Tex and the Nats...

[spidernat]

That'll have the morons on Orioles Hangout going insane. Wherever he chooses, it definitely won't be here.

sportsfan reminds me of Natalie Wood at the end of Miracle on 34th St only in reverse. 

[Minty Fresh]

I'm amazed that Gammons came out from underneath Theo Epstein's desk long enough to make a report.

 

[houston-nat]

Everybody take a deep breath and watch Jimmy Rollins:

[hammondsnats]

haha how the boston media changes their stance every 5 seconds. 

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/red_sox/view.bg?articleid=1139583&srvc=rss

Mark Teixeira’s not a 10
Sox’ attraction limited in years
By Sean McAdam
Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - Updated 1m ago

As the bidding intensifies for free agent Mark Teixeira, the Red Sox have let it be known they are willing to go only so far. Should another team up the ante and, as has been speculated, offer a 10-year deal, the Sox won’t be willing to go to such lengths to sign the first baseman.

Asked yesterday if the club would categorically rule out offering any free agent a guaranteed deal longer than any other in franchise history, principal owner John Henry, while making clear his remarks were not aimed at a specific player, made his intentions clear.

“Yes,” Henry responded in an e-mail. “The Red Sox effectively had a 10-year deal with a player determined not to live up to his contract. A lot can change over 10 years, for both sides.”
Click here to find out more!

Henry’s reference was to the just-completed eight-year, $160 million deal for left fielder Manny Ramirez, which carried with it two option years. Ramirez, upset the Red Sox had leverage on his future with two additional option seasons worth $20 million each, acted out last summer and effectively forced the ballclub to trade him in a three-team, deadline deal.

Ramirez’ contract, signed in December 2000, was the second-largest in the history of the game at the time it was completed by former general manager Dan Duquette with the approval of ex-Sox CEO John Harrington. The ownership group headed by Henry inherited the Ramirez deal when it bought the team from the Yawkey estate in February 2002.

As many as four teams - the Red Sox, Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Angels and Baltimore Orioles - are believed to have submitted offers for Teixeira, the top free agent position player of this offseason. Each offer is believed to be eight years in length with an average annual value of at least $20 million.

But as the negotiations narrow and a decision draws nearer, there is industry speculation that agent Scott Boras may be trying to induce one of the teams to go to a 10-year deal to separate itself from the pack. Many believe the Nationals, who desperately need a marquee player to become the face of the franchise, might be willing to extend to 10 years to offset their lack of competitiveness.

While the Red Sox and Angels have been perennial postseason participants, the Nationals lost the most games (102) in baseball last year, while the Orioles have endured 11 consecutive losing seasons. As a native of Maryland, Teixeira, 28, could rationalize returning home for the remainder of his career, but likely would need additional financial incentive to do so.

As for the Red Sox, they seem willing to spend liberally to land Teixeira - to a point.

“We’re in a challenging economic environment,” Henry wrote, again, addressing the concept of spending in a general sense, “because we just don’t know to what extent our long-term revenues will be hurt by the global financial crisis. A lot of businesses are in the same position. There will also be impact on player compensation, but no one at this point knows the degree.”

Henry allowed “there are exceptions to every rule. That keeps most good businessmen from the world of politics, because you have to be able to change your mind as facts come in.”

But while the Red Sox might be willing to top other teams’ bids in terms of average annual value, it seems certain they don’t want to commit more than eight guaranteed years to Teixeira - or anyone else, for that matter.

Ironically, as the Sox attempt to replace Ramirez’ impact bat, their bitter experience and subsequent parting with Ramirez might dictate the success of that pursuit.

[natsfan4evr]

Olney says Tex to Baltimore is very unlikely, unless he takes a major hometown discount.

He lists us as one of the teams that continues to up the offer. Even if we don't get him, this shows that the Lerner's are serious about wanting to be competitive.

Unless Mark Teixeira is willing to give the Orioles a major hometown discount, it does not appear he will be playing in Baltimore.

The Orioles have stood by their initial offer and have not upgraded it, and sources say that the other teams involved in the bidding -- the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels and Washington Nationals -- have gone beyond Baltimore's proposal for the slugging first baseman.

Teixeira, 28, is considered one of the best free agents still unsigned. He batted .308 with 33 home runs, 121 runs batted in and a .552 slugging percentage for the Angels and Atlanta Braves last season.

The only chance the Orioles have to be seriously considered now, sources say, would be if Teixeira, a Maryland native, were to take Baltimore's offer.

"The Orioles are out of it, unless Teixeira really, really wants to play there," said one source.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3775042

[HalfSmokes]

Olney says Tex to Baltimore is very unlikely, unless he takes a major hometown discount.

He lists us as one of the teams that continues to up the offer. Even if we don't get him, this shows that the Lerner's are serious about wanting to be competitive.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3775042

OH is fun now. On a side note, they may hate Olney more than we do.

[DPMOmaha]

and...away we go. 

[natsfan4evr]

OH is fun now. On a side note, they may hate Olney more than we do.

