Weighing in on the Mark Teixeira Trade Speculation
A couple days ago, Peter Gammons reported on-air that the Atlanta Braves offered Mark Teixeira to the Red Sox in exchange for Kevin Youkilis and Craig Hansen. Theo Epstein has since declined having any knowledge of such a proposed transaction (But would anyone actually expect him to come right out and admit having interest in a particular player? Of course not.), but The Globe's Gordon Edes thinks the Sox have and will continue to engage in talks regarding the acquisition of Teixeira. From our outside-the-loop viewpoint, it seems highly unlikely that the Sox view Teixeira as a huge improvement over Youk, so we'd presume they're looking at Tex as a possible Papi replacement if he can't come back fully healthy. Whatever the case, let's take a look at the proposed deal of Youk and Hansen for Teixeira and see if it makes sense for the Sox.
Let's start by getting some 2008 season stats and partial bios on the board for each player in question:
Mark Teixeira - 347 AB, 94 Hits, 55 BB, 54 SO, .271 BA, .373 OBP, .484 SLG, .858 OPS, 17 HR, 23 2B, 69 RBI, 54 R
Teixeira is a former fifth overall pick (2001) and is known for being a consistently strong second half player. He hit 26 homers in his first year on the scene, is as good as Youk at getting on base, and has averaged 34 home runs per season over his 5-year career. He's in the final year of a contract paying $12.5 million per year and will command at least that much over 5+ years this time around.
Kevin Youkilis - 328 AB, 103 Hits, 32 BB, 61 SO, .314 BA, .381 OBP, .552 SLG, .933 OPS, 15 HR, 25 2B, 63 RBI, 56 R
Youk was the 243rd overall pick in 2001 and is known for being a consistently weak second half player. He's much less of a power hitter than Tex but is on pace to hit 26 homers and drive in 110 and has really come into his own defensively (although it should be noted that Teixeira is well known for his D, as well). He makes $3 million this year and is arbitration eligible again in 2009 and 2010 with 2011 being his first free agent year.
Craig Hansen - 26.1 IP, 1-3, 7 HD, 1 S, 2 BS, 5.47 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 22 K, 18 BB
Craig Hansen was drafted 26th overall in 2005 and was heralded as the team's closer of the future with his high 90s fastball and hard slider. It took a 4-year, $4.4 million dollar contract with a $1.325 million signing bonus to get Hansen signed and it would be an understatement to say he's failed to live up to expectations. In 67.1 career innings pitched, he has a 6.15 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, 55 Ks, 34 BBs and a 3-5 record.
To start our discussion, Teixeira has some history with the Sox as they drafted him in the ninth round in 1998. He opted to play college ball for Georgia Tech rather than go pro straight out of high school, so the Sox could presumably be looking at him as "the one that got away." I don't think they'd get all trigger-happy and send Youk and Hansen away based on that possibility alone, but it has almost assuredly entered into their minds at some point during these "discussions."
From an unbiased point of view, Teixeira is the best player in the deal. He's a virtual lock for 30+ homers and 100+ RBIs every year and he plays superb defense. If this were a fantasy baseball trade, team owners would probably jump all over it in a heartbeat. That being said, there are a bunch of X-factors that make this trade unlikely, including the facts that Tex has an expiring contract, Youk has arguably out-performed him this year, and Hansen (and Youk, to a lesser degree) still hasn't realized his full potential (hopefully).
Ultimately, it's a pretty weird deal for the Sox as the "cold corner" is one of their least troublesome positions at this point. It's hard to see them wanting to do this deal unless they have internally decided to give up on Hansen (doubtful considering they have so much money invested in him), they don't want to pick up Manny's option (you'd need to replace his production in the lineup somehow), they don't see Youk as their long-term first or third baseman (perhaps the most unlikely "if" of all), and they're willing to commit to a long-term, large-money deal with Teixeira (which would seem to hinge on how content they are with bringing Manny back for 2009).
