Who Will the Red Sox Target for 08/09 FA? Who Will They Trade?

[nickagneta]

BTW just to let you know texeira had sort of an off year with his stats and youkilis stats have just climbed year after year.

Also Youk and teix were in similiar contract positions where their teams had their rights but the difference is teix wanted out of texas. So yeah he is a free agent and will get alot more money, but i think thats a bs system. Youk deserves a bonus for loyalty towards the redsox team instead of being shortchanged.

It was up to teixera if he wanted to leave texas because they suked, but it shows me he has little leadership qualities. (especially since he was their supposedly influencial franchise player)

The bottom line is in the end of the day if texeira gets 20 million , then youk desevers 15


On another note talking about contracts and money , baseball can learn alot from the nba ways. There should be a cap with increase happening due to increase in payroll and the team that the player played last with having the option to provide that extra year.

Youk having the best year of his career and Tex having an off year only furthers the my point.

They were not in similar positions at all contract wise.  Tex's contract was to expire.  Youk was and is arbitration eligible.  there is a vast difference there.  If you dont know the difference (And I am not saying you dont, or meaning to sound like a jerk, look it up.  there is a huge huge huge difference).  Just like Pedroia took a deal that pays him very well but isnt what he would get if he was a straight up FA.  he would likely get more. but his arbitration years were bought out.

Tex didnt ask to leave Texas.  Texas traded him so they could get something in exchange for him.  That doesnt say anything about his leadership level.

Youk wont be a legitimate FA until he is 32 or 33 (I think he still has 2 arbitration years left).  He will likely never see 15 million a season. 

I dont mean to come off sounding like a jerk, or a smart ass, but I am feeling like you are not too familiar with the FA system in baseball with arbitration years.  You can likely find some good articles on google that explain it.

I've been following this whole convo and have to say that yall is 100% correct in everything he has said in regards to this conversation.

[Big_Matt34]

This is why i did not get my hopes up.

http://wbztv.com/sports/redsox/mark.teixeira.boston.2.890739.html

Red Sox owner John Henry said late Thursday night that while the team is impressed with free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira, a deal likely won't be made.

The Red Sox met with Teixeira Thursday evening. In an e-mail to Dan Roche, Henry said, "We met with Mr. Teixeira and were very much impressed with him. After hearing about his other offers, however, it seems clear that we are not going to be a factor."

It may be a ploy but id assume Boras asked for a certain amount and told the Sox that Nationals or Orioles offered around 200 million and the FO decided to bow out rather than overpay.

[Big_Matt34]

I can't say im particularly happy about this lol, really hope its the Sox calling Boras bluff. Reminds me of the reports with Dice-K when they said the Sox FO were at the airport without Dice-K.

Mike Lynch just said Tex has a 200 million dollar deal and he TExiera may sign with a team by tomorrow and its between the Angels, Orioles, Nationals, and now...the Yankees.

[ma11l]

This is really disappointing news.  I was really looking forward to having him in our lineup.  So far the Yankees have had a much better offseason then we have, and we've done nothing to catch the Rays who were a better team than us.

[nickagneta]

I can't say im particularly happy about this lol, really hope its the Sox calling Boras bluff. Reminds me of the reports with Dice-K when they said the Sox FO were at the airport without Dice-K.

Mike Lynch just said Tex has a 200 million dollar deal and he TExiera may sign with a team by tomorrow and its between the Angels, Orioles, Nationals, and now...the Yankees.

Wouldn't doubt it if the Yankees threw out an 8 year, $200 million offer just to raise the price on the Sox and now the Sox are pulling back. Also, Boras might be pulling strings trying to get the Sox to give in on the Varitek numbers for delivering Texiera and if their balking, Boras might be playing hardball on Texiera's price.

I know this is not legal but I refuse to believe Boras doesn't do this stuff especially after having Drew opt out of $33 million without knowing he had an offer elsewhere(yeah sure he didn't).