Buster Olney... You get no Baloney

[BerkeleyNat]

OH is fun now. On a side note, they may hate Olney more than we do.

Something tells me that OH is gonna resemble Jonestown before this is all said and done. The only difference is that they'll drink orange kool-aid.

[natsfan4evr]

Something tells me that OH is gonna resemble Jonestown before this is all said and done. The only difference is that they'll drink orange kool-aid.

Hopefully they don't go to The Sizzler beforehand and pray to Hale Bopp

[natsfan4evr]

This is just sad

[PANatsFan]

This is just sad

Hopefully that was a little boy, and then it's sad because his favorite player won't be coming to the O's. If it was an adult, then it's a whole different world of sad.

[hammondsnats]

I'd especially take this one w/ a grain of salt b/c WNST has been all over the place w/ their reports of Teix

http://wnst.net/wordpress/drewforrester/2008/12/17/tex-update-washington-hot-osnot/

Tex update: Washington hot, O’s…not?
Another edition of: As The Tex Turns.

Here’s what I’m hearing this morning.  Much of this I mentioned on the air today so I apologize if you’re reading old information.

But for those of you looking for your new-Tex-info-fix, here’s what I’ve learned over the last 18 hours.

Someone I know that is familiar with Tex’s family in a social situation says Teixeira is under no pressure from his parents to sign in Baltimore.  They would obviously love him to come home and play 20 miles from their Severna Park residence, but they’re very much in “Mark will do what’s best for himself and his family” mode.  They are not pressuring him to sign in Baltimore.  That was made very clear to me.

Another source tells me that Washington has made Tex the best offer “by a lot”.  I’m not sure if “by a lot” means money, years, incentives or some combination of all three.  But I was told, point blank:  “Washington has made the best offer, by a lot.”

But remember, just because Washington makes the best offer today - doesn’t mean someone else won’t make a better offer tomorrow.

It doesn’t look like the Orioles will be the ones making that better offer anytime soon.

An Orioles associate tells me the club feels they stepped forward with what they deemed “a very fair offer from the beginning” and that the club is not going to go back and forth with Scott Boras and the other clubs in some sort of on-going negotiating version of e-mail tag.

“Andy made it clear they want Teixeira and Andy made that clear by making an offer that was in line with what everyone else was offering initially,” says the associate, who is in and around the franchise on a regular basis. “They were confident that their offer - when combined with Mark’s wish to come home and play at Camden Yards - would be enough to get the deal done.  But others have upped their interest level and the O’s feel comfortable with the deal and the value they’ve given Teixeira through Boras.”

[PANatsFan]

I'd especially take this one w/ a grain of salt b/c WNST has been all over the place w/ their reports of Teix

If he signs with us - he'll get to play at Camden like 5 times a year

[UMDNats]

if Tex signs with us, I hope he hits like .500 with at least one game-winning hit...just to pour salt in the wound.

(and, obviously, if he goes to the O's, he'll do that against us, because every good player does)

[sportsfan882]

Sounds like the O's are out of the mix now. Hope those jerks at Orioles Hangout are happy.

[Natskins]

This is starting to shape up like classic Peter Angelos. For years, he has had an inflated notion of how much it means to play for the O's, and how wonderful it is to play at Camden Yards.

And he becomes insulted when players or agents ask for anything approaching fair market value for their services.

It seems as though he felt he could get Tex on the cheap, because of Tex's supposed desire to play in Baltimore, and again, how wonderful it is to play for the O's.

Now that other teams are upping their offers, Tex is coming back to Peter and saying, "well, what do you think?" And Angelos is getting insulted by that.

[PANatsFan]

Can't believe that all of you dorks registered to view that crap. I'm not giving some Orioles fan my email addres

[HalfSmokes]

Can't believe that all of you dorks registered to view that crap. I'm not giving some Orioles fan my email addres

thats new, I guess they got tired of their page crashing

[natsfan4evr]

Can't believe that all of you dorks registered to view that crap. I'm not giving some Orioles fan my email addres

I gave them a yahoo one I never use.
I never plan on posting there

[PANatsFan]

thats new, I guess they got tired of their page crashing

Haha jerks

[NatMan]

yea whats the deal with OH....i use to be able to just view it but now i got to register...for a second i was thinking the whole Jonestown massacre had hit the OH and as Bmore native, Jim McKay used in a more serious matter "there all gone now"

btw: i dont want to register on that site so does anyone have a login and pw they care to share....maybe wnff should have a forum one for all to use.

[houston-nat]

At least there are some voices of reason on OH:

They should blow [the team] up. Deal Roberts for a solid return (3B, 1B, SS, and/or SP). I will take a lot of heat for this, but the quickest way to rebuild through young players maybe to deal Scott, Sherrill, and Roberts. Markakis, Wieters, and Jones fit into the 2-5 year plan.

[DPMOmaha]

I can read it just fine without registering.  

[MrMadison]

well to be honest, while OH does provide some quality entertainment, they are basically the Extremskins of Baltimore in terms of the ridiculous homer/mouthbreathers to rational poster ratio.

other Orioles forums don't really seem to think too highly of OH.