Teixeira's an excellent player and it would be kind of funny to see Youk disappear into relative obscurity in Atlanta because, let's face it, the guy's suffering from a bit of an inflated ego due to all the adoration he receives from Fenway-goers on a daily basis, but this deal just doesn't seem to make sense for the Sox. It's fun to mull over trade scenarios and speculate on possible lineup changes, but as far as this one goes, it's hard to see it ever gathering enough steam to become a true possibility.
That being said, anyone know if Matt Holliday can play first base?
Let's start by getting some 2008 season stats and partial bios on the board for each player in question:
Mark Teixeira - 347 AB, 94 Hits, 55 BB, 54 SO, .271 BA, .373 OBP, .484 SLG, .858 OPS, 17 HR, 23 2B, 69 RBI, 54 R
Teixeira is a former fifth overall pick (2001) and is known for being a consistently strong second half player. He hit 26 homers in his first year on the scene, is as good as Youk at getting on base, and has averaged 34 home runs per season over his 5-year career. He's in the final year of a contract paying $12.5 million per year and will command at least that much over 5+ years this time around.
Kevin Youkilis - 328 AB, 103 Hits, 32 BB, 61 SO, .314 BA, .381 OBP, .552 SLG, .933 OPS, 15 HR, 25 2B, 63 RBI, 56 R
Youk was the 243rd overall pick in 2001 and is known for being a consistently weak second half player. He's much less of a power hitter than Tex but is on pace to hit 26 homers and drive in 110 and has really come into his own defensively (although it should be noted that Teixeira is well known for his D, as well). He makes $3 million this year and is arbitration eligible again in 2009 and 2010 with 2011 being his first free agent year.
Craig Hansen - 26.1 IP, 1-3, 7 HD, 1 S, 2 BS, 5.47 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 22 K, 18 BB
Craig Hansen was drafted 26th overall in 2005 and was heralded as the team's closer of the future with his high 90s fastball and hard slider. It took a 4-year, $4.4 million dollar contract with a $1.325 million signing bonus to get Hansen signed and it would be an understatement to say he's failed to live up to expectations. In 67.1 career innings pitched, he has a 6.15 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, 55 Ks, 34 BBs and a 3-5 record.
To start our discussion, Teixeira has some history with the Sox as they drafted him in the ninth round in 1998. He opted to play college ball for Georgia Tech rather than go pro straight out of high school, so the Sox could presumably be looking at him as "the one that got away." I don't think they'd get all trigger-happy and send Youk and Hansen away based on that possibility alone, but it has almost assuredly entered into their minds at some point during these "discussions."
From an unbiased point of view, Teixeira is the best player in the deal. He's a virtual lock for 30+ homers and 100+ RBIs every year and he plays superb defense. If this were a fantasy baseball trade, team owners would probably jump all over it in a heartbeat. That being said, there are a bunch of X-factors that make this trade unlikely, including the facts that Tex has an expiring contract, Youk has arguably out-performed him this year, and Hansen (and Youk, to a lesser degree) still hasn't realized his full potential (hopefully).
Ultimately, it's a pretty weird deal for the Sox as the "cold corner" is one of their least troublesome positions at this point. It's hard to see them wanting to do this deal unless they have internally decided to give up on Hansen (doubtful considering they have so much money invested in him), they don't want to pick up Manny's option (you'd need to replace his production in the lineup somehow), they don't see Youk as their long-term first or third baseman (perhaps the most unlikely "if" of all), and they're willing to commit to a long-term, large-money deal with Teixeira (which would seem to hinge on how content they are with bringing Manny back for 2009).
Teixeira's an excellent player and it would be kind of funny to see Youk disappear into relative obscurity in Atlanta because, let's face it, the guy's suffering from a bit of an inflated ego due to all the adoration he receives from Fenway-goers on a daily basis, but this deal just doesn't seem to make sense for the Sox. It's fun to mull over trade scenarios and speculate on possible lineup changes, but as far as this one goes, it's hard to see it ever gathering enough steam to become a true possibility.
That being said, anyone know if Matt Holliday can play first base?
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