[Chris]

This is really disappointing news.  I was really looking forward to having him in our lineup.  So far the Yankees have had a much better offseason then we have, and we've done nothing to catch the Rays who were a better team than us.

Well, I think getting healthy will help us catch up a lot with the Rays.  Of course it is not a given that they will come back at 100%, but we played the Rays without Mike Lowell, and Ortiz was a shadow of himself...and we nearly beat them. 

I think the Rays and Sox are pretty even, and it really comes down to which team is able to stay healthy, and get hot at the right time (like Upton, who hit nearly as many home runs in the Red Sox series as he did in the entire regular season).

The Yankees on the other hand are very scary.  I think right now, they are also pretty even with the Sox and Rays (they lost some offense, but definitely improved their pitching), but if they sign Tex or Manny, they will be the favorites next year.

[Chris]

I can't say im particularly happy about this lol, really hope its the Sox calling Boras bluff. Reminds me of the reports with Dice-K when they said the Sox FO were at the airport without Dice-K.

Mike Lynch just said Tex has a 200 million dollar deal and he TExiera may sign with a team by tomorrow and its between the Angels, Orioles, Nationals, and now...the Yankees.

Wouldn't doubt it if the Yankees threw out an 8 year, $200 million offer just to raise the price on the Sox and now the Sox are pulling back. Also, Boras might be pulling strings trying to get the Sox to give in on the Varitek numbers for delivering Texiera and if their balking, Boras might be playing hardball on Texiera's price.

I know this is not legal but I refuse to believe Boras doesn't do this stuff especially after having Drew opt out of $33 million without knowing he had an offer elsewhere(yeah sure he didn't).

The problem isn't that it is illegal, the problem is he would not be maxing out for his clients, which goes against his own code of ethics.  Boras is about squeezing every last cent for every one of his clients.  He would never sacrifice one of them for another (and he DEFINITELY would not sacrifice the younger one getting the much bigger salary for the old guy hoping for one last payday).

[yall hate]

There is just too much that is unknown about this set of negotiations.  I mean, deferred money could be huge and isnt mentioned in the news stories.

For the owners and theo to go, they must have thought they were going to close the deal. obviously something popped up during the meeting that threw a curveball.  I dont see Henry's comments as meaning they have pulled there offer, but it is certainly stunning.

We'll see.  I think I will avoid reading any stories on the subject until we find out who signed him, the back and forth is crazy.

[Chris]

There is just too much that is unknown about this set of negotiations.  I mean, deferred money could be huge and isnt mentioned in the news stories.

For the owners and theo to go, they must have thought they were going to close the deal. obviously something popped up during the meeting that threw a curveball.  I dont see Henry's comments as meaning they have pulled there offer, but it is certainly stunning.

We'll see.  I think I will avoid reading any stories on the subject until we find out who signed him, the back and forth is crazy.

Sounded a whole lot like posturing to me.  My guess is Boras did his classic "say we have a huge offer from a mystery team to try to drive up the price" routine, and the Sox tried to call his bluff.  Basically, I think the Sox have put their final offer on the table, and they are going to let Tex choose whether he wants it or not.  It sounds like pretty smart business.  Its not over, but you have to draw a line at some point.

[Cman]

There is just too much that is unknown about this set of negotiations.  I mean, deferred money could be huge and isnt mentioned in the news stories.

For the owners and theo to go, they must have thought they were going to close the deal. obviously something popped up during the meeting that threw a curveball.  I dont see Henry's comments as meaning they have pulled there offer, but it is certainly stunning.

We'll see.  I think I will avoid reading any stories on the subject until we find out who signed him, the back and forth is crazy.

Sounded a whole lot like posturing to me.  My guess is Boras did his classic "say we have a huge offer from a mystery team to try to drive up the price" routine, and the Sox tried to call his bluff.  Basically, I think the Sox have put their final offer on the table, and they are going to let Tex choose whether he wants it or not.  It sounds like pretty smart business.  Its not over, but you have to draw a line at some point.

