We know the Angels are going to make a very hard push to re-sign free agent Mark Teixeira. We suspect the Yankees will do the same. And you can probably add a third American League juggernaut to the list of clubs pursuing the slugging first baseman.
Boston will aggressively pursue Teixeira, two industry sources confirmed. While the Red Sox have a very good first baseman in Kevin Youkilis, they can move Youkilis to third to make room for Teixeira. Incumbent third baseman Mike Lowell is recovering from hip surgery and isn't expected to be ready until mid-March, and as much as the Red Sox like Lowell, they can look to trade him.
Considering Lowell is only a season removed from winning World Series MVP, Teixeira might seem like a ridiculous excess for one of baseball's richest franchises.
But also consider these two factors:
- Ever since the Manny Ramirez trade, Boston's offense hasn't had quite the same punch. Kevin Youkilis, who will turn 30 during Spring Training next year, is the youngest Red Sox hitter at a corner position, and the organization hasn't developed an impact hitting prospect on the corners since Shea Hillenbrand. Lars Anderson, a 21-year-old first baseman who finished 2008 at Double-A Portland, could change all that, but Teixeira would infuse the Red Sox offense with both youth and power in the meantime. That's of paramount importance in the wake of the Rays' ascent to the top of AL East.
- With Ramirez's contract off the books as well as potentially Jason Varitek's and Curt Schilling's, Boston could free up close to $40 million in payroll this winter. Some of that money will go toward sorting out the catching situation. Some of it may go toward long-term deals for Dustin Pedroia and other Red Sox youngsters. But much of it could easily go to Teixeira without the Red Sox even feeling the financial difference.
The Red Sox have embraced cost-controlled talent in recent seasons and it shows, particularly on their pitching staff. But let's not forget that they're also a financial giant willing to flex their financial muscles for the right player. Mark Teixeira might be just that.
"I think today's (moves) caught people off guard," Hoffman said. "There's a bit of scrambling around not knowing what happened or why. I'm a big believer in clubhouse chemistry. ... It's dangerous. There are only so many spots. Its musical chairs and you better get a chair."
Those complaints from Hoffman came only a week after he termed the trade of setup man Scott Linebrink "incomprehensible." While I'm not a member of the Padres clubhouse, I do have to say that team is better off with the moves they've made. Their bench is significantly stronger, just as GM Kevin Towers reasoned. Maybe they're losing not because of the lack of chemistry, but because there's only so long a pitching staff can dominate at the rate the Padres had been without having a good offense to pick them up. Had the Padres been playing better, I'm not so certain you'd be hearing the same complaints.
The Angels waived infielder-designated hitter Shea Hillenbrand on Monday, a disappointment for Los Angeles after signing a $6.5 million, one-year contract in December.
During his short, disappointing stay in Anaheim, Shea managed to hit .254 with three home runs and 22 RBI in 53 games played. The Angelsdesignated Hillenbrand for assignment on June 28th, a day after he made a statement in the press asking the team to "play me or trade me."
Well Shea, they did neither. Take that. Not that they didn't try I'm sure, but I don't think most teams were willing to take on that $6.5 million salary while giving up a minor leaguer for a guy they could have much cheaper after a matter of days.
As for where Hillenbrand will end up now, the Yankees were one of the teams that the Angels had talks with, so I wouldn't be shocked if you saw him in pinstripes soon.
With the Angels about to end their short relationship with Shea Hillenbrand sometime today, most people are convinced he'll end up in the Bronx. After all, the Yankees could use a first baseman with some pop and they don't want to pay the hefty price the Rangers are seeking for Mark Teixeira.
The Angels will have options though, as apparently the Royals may be interested in Hillenbrand as well.
The Royals were willing to take on outfielder Milton Bradley and his checkered reputation in an effort to bolster their erratic attack. Why not Shea Hillenbrand?
Hillenbrand, 31, is expected to become available today - assuming the Angels follow through on announced intentions to designate him for assignment.
It's a good point. Forgetting about Bradley's or Hillenbrand's past, the Royals are obviously interested in acquiring a veteran with some power to their team. Ryan Shealy is not living up to the expectations the Royals had for him after getting him from Colorado last year in a trade. He's hitting only .221 with 3 home runs and 21 RBI.
Not exactly the kind of production you want from your first baseman.
So adding Hillenbrand to the lineup would be an improvement for the Royals. Now whether they'll be able to outbid the Yankees in pursuit of Shea, that's an entirely different story.
