Tex and the Nats...

[Natskins]

Nick Cafardo is on First Take
He says no one has trumped The Red Sox offer.
He says they are calling Boras' bluff

I doubt he's right that no one has trumped the Sox' offer. I think our offer is higher than Boston's (most reports indicate this), but Boras is trying to get the Sox to come closer to our offer, because that's where he and Tex want to play.

Boston is calling Boras' bluff and saying, "hey, if that's what the Nats are offering, then we're out." But Boston is saying this with full knowledge that Boston is where Tex wants to play.

So I think Cafardo is half right.

[DPMOmaha]

Wait, when did Boston become the place Tex wanted to play?  I thought it was always that Tex wanted to play one place (I'd seen Washington several times but that may not be accurate) and Boras wanted Boston. 

[MrMadison]

Take it for what it's worth but, word on the street is that the Nat's essentially gave Tex a blank check.

from OH commenter.

hrm.....I don't buy it, but even so...I dunno about the idea of giving the guy a blank check. there has to be a limit somewhere.

[hammondsnats]

Nick Cafardo is a douche and he's the typical talking head who thinks baseball revolves around Red Sox-Yankees and everyone else.

[Natskins]

Essentially we're rooting for MLBPA pressure to work in our favor?

Well sort of. I just can't see a Boras client taking dramatically less money to play somewhere. That's just not how he does business. Now, if he can convince the Sox to get their offer at least into the same ballpark as the highest bid (which I still believe is ours), then he can rationalize it.

[natsfan4evr]

Wait, when did Boston become the place Tex wanted to play?  I thought it was always that Tex wanted to play one place (I'd seen Washington several times but that may not be accurate) and Boras wanted Boston. 

I think Tex wants to be close to home.
I also don't see him craving the attention. It would be perfect for him here. He wouldn't be pressured to produce like he would be in Boston.

If he really believes we are going to compete soon, I don't know why he wouldn't sign.

[Natskins]

Wait, when did Boston become the place Tex wanted to play?  I thought it was always that Tex wanted to play one place (I'd seen Washington several times but that may not be accurate) and Boras wanted Boston. 

My belief is that his "desire" to play in Baltimore is and was overblown. I do believe he wants to play on the East Coast, though. Boston is a winner, and they're on the East Coast. Now if he can just get them to pay him what he wants, it's over. But Boston appears to be drawing a line in the sand. Which is why the door is open for us a bit.

[The Chief]

I just wish the bullcrap would end so we can all move on with our lives.

[natsfan4evr]

Belkast makes me laugh

Here is the way I am thinking. I don't believe he is going to the Angels due to the fact he wants to play on the East Coast. I think the Sox are really out of it. That comes down to the Nats and us. With Tex saying before he cares about winning, I think that takes the Nats out of the picture. That brings it back to us. Tex has stated he wants to be here. I think he is an Oriole as early as today no later then Sunday. That's my opinion. Of course it doesn't hurt that I have been hearing positive things all along. Again, guarded optimism due to be burned before. However, so far everything that has happened so far has been pretty much in line with the information that I have heard. We'll see........

[cletusvandamme]

Belkast makes me laugh

LOL.  What a clown.  Winning sure doesn't take the Orioles out of the picture!  Everybody's talking out of their rears.

[Nat of the Living Dead]

I went to bed last night with this thread at 94 pages. It is at 112 this morning. Can someone give me the bare bones fill-in of the past 12 to 14 pages? What is going on?

[wpa2629]

Our guy from Maine sounds much more credible than belcrap

[The Chief]

You know the one thing that bothers me?

"Tex was very impressed with Ted Lerner" (I'm paraphrasing)

sounds like something you would say about somebody you have no intention of signing with

[natsfan4evr]

I went to bed last night with this thread at 94 pages. It is at 112 this morning. Can someone give me the bare bones fill-in of the past 12 to 14 pages? What is going on?

I went to bed last night with this thread at 94 pages. It is at 112 this morning. Can someone give me the bare bones fill-in of the past 12 to 14 pages? What is going on?

Red Sox say they were outbid
The Yankees and Angels claim it wasn't by them.