Yes, this is my take as well.  There are probably offers bigger than Boston's on the table.  Tex can decide if he wants more money from a bad team, or less money from a WS contender....  My guess is that a decision will be made within a week.

[Toine43]

There is just too much that is unknown about this set of negotiations.  I mean, deferred money could be huge and isnt mentioned in the news stories.

For the owners and theo to go, they must have thought they were going to close the deal. obviously something popped up during the meeting that threw a curveball.  I dont see Henry's comments as meaning they have pulled there offer, but it is certainly stunning.

We'll see.  I think I will avoid reading any stories on the subject until we find out who signed him, the back and forth is crazy.

Sounded a whole lot like posturing to me.  My guess is Boras did his classic "say we have a huge offer from a mystery team to try to drive up the price" routine, and the Sox tried to call his bluff.  Basically, I think the Sox have put their final offer on the table, and they are going to let Tex choose whether he wants it or not.  It sounds like pretty smart business.  Its not over, but you have to draw a line at some point.

I agree that this is the right move by the Sox. I'm sure the Sox see right through his mystery team shenanigan, because it's pretty easy for the average fan to see right through it. From what I've heard, the Orioles are around the $150 million mark, way below everyone else. The Angles are offering substantially more than Baltimore, but about $20 million less than Boston. The Nationals are the wild card, rumored to have offered him the largest contract. If there was a 5th team involved, wouldn't this have been reported? Brian Cashman has said that the Yankees are not the "mystery team", and have not offered Tex a contract. So from Boston's standpoint, it seems like the Nats are the only possible mystery team, unless another team's involvement has gone completely unreported, or the Yankees are flat out lying. The Red Sox can't keep on bidding against this mystery team forever, and this seems like a reasonable place to draw the line. Tex can choose to lose for an extra $20 million or so, or he can "settle" for the Sox $183 million offer, or whatever it is.

[Chris]

There is just too much that is unknown about this set of negotiations.  I mean, deferred money could be huge and isnt mentioned in the news stories.

For the owners and theo to go, they must have thought they were going to close the deal. obviously something popped up during the meeting that threw a curveball.  I dont see Henry's comments as meaning they have pulled there offer, but it is certainly stunning.

We'll see.  I think I will avoid reading any stories on the subject until we find out who signed him, the back and forth is crazy.

Sounded a whole lot like posturing to me.  My guess is Boras did his classic "say we have a huge offer from a mystery team to try to drive up the price" routine, and the Sox tried to call his bluff.  Basically, I think the Sox have put their final offer on the table, and they are going to let Tex choose whether he wants it or not.  It sounds like pretty smart business.  Its not over, but you have to draw a line at some point.

I agree that this is the right move by the Sox. I'm sure the Sox see right through his mystery team shenanigan, because it's pretty easy for the average fan to see right through it. From what I've heard, the Orioles are around the $150 million mark, way below everyone else. The Angles are offering substantially more than Baltimore, but about $20 million less than Boston. The Nationals are the wild card, rumored to have offered him the largest contract. If there was a 5th team involved, wouldn't this have been reported? Brian Cashman has said that the Yankees are not the "mystery team", and have not offered Tex a contract. So from Boston's standpoint, it seems like the Nats are the only possible mystery team, unless another team's involvement has gone completely unreported, or the Yankees are flat out lying. The Red Sox can't keep on bidding against this mystery team forever, and this seems like a reasonable place to draw the line. Tex can choose to lose for an extra $20 million or so, or he can "settle" for the Sox $183 million offer, or whatever it is.

Yup, that sounds like a pretty good roundup.  And if the Nationals decide they want to make like the Rangers, and offer half of their teams annual salary for one player, then good for them, and good for Tex.  He can spend the next 10 years hanging out with his family in the DC area, counting his money starting on October 1st. 

