Angels Grab Teixeira

The Angels paid a steep price and will give up Casey Kotchman and prospect Stephen Marek (AA pitcher) to the Braves in exchange for the power hitter they’ve been searching for for years. Wow, gutsy move by the Angels. I’m thinking that they’ll be very willing to pay Tex a lot of money in the offseason.

Battle LaTroy: Tigers & Twins

Both the Tigers and Twins are interested in LaTroy Hawkins. I would think that the Tigers would have more of an interest especially with their makeshift ‘pen.

Yanks Considering Tex?

Well, according to Jayson Stark and his bevy of Braves’ sources, the Yankees are “flirting” with the Braves on Mark Teixeira and have been for the past 24-hours (here’s a possible trade scenario, by yours truly, if you’re interested). You can guarantee that the Yankees won’t be able to sign Tex to an extension and that he’ll hit the free agent market, so it’ll be interesting to see what the Yankees do. They’re still looking for another starter though, so I would expect them to try and figure that out first (offense could be secondary).

Tuesday Morning Bits: Washburn, Posada, Hawkins

Here’s a quick update before I call it a night:

1. Yesterday, word got out that the Mariners were holding out and hoping that Hank Steinbrenner would step in to fast track a Jarrod Washburn deal. Today, I’m happy to say that they were sorely mistaken. In fact, instead of dealing with Hank Steinbrenner, it seems as though Hal Steinbrenner (who I predicted would have a say) has stepped into the situation and he doesn’t like what the Mariners are offering (or demanding, if you will). Here’s what he thinks about the proposed Washburn deal.

“I’m the finance guy, that’s what I get labeled, so putting on more payroll certainly doesn’t sit well with me, but neither does trading away young talent,” Steinbrenner said. “It’s got to be a balance.”

Basically, the Mariners are going to have to take it or leave it. So, they’ll either accept a salary dump or they’ll eat a substantial portion of Washburn’s contract in order to receive a somewhat “decent” prospect. It’s really their choice, but the Yankees aren’t going to continue with this charade for much longer. The NY Post even has an inside source who labels the talks as “dead”, citing Seattle’s insatiable appetite for talent and salary relief. I say good riddance. Jarrod Washburn’s career numbers in the second half are weak.

2. It’s great news knowing that Jorge Posada will be having surgery on his shoulder sooner rather than later. Nonetheless, the Yankees and their fans must be prepared for the consequences. While the team has said that Posada will be out for 6 months after the surgery, recovering and strengthening his shoulder, the waiting time could be much longer than that. Brian Cashman actually told Tyler Kepner that the 6-month recovery period is a minimum, so that’s with no presumable setbacks. This is major surgery and it could hamper Jorge’s throwing well into the 2009 season, which could accelerate a transition from catcher to first baseman (where Posada’s value takes a huge hit).

3. Finally, the Minnesota Twins may have an interest in the recently DFA’d LaTroy Hawkins. Wow, looking back on it, it definitely seems like Cashman should have just splurged and went with Ron Mahay. Ah, whatever, $3 million+ is like Kleenex to the Yankees.

More later…

What About Teixeira?

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

With the Atlanta Braves shopping Mark Teixeira, a few of my buddies were kicking around the idea of the Yankees trading for the switch hitting slugger. Now, how does a Yankee trade for Mark Teixeira make sense, I wondered as they tossed proposals, back and forth, like baseballs. I decided to express my feelings, telling them that trade wouldn’t make sense and that such a trade was impossible, especially in light of the recent Nady-Marte deal. They laughed and said I was probably right and that was pretty much it on that subject.

Then, on one of my favorite sites, MLBTR, I saw that Mark Bowman, a writer for the MLB, noted that, according to a source, the Yankees are one of the teams that are very likely to land Teixeira by the trade deadline (the source also says that the Rays and the Angels are up there as well). Everyone has been saying that the Diamondbacks are in the lead for Big Tex, and that seems like it makes sense. However, Bowman states that the Yankees may be willing to give up a higher caliber of talent to get Teixeira, since they’ll likely sign him as a FA in the offseason. Now, ask yourself, does that make any sense?

Would the Yankees be willing to give up a huge package to land Teixeira when they know that they can outbid everyone else in the winter? I don’t think they would be willing to do that. Not at all, actually. But, then again, who knows. The offense has looked mighty powerful over the past few weeks but for the majority of the year, you don’t really know what you might get on a given night. The Yankees are close to being in the playoffs, so they’re going to try and ensure a spot in October (they need a starter more than a hitter though). Before thinking about Tex in pinstripes, however, you really have to think about what the team would have to give up in order to land such a big fish, and there’s only one package that they could really offer, especially after the Nady-Marte deal (Nady can’t be a backup).

That package would have to include our beloved, acrobatic and light hitting center fielder, Melky Cabrera. By trading Melky and maybe Ian Kennedy and another high-level prospect (pitching prospect), the Yankees could possibly grab Teixeira for 2 months. That would allow Johnny Damon and his miserable arm to slot in at CF, with Nady in LF, and Abreu in RF. Or, maybe you could try Nady in CF? I’m not really sure, I know that Nady’s defense has been acceptable in the corners, but who knows how he would do out there. That would then free up lineup space for Mark Teixeira, with him at first base and Jason Giambi at DH. That would give the Yankees a very formidable lineup, featuring freakish power and absurd hitting from top to bottom. Austin Jackson could be ready to play for the Yankees in a year or so, which would also soften the Melky loss.

Of course, this probably won’t happen. I don’t see Brian Cashman dealing from his young deck for a 2-month rental that he’ll likely sign in the offseason. Mark Bowman’s source seems on point with the Angels and Rays, but a Chad Tracy and Micah Owings offer (which the Diamondbacks have supposedly proposed) is pretty damn impressive for the Braves and it makes sense with Mark Reynolds at third and Conor Jackson at first. I don’t see how the Yankees would top that or why they would throw their hat in the ring with Nady now on the team (and Matsui, “possibly” returning). In fact, Jon Heyman believes that the D-Backs are the guys that’ll likely get Teixeira and he doesn’t even mention the Yankees as being interested, so that definitely says something. But, I guess crazier things have happened and you can never rule anything out when you’re dealing with New York.

Melancon & Wright Promoted

Mike Ashmore let’s us know that Mark Melancon and Chase Wright (remember him?) have been promoted to Scranton (AAA). If anyone in the bullpen falters and if Melancon puts it together for Scranton (he definitely did well for Trenton), he could get the nod later on (in September). Wright is also having a very solid year. He’s a lefty starter with potential and he’s young, so I’d expect the Yankees to keep him around for quite sometime.