Never Count the Yankees Out

After a $160 million contract to southpaw C.C. Sabathia, few thought the Yankees would be seriously contenders for any big-name hitter available on the free agent market - especially not Mark Teixeira, the top prize.

For weeks, the media followed the frenzy around Teixeira and his agent, Scott Boras. Rumors flew around daily and teams entered and left the sweepstakes. Today, December 23rd, was believed to be the day Teixeira would announce his decision. The Nationals and Red Sox were the only teams left in the running; the Orioles, Teixeira's hometown team, had fallen out last week and the Angels bowed out on Sunday.

Nationals fans anxiously awaited his decision. If they could sign him, they would have the first base position locked down for the next 8 seasons. They'd have a local hero who would be the face of the franchise and lead the young team into the playoffs in the foreseeable future.

Red Sox fans also anxiously awaited his decision. Teixeira would hold down the 1st base position, allowing them to move Kevin Youkilis to 3rd and possibly move Mike Lowell for pitching. He'd hit .300, 30 home runs, and drive in 120 runs. He'd play gold glove defense. He'd lead the Red Sox back to the World Series.

The Yankees, naturally, were brought up as a possibility in the days leading up to Teixeira's decision. No one seriously expected them to indulge in another $150+ million contract, but if there's anything I've learned in my time as a baseball fan, it's that you can never, ever count the Yankees out.

And, fittingly, the Yankees swooped in at the last minute and added 20 million dollars to the Nationals offer of 8 years, $160 million. Boras was ecstatic. For weeks he had clearly been using the Nationals and Orioles to get bigger-market teams in and it is believed the took the Red Sox final offer and shopped it to the Yankees. Teixeira finally had an offer from the team he wanted all along.

As a Nationals fan, I am extremely disappointed. I was optimistic that the Nationals would find a way to lock up the 1st baseman but knew Scott Boras was going to drag the Yankees and Red Sox into the fold. The chances were slim at best, despite Teixeira's desire to play close to home. Still, Teixeira fit too well and the possibility of a franchise player like that was enough to get fans of a 100 loss team excited.

That said, I am not about to call the Lerners cheap, or Jim Bowden a terrible GM (that may be up for debate, but for other reasons). The Lerners showed that they will spend money on a franchise player. Now, they need to look for "plan b," which could be a combination of Adam Dunn and Orlando Hudson or a trade for a first baseman.

Either way, they need to do something this offseason. Nationals fans need something to look forward to and I need something to watch for when I head to Viera, Florida for spring training.