As long as he doesn't end up in NY, I have no problem with the Sox losing out on him.  They still have one of the best lineups if they are healthy, and they still have a ton of money and assets to try and solidify it.  Combine that with their pitching, which is still right up there with the best staffs in the league, and they will be in the thick of it, Tex or not.

[Redz]

There is just too much that is unknown about this set of negotiations.  I mean, deferred money could be huge and isnt mentioned in the news stories.

For the owners and theo to go, they must have thought they were going to close the deal. obviously something popped up during the meeting that threw a curveball.  I dont see Henry's comments as meaning they have pulled there offer, but it is certainly stunning.

We'll see.  I think I will avoid reading any stories on the subject until we find out who signed him, the back and forth is crazy.

Sounded a whole lot like posturing to me.  My guess is Boras did his classic "say we have a huge offer from a mystery team to try to drive up the price" routine, and the Sox tried to call his bluff.  Basically, I think the Sox have put their final offer on the table, and they are going to let Tex choose whether he wants it or not.  It sounds like pretty smart business.  Its not over, but you have to draw a line at some point.

I agree that this is the right move by the Sox. I'm sure the Sox see right through his mystery team shenanigan, because it's pretty easy for the average fan to see right through it. From what I've heard, the Orioles are around the $150 million mark, way below everyone else. The Angles are offering substantially more than Baltimore, but about $20 million less than Boston. The Nationals are the wild card, rumored to have offered him the largest contract. If there was a 5th team involved, wouldn't this have been reported? Brian Cashman has said that the Yankees are not the "mystery team", and have not offered Tex a contract. So from Boston's standpoint, it seems like the Nats are the only possible mystery team, unless another team's involvement has gone completely unreported, or the Yankees are flat out lying. The Red Sox can't keep on bidding against this mystery team forever, and this seems like a reasonable place to draw the line. Tex can choose to lose for an extra $20 million or so, or he can "settle" for the Sox $183 million offer, or whatever it is.

Yup, that sounds like a pretty good roundup.  And if the Nationals decide they want to make like the Rangers, and offer half of their teams annual salary for one player, then good for them, and good for Tex.  He can spend the next 10 years hanging out with his family in the DC area, counting his money starting on October 1st. 

As long as he doesn't end up in NY, I have no problem with the Sox losing out on him.  They still have one of the best lineups if they are healthy, and they still have a ton of money and assets to try and solidify it.  Combine that with their pitching, which is still right up there with the best staffs in the league, and they will be in the thick of it, Tex or not.

I'm guessing he ends up in some place no one has even discussed.  Not sure where, but it will be totally random.

[yall hate]

I'm guessing he ends up in some place no one has even discussed.  Not sure where, but it will be totally random.

I doubt it.  There are only so many clubs that can afford that type of contract.

[Nerf DPOY]

" Jason Varitek doesn't learn pitching staffs. He goes there and teaches them. I think that's what he does..........." - Scott Boras, while making a case for Varitek deserving a Posada-like 4yr/52 million $ deal.

The above quote is from the man telling John Henry & Co. that they'll need to up their ante for Teixeira. How have the Tek negotiations been going with the rest of the teams out there BTW? Because from what I've heard, NOBODY else wants this guy.

I think that not only are the Red Sox calling Boras's bluff, but that they've taken satisfaction in going on record that their offer had been allegedly dwarfed. They want Texeira & Boras to come back to them with egg on their face (unless of course, The Sox offer has been significantly topped, in which case good luck to that team. ).

Realistically, while Teixeira would be a nice addition to the line-up, we simply don't need him. Lowell and Ortiz figure to be healthy by '09, and Lars Anderson isn't too far off from being MLB ready. I have to say that I am far from being on pins and needles fretting about where this guy ends up. He's just one bat, like A-Rod, Bonds, and Ted Williams, who between them have combined for zero rings.