, Daniels said, Teixeira's comments won't have an impact on whether the team trades him. The Rangers are listening to offers, but they aren't soliciting them
Among the teams that have expressed interest in Teixeira are the Los Angeles Angels, against whom the Rangers play three games this weekend, and the Dodgers. Both clubs are involved in tight pennant races and have unproven first basemen.
"We've never shopped Mark," said Daniels, whose team went 16-11 while Teixeira recovered. "We've fielded some calls and will continue to do so. I imagine things would pick up some now that he's healthy because people are more interested in a healthy player."
In addition to the Angels and Dodgers, there are two other groups monitoring Teixeira.
One is comprised of Atlanta, Boston and the New York Yankees, who view him as a possible fit for both current pennant races as well as the long term.
The other group is made up of Baltimore and San Francisco. While Teixeira might not make a difference this season for those clubs, he could be the centerpiece around which both teams build.
But the Dodgers and Angels represent California gold for the Rangers. Both have deep minor league systems, especially when it comes to pitching. Both have young first basemen – James Loney with the Dodgers and Casey Kotchman with the Angels – who might come Texas' way in a trade. Both have Scott Boras, Teixeira's Newport Beach-based representative, as a season-ticket holder. And neither club, each fighting for the dominant share of the Southern California market, can afford to see Teixeira wind up in the other's uniform during the post-season.
The Dodgers spent a lot of time scouting the Rangers in the last month, possibly to expand a potential deal to include a reliever. Rangers front office members AJ Preller and Don Welke both worked for the Dodgers and are familiar with their system. The Rangers are starting to ramp up scouting on the Angels, as well.
What the Rangers must determine is what they can get if they deal Teixeira before the July 31 trading deadline. The last time they had a player in his shoes – one-plus season away from free agency – they were under-whelmed by deadline offers for Alfonso Soriano. The Rangers waited until the winter to deal him and received outfielders Brad Wilkerson and Termel Sledge and pitcher Armando Galarraga.
The Rangers could also keep Teixeira at first base through next season, but that seems unlikely. During an interview Wednesday in which he said the Rangers were a "big-market team that's playing like a small-market team," Teixeira said the club had not approached him about any kind of contract extension.
Teixeira said he'd keep his "ears open" if the Rangers came to him about a potential extension, but also said that the club has a lot of work to do if it wants to contend.
"No doubt about it; I want to dogpile on Michael Young and Hank Blalock at The Ballpark," Teixeira said. "I'm hoping it will happen this year or next year, but the window is closing."
Angels, Dodgers among the teams interested in slugger
11:39 PM CDT on Thursday, July 12, 2007
By EVAN GRANT / The Dallas Morning News
egrant@dallasnews.com
ANAHEIM, Calif. – Mark Teixeira will be in Southern California this weekend.
The question is: Will he be looking for apartments?
As the Rangers prepare to start the second half of the season, the status of Teixeira, who returns to the roster after missing five weeks with a strained left quadriceps, becomes a much bigger focus.
Owner Tom Hicks and general manager Jon Daniels on Thursday acknowledged disappointment in Teixeira's criticism of management before a one-game rehab assignment with Double-A Friso. But, Daniels said, Teixeira's comments won't have an impact on whether the team trades him. The Rangers are listening to offers, but they aren't soliciting them
Among the teams that have expressed interest in Teixeira are the Los Angeles Angels, against whom the Rangers play three games this weekend, and the Dodgers. Both clubs are involved in tight pennant races and have unproven first basemen.
"We've never shopped Mark," said Daniels, whose team went 16-11 while Teixeira recovered. "We've fielded some calls and will continue to do so. I imagine things would pick up some now that he's healthy because people are more interested in a healthy player."
In addition to the Angels and Dodgers, there are two other groups monitoring Teixeira.
One is comprised of Atlanta, Boston and the New York Yankees, who view him as a possible fit for both current pennant races as well as the long term.
The other group is made up of Baltimore and San Francisco. While Teixeira might not make a difference this season for those clubs, he could be the centerpiece around which both teams build.
