Friday, July 27, 2007

Does Theo Really Want Teixeira?


If so, this is not a complex trade to complete.

From the Rangers perspective, Teixeira has the ability to help a contender for two seasons (this year and next)...so, they would MUCH prefer to deal him before the upcoming July 31st deadline. If GM Jon Daniels wants to deal Teixeira while his value is highest, then he must do so now! If Daniels waits until the offseason, Teixeira's value becomes that of what Soriano's was last year. How'd that work that?? Riiiiiiight, Nationals GM Jim Bowden couldn't land equal value for Soriano, so he was left getting nothing for his star's services.

So, Texas wants Jacoby Ellsbury and either Clay Buchholz/Jon Lester for Teixeira? Not going to happen. So, let's break down a realistic (and opportunistic) option...

Clay Buchholz is absolutely "untouchable" in any deal involving Mark Teixeira. Period. Similar to how the Yankees value uber-prospects Philip Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, Buchholz is in that same mold. The three aforementioned pitchers are all very close to becoming major league STUDS. They all possess legitimate ACE "stuff". To put this in perspective, there are only (approximately) 15 legitimate aces in all of baseball right now. Along with Dodgers future ace Clayton Kershaw (believe me, remember this name), all of these prospects come from the same mold as Yovani Gallardo and Tim Lincecum. Barring injury, they are all sure to dominate hitters for the next decade.

That being said, Mark Teixeira could still be a Red Sox. And yes....even as a diehard Yankee fan, I can admit that Teixeira would make the Sox A LOT better. He is exactly what the Sox need, especially with Ortiz ailing. Essentially, Teixeira is exactly what JD Drew isn't. I called that one, didn't I (from the get-go, I stood ground and maintained that Drew wasn't worth $7 million/year...let alone $14 million/year)? In some distinct cases, OBP is not the end-all to be-all...and this is coming from the biggest stat junkie in the country.

Imagine a 3-4-5 of Ortiz/Manny/Teixeira??? Oh my good Lord!

So, how does it get done?

Easy...Lester, Youkilis, and Craig Hansen for Mark Teixeira. Guaranteed, this would get it done. And, it should be a no-brainer on behalf of the Sox braintrust. I repeat, a no-brainer!!

Yeah, I get it...Sox Nation loves "Yoooooouk" and the story that is Jon Lester, but to get something of substance in return...you must give up something. That's just how it works. I know...crazy, huh?

Lester projects as a future #3. Nothing better. He doesn't have great "stuff" and he may have the worst placement of any Sox pitcher I've watched for the past decade-plus. The only thing Lester has going for him is that he's a lefty.

Youkilis just isn't that good of a baseball player. He's the corner infielder version of David Eckstein. Hustles his a$$ off, hits for a decent average, and has NO pop. 22 HR's in two years as a full-time first baseman is embarrassing. There's no other way around it. Let's face the facts...there's a reason why Youkilis wasn't a major league starter until the age of 27.

And, Craig Hansen?? God, where do I start? Hmmmm...maybe with the fact that he NEEDS to fire his agent. Newsflash...Hansen was a "can't-miss" prospect until Scott Boras demanded that he control Hansen's regiment/progress. Hansen was unbelievable until Boras started demanding that Hansen change his mechanics and arm motions. Why? There's a reason why Hansen didn't allow a single run in his senior year at St. John's. It's the same reason why the Sox made Hansen their 1st Round pick in 2005. Who the hell is Scott Boras to mess with his client's success?? Similar to the Dice-K situation, Scott Boras needs to stay out of TEAM matters -- when it comes to prospects, teams are always going to have the player's best interests at hand (it's probably the only time this holds true). In the past year, I've learned one thing -- Scott Boras doesn't know a lick about pitching.

Again, as a Yankee fan...I'm praying that Theo overvalues Jon Lester. Without landing a marquee name (like Teixeira), this current Sox roster stands no chance at bringing home another World Series. Right now, they have Beckett and a great bullpen. That's it!

* I'd also like to take this opportunity to point out there that I have developed a serious baseball infatuation with Nick Markakis and Ryan Braun. The MLB Baseball Package is the greatest gift God has ever created.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Barstool Sports linked you guys last night.

Simply Suds said...

I agree that Ryan Braun is one of the best young baseball players I've seen in the last 10 years. He will hit 40 home runs within the next 2 years. If he's healthy all next year, he'll do it then....he's a studdddd.

If we get Teixeira, I'll pull my pud.

Simply Suds said...

Update per rotoworld...
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Sources told FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal that the Braves are offering Jarrod Saltalmacchia, Matt Harrison and Elvis Andrus to the Rangers for Mark Teixeira alone.
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And I have to agree with Rotoworld that if this offer is true, it would have been done already. That would be an unbelievable deal for the Rangers. Saltalmacchia and Harrison are studs in the making!!!!

Anonymous said...

Lester projects to be higher than a 3, for the record, genius. Also, Tex is nasty, no doubt, but he doesnt hit homers anymore, so if i was the Red Sox, I wouldnt do it for the three you named. You are also a fool if you bail on Hansen as you suggest doing here. he is a throw-in in your deal, which is a mistake

Stick to lickin Joba's nuts

Chieftain said...

Teixeira doesn't hit HR's anymore??? Some people just don't follow sports.

2004 - 38 HR's and 112 RBI
2005 - 43 HR's and 144 RBI
2006 - 33 HR's and 110 RBI (after the AS Break...in 74 games, he hit friggin' 24 HR's coupled with 61 RBI's)

2007 - 13 HR's and 49 RBI (I'm sure you weren't paying attention when he missed over a 1/4 of this season)

Bottom line...at the age of 27, Teixeira is one of the 10-12 best power hitters in all of baseball. Currently.

Anonymous said...

I'll say up-front that i don't know the ins-and-outs of this situation, but do you really belive that boras can influence a whole team by demanding that his client change his mechanics? if i was merely an usher at fenway, i'd tell boras to go screw... let alone if i was part of the sox upper management or coaching staff. how can this be? i'm seriously asking.