The Mark Teixeira Conundrum - A cautionary tale?

by Stargazey on Jul 8, 2010 12:26 PM EDT

As we all know, Mark Teixeira was once a Texas Ranger but after he turned down their offer of an $140M/8 year extension in 2007, the Rangers decided to trade him to the then relatively in contention with Braves and get what they could for their up and coming superstar.

The trade consisted of:

well, I'll let MLBTR run it down:

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/11/trades-of-the-decade-teixeira-to-the-braves.html

In return for Tex and Ron Mahay, the Rangers received SS Elvis Andrus (2010 All Star), P Neftali Feliz (2010 All Star), C Jarrod Saltalamacchia, P Beau Jones and P Matt Harrison.

Tex would go on to play well for the Braves but not well enough - they would end up finishing third in the NL East behind the Phils and our beloved Mets.

Wow, great post Stargazey. You basically ran down a trade that has nothing to do with anything involving the Mets.

But what if Cliff Lee = Mark Teixeira? What if a package of Flores, Thole and Mejia ends up being the same as Saltalamacchia, Feliz and Andrus for the Mariners - a young core of players that give them a foundation going forward?

Obviously it's speculation either way because 1) the Mets probably won't end up with Lee, 2) all the prospects we would trade in such a trade could end up being gigantic busts but it raises the eternal question - is it worth letting your top prospects go for a star, even if there's no guarantee that star will stick around? The Braves ended up turning Tex over to the Angels for ... Casey Kotchman and eventually Adam LaRoche.

Now of course, Tex had a year left on his contract and could still be traded when the Braves failed to make the postseason but the message still rings true, at least in my opinion.

Anyway, this is my first fanpost (on here) and it's just something I was thinking about while watching the Rangers play.

This FanPost was contributed by a member of the community and was not subject to any vetting or approval process. It does not necessarily reflect the opinions, reasoning skills, or attention to grammar and usage rules held by the editors of this site.

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I think its fair to say that Mejia and Feliz are even, and Thole is better than Salty

But Flores does not figure to stick at shortstop. He is offensively minded while Andrus is defensively minded. Take your pick, but a defensively, speedier shortstop is a lot more valuable to me than an extremely young player who hits well but has no obvious position.

Also, you are assuming that Beau Jones and Matt Harrison are worthless in that deal, or at best equal to a reliever. Two prospects are worth a lot more to me than any reliever unless the reliever is a Jonathan Broxton or Mariano Rivera.

And finally, I think Cliff Lee (soon to be free agent) is worth more than Mark Teixiera (soon to be free agent). Because Teixiera, as good as he is a fielder and as valuable he is a switch hitter, is still a first baseman and the positional adjustment makes good hitting first basemen less valuable as there are many first basement who can hit very well. Teams are putting a premium on pitching these days so Lee’s value goes up a notch there. Also because of the economy, players are more inclined to sign a long term contract on an extension that test the free agent waters. Therefore, a pitcher’s value is also higher. And as a scout, it is harder to spot a future All Star pitcher than it is a hitter. Hitters are more of sure things, even high schoolers. Pitchers can get hurt and are very hard to read, even out of college. Again, being the pitcher, Lee’s value goes up as he is ALREADY VIEWED AS AN ACE, and therefore doesn’t have to prove himself. So I think Lee is worth more than Teixiera.

Gas prices today are a lot like a pitcher's ERA. Anything under 3 is amazing, under 4 is pretty good and anything 5 and up is something you want to avoid.

by Bobby Baseball on Jul 8, 2010 1:54 PM EDT reply actions

