26th Oct 09 - For urgent error, please post at our FaceBook group. Support platform will be back within 1-2 days.

Yanks, Teixeira agree on 8-year deal

Yanks, Teixeira agree on 8-year deal

Postby Untouchable on Tue Dec 23, 2008 5:15 pm

Another superstar free agent appears headed to the Bronx.
MLB.com has confirmed that first baseman Mark Teixeira has agreed to terms with the New York Yankees, according to Major League sources. Mulitple reports said the deal would span eight years and pay close to $180 million. Teixeira would join pitchers CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett in New York's free agent haul at a total price tag of more than $413 million.

Teixeira, a left-handed hitter, has also been pursued this winter by the Red Sox, Nationals and Orioles, who play close to Teixeira's Maryland home. His former team, the Angels, made a bid before pulling back over the weekend. The Red Sox also gave public indications that they were pulling out of the race for Teixeira before reports resurfaced Tuesday morning that they were players.

With one of baseball's top talents in play and some of the top-flight teams negotiating with the top big-contract agent, the pursuit of Teixeira has been daily Hot Stove fodder for weeks, especially following the Winter Meetings.

The Red Sox were said to be closing in on him with a clandestine meeting in Texas last week, but they followed with a statement saying they were "not a factor" in Teixeira at that point. While reports surfaced that the Red Sox were not closing the door with that statement, the Angels withdrew their eight-year offer believed to be in the $160 million neighborhood on Sunday afternoon.

That left the Red Sox, the Nationals -- the first reported bidder -- and Orioles -- his hometown team -- as clubs known to have submitted proposals, believed to range from $160 million to $184 million according to various reports. The level of interest by the Yankees was not firmly established.

Teixeira indicated a month ago that he wanted his future settled by the holidays.

"I want to know where I'll be by Christmas," he told ESPN on Nov. 19 while patrolling the sidelines during a football game at Georgia Tech -- his alma mater.

He got his Christmas wish.

Boras initially indicated he was seeking a 10-year, $200 million contract for the 28-year-old slugger, who began his career with the Rangers and has 203 homers and 676 RBIs in six seasons with a .290 career average.

While the Angels made him their first priority as soon as Teixeira filed for free agency, the Nationals and Orioles quickly made no secret of their desire to land Maryland's native son. The Red Sox were labeled front-runners early in the bidding. The Yankees, it was reported, were split in their level of interest in Teixeira after rounding up the most expensive arms on the market.

There was widespread speculation that Teixeira, whose wife is from Atlanta, preferred to sign with an East Coast team. But the player never confirmed that, and he left Angels management with the perception that he thoroughly enjoyed his three months with the club. Boras reiterated that in a statement after the Angels broke off talks with Teixeira on Sunday.

Teixeira, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2001 draft out of Georgia Tech, broke in with the Rangers in 2003 and spent 4 1/2 seasons with Texas before he was shipped to Atlanta in the middle of the 2007 season after rejecting an eight-year, $140 million extension offer by the Rangers.

The Braves resisted dealing Teixeira last winter, hoping he'd find a permanent home in Atlanta, but when they saw that wasn't going to happen, they sent him to the Angels on July 29 in exchange for first baseman Casey Kotchman and Minor League pitcher Steve Marek.

Teixeira, who will be 29 on April 11, flourished with the Angels down the stretch, offensively and defensively.

Batting third in front of Vladimir Guerrero, he elevated the entire offense, hitting .358 with a .449 on-base percentage and a .632 slugging percentage.

Teixeira delivered 13 homers and 43 RBIs in 54 games for the Angels, reaching 30-plus homers and 100-plus RBIs for the fifth consecutive season with a combined 33 homers and 121 RBIs and batting .308.

He continued to swing a hot bat in the American League Division Series, hitting .467 with seven hits and four walks, but the Angels fell to the Red Sox in four games. It was Teixeira's first exposure to postseason play.
Untouchable Online Admin & Webmaster



On a mission started by my own admission
I will leave you all behind
By direction I‘ll create my own protection
The real me you‘ll never find
---
Have you ever walked through a room
But it was more like the room passed around you
Like there was a leash around your neck that pulled you through
Image
Image
ImageImage
ImageImage
Image
ImageImage
ImageImage
ImageImage
ImageImage
ImageImage
ImageImage
ImageImage
ImageImage
ImageImage
ImageImage
User avatar
Untouchable
Fleet Admiral
Fleet Admiral
 
Posts: 37122
Joined: Mon Dec 13, 2004 6:45 pm
Location: Canada
Highscores: 114
Fave Sports Team: Toronto Blue Jays
Xfire: untouchable855

Return to New York Yankees

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests



FREE phpBB Forum Hosting by GetPhpBB. Create your Free phpBB Forum Hosting now!
cron