That leaves us and the O's. CSMB says he has reliable sources that say Tex is coming here.

[Natskins]

Belkast makes me laugh

Oh my. And he's an "insider"? That was nothing more than homeristic spin he just put out there.

[MrMadison]

I went to bed last night with this thread at 94 pages. It is at 112 this morning. Can someone give me the bare bones fill-in of the past 12 to 14 pages? What is going on?

Red Sox said "screw you, we're going home", just a few hours after ESPN reported that Tex to the Red Sox was basically a done deal.

Red Sox Owner says that after hearing the other offers the red sox "were not going to be a factor".  and that's not a bullcrap rumor, it's directly out of the Sox Owner's mouth.

seems like someone blew everyone else away with a bid. Yankees say it wasn't them.  Angels are noncommittal. nobody's heard from the Orioles. a source from the Red Sox says that the Red Sox bid was higher than the Angels one, so that possibly rules the Angels out.   it could be down to the Nats and O's.

The Red Sox could be bluffing, or they could be genuine. nobody knows.

word is the Nats went up to 8/200m.

other than that, speculation.

[Nat of the Living Dead]

Red Sox say they were outbid
The Yankees and Angels claim it wasn't by them.

That leaves us and the O's. CSMB says he has reliable sources that say Tex is coming here.

Much obliged.

[natsfan4evr]

You know the one thing that bothers me?

"Tex was very impressed with Ted Lerner" (I'm paraphrasing)

sounds like something you would say about somebody you have no intention of signing with

Not necessarily, it could be him sucking up to the guy who is writing his paycheck soon.
He has mentioned before that he would like to play with us. Was it just to raise bids? Who knows

[DCFan]

I went to bed last night with this thread at 94 pages. It is at 112 this morning. Can someone give me the bare bones fill-in of the past 12 to 14 pages? What is going on?

The Sox have dropped out. (some think they're calling Boras' bluff).

The Yankees and Angels bids weren't as high as the Sox.

So that leaves .......................

[DPMOmaha]

You know the one thing that bothers me?

"Tex was very impressed with Ted Lerner" (I'm paraphrasing)

sounds like something you would say about somebody you have no intention of signing with

Yeah, but you're not going to sign with someone that leaves you uninspired.  There has to be some inspiration on some level.  Like the Roonies being impressed with Tomlin after the interview evern they had no expectation of hiring him coming in.  It was just an interview to satisfy league requirements, then he blew them away and they went with it.  That's all Tex may have done initially and then realized the Nats do have something to offer so continued to listen.

[Natskins]

Red Sox say they were outbid
The Yankees and Angels claim it wasn't by them.

That leaves us and the O's. CSMB says he has reliable sources that say Tex is coming here.

I think the Angels are willing to go higher...maybe even much higher...but I don't think Tex has any desire to stay on the West Coast.

The Sox have been outbid, but that doesn't take them out of the picture, unless they truly draw a line in the sand. the Sox are posturing and are still alive.

I think the O's are completely out of the picture. They haven't been heard from in several days. They are the darkest of darkhorses.

The Nats, I believe, have the highest offer on the table. Boras and Tex are practically begging the Sox to approach our number. If they come close to our number, I think he goes to Boston. If they don't, I think he comes here.

[MrMadison]

I'm thinking he ends up with the Nat's. The lerner's have more money than almost every owner in baseball combined - so to say signing Tex would cripple them is absurd. They could easily buy a bunch of FA's to jump start the team. Their farm system now is adequate enough to keep the ball rolling. They need fans badly, this could be just what the doctor ordered.

more OH chatter.

[HalfSmokes]

The problem with this theory is that on no other team except the Orioles does have the opportunity to be an instant legend in Orioles history. He will be a hero, plain and simple. He'd be the face of the franchise on either the Nats or the O's, true, but only with the Orioles will he be an instant legend.

OH makes me laugh

[MrMadison]

OH makes me laugh

I was JUST about to post that.

[DPMOmaha]

OH makes me laugh

How would he be an Orioles legend if he goes to the Red Sox or anywhere else for that matter?   I mean...I'm just sayin'