Once he's officially DFA'd, the Angels will have 10 days to trade, waive or outright release Hillenbrand, and considering he's still owed the balance of the one-year, $6.5 million contract he signed this winter, it's unlikely the Angels will find much of a market for him unless they're willing to pay most (if not all) of his salary.
Sooner or later, though, he'll be working again for another franchise. The Yankees have to be mentioned as a possible destination -- especially following Joe Torre's suggestion that the Yanks might look to address their lack of power from the first base position via trade. Granted, if Hillenbrand was hitting for power this year he wouldn't be available, but he has a career .442 SLG and it's not like the Yankees really have any better options.
I think it's safe to say that Shea Hillenbrand has not been enjoying himself since signing with the Angels this last offseason. He started off the season as the designated hitter in Anaheim, but when he couldn't hit he found himself buried on the bench by Mike Scioscia. Then the emergence of Casey Kotchman and Reggie Willits made sure he stayed there.
For the most part Hillenbrand has remained quiet and respectful of Scioscia's decision, but it appears that his patience has run out.
"I feel like I'm being pushed aside, put on a back-burner, and I don't like that at all," Hillenbrand, 31, said. "If I'm not going to play here, give me enough respect to trade me or get rid of me. I think I deserve that."
If Manager Mike Scioscia "doesn't think I can help this team, there are teams out there I can help," Hillenbrand continued. "I'm a quality player in the prime of my career. To go from playing every day to not playing at all, it's very disheartening."
When the Angels signed Shea Hillenbrand in the offseason, it was in hopes that he could help add power to an offense that is mostly void of the long ball. Well, they aren't getting what they wanted. As of today, Hillenbrand is hitting only .255 with three home runs and 20 RBI.
Despite Shea's Ghandi-esque stance on violence this season, the Angels have been actively trying to deal him for a while now. The Yankees have shown the most interest, but the trade has been put on hold.
Once Kotchman returns from his head injury and can take his place at first base again, it shouldn't be long until Shea is playing at Yankee Stadium. He better start hitting once he's there, because I got a feeling that Yankee fans won't have much patience for a guy named Shea.
Seeing as how we've already started with the trade talks at The Fanhouse this morning, I figured I'd throw another name out there.
The Rangers are 15-26 this season, and just a half game ahead of the Royals to avoid having the worst record in the American League, and talks are starting to swirl in Arlington about the possibility of trading Mark Teixeira come deadline time.
I think the Rangers need to find out what the market is like for Mark Teixeira. I thought before the season started that re-signing Michael Young gave the club a better shot at retaining Teixeira. But agent Scott Boras will want top dollar for Teixeira and would probably want to see what he can get on the open market.
If the Rangers were to trade Tex, this summer would be the best time to do it. They could get a king's ransom for him since whichever team traded for him would not only get him for the rest of this season, but next season as well.
Now, it's never really easy to part with a player that can hit like Mark, let alone play Gold Glove defense as well, but it could be the best thing for the organization. The Rangers have never had trouble producing big guys that can hit, their problem is pitching. They gave up two pretty good pitchers-John Danks and Nick Massett- this summer for Brandon McCarthy that they really could have used right now. Teixeira is the type of player that could command an arm that's already Major League proven, along with a couple top prospects as well.
Seriously, when the the major leagues become seventh grade? The amount of he-said/she-said drama is off the charts, especially now with Shea Hillenbrand still lobbing bombs at his former team in Toronto. From an interview with the Toronto Sun published Wednesday:
Hillenbrand remembers being in the training room at Rogers Centre after a game early in 2005.
"J.P. comes in ranting, knocking Vernon for a lack of work ethic and saying how he couldn't stand Eric Hinske," Hillenbrand said. "I hardly knew the GM and he's saying this to me?"
Hillenbrand spoke of a dugout scene against the New York Yankees in 2005 when Alex Rios didn't run out a ball and Gibbons lifted Rios from the game.
"The manager had the situation under control; at the end of the inning in comes (third base coach) Brian Butterfield, he's yelling, swearing, hitting the Gatorade bucket and crapping on Rios.
"I tap him and say 'it's okay, John handled it,' and Butterfield turns and goes off on me. We didn't need him distracting everyone. (Butterfield) said later I didn't know him well enough to say anything to him."
After hearing about the interview, Hillenbrand's former Blue Jays teammates responded with relative indifference, much to the dismay of reporters following the team, who, I'm sure, would have loved another middle school storyline to pursue.
We know the Angels are going to make a very hard push to re-sign free agent Mark Teixeira. We suspect the Yankees will do the same. And you can probably add a third American League juggernaut to the list of clubs pursuing the slugging first baseman.
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