But the Dodgers and Angels represent California gold for the Rangers. Both have deep minor league systems, especially when it comes to pitching. Both have young first basemen – James Loney with the Dodgers and Casey Kotchman with the Angels – who might come Texas' way in a trade. Both have Scott Boras, Teixeira's Newport Beach-based representative, as a season-ticket holder. And neither club, each fighting for the dominant share of the Southern California market, can afford to see Teixeira wind up in the other's uniform during the post-season.
The Dodgers spent a lot of time scouting the Rangers in the last month, possibly to expand a potential deal to include a reliever. Rangers front office members AJ Preller and Don Welke both worked for the Dodgers and are familiar with their system. The Rangers are starting to ramp up scouting on the Angels, as well.
What the Rangers must determine is what they can get if they deal Teixeira before the July 31 trading deadline. The last time they had a player in his shoes – one-plus season away from free agency – they were under-whelmed by deadline offers for Alfonso Soriano. The Rangers waited until the winter to deal him and received outfielders Brad Wilkerson and Termel Sledge and pitcher Armando Galarraga.
The Rangers could also keep Teixeira at first base through next season, but that seems unlikely. During an interview Wednesday in which he said the Rangers were a "big-market team that's playing like a small-market team," Teixeira said the club had not approached him about any kind of contract extension.
Teixeira said he'd keep his "ears open" if the Rangers came to him about a potential extension, but also said that the club has a lot of work to do if it wants to contend.
"No doubt about it; I want to dogpile on Michael Young and Hank Blalock at The Ballpark," Teixeira said. "I'm hoping it will happen this year or next year, but the window is closing."
Edited by viking4life, 12 July 2007 - 09:49 PM.
#3
Jaymze13
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Posted 13 July 2007 - 01:03 PM
Braves need more than a quick fix
July 13
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (registration required): "The Braves have the resources to trade for a Jeff Conine-type veteran to add bench strength and first-base defense. They could aim much higher and make a splash by trading for Texas first baseman Mark Teixeira, the former Georgia Tech star, who'll make more than $10 million through arbitration in 2008, then perhaps twice that annually in a long-term free agent contract... The Braves have talked to several teams in recent weeks and could make a move for a proven veteran such as Cincinnati's versatile David Weathers. "
Time for Teixeira to take off
July 13
Dallas Morning News columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor (registration required): "It's time for Jon Daniels to trade Mark Teixeira, the Rangers' best player. The sooner, the better."
July 13
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (registration required): "The Braves have the resources to trade for a Jeff Conine-type veteran to add bench strength and first-base defense. They could aim much higher and make a splash by trading for Texas first baseman Mark Teixeira, the former Georgia Tech star, who'll make more than $10 million through arbitration in 2008, then perhaps twice that annually in a long-term free agent contract... The Braves have talked to several teams in recent weeks and could make a move for a proven veteran such as Cincinnati's versatile David Weathers. "
Time for Teixeira to take off
July 13
Dallas Morning News columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor (registration required): "It's time for Jon Daniels to trade Mark Teixeira, the Rangers' best player. The sooner, the better."
#4
lorenzo
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Posted 22 July 2007 - 10:21 PM
I don't agree with taylor. I don't blame tex for sounding off. Now if he has a problem with the club manager then something is wrong there, but i can't blame a guy for questioning the front office.Braves need more than a quick fix
July 13
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (registration required): "The Braves have the resources to trade for a Jeff Conine-type veteran to add bench strength and first-base defense. They could aim much higher and make a splash by trading for Texas first baseman Mark Teixeira, the former Georgia Tech star, who'll make more than $10 million through arbitration in 2008, then perhaps twice that annually in a long-term free agent contract... The Braves have talked to several teams in recent weeks and could make a move for a proven veteran such as Cincinnati's versatile David Weathers. "
<HR>
Time for Teixeira to take off
July 13
Dallas Morning News columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor (registration required): "It's time for Jon Daniels to trade Mark Teixeira, the Rangers' best player. The sooner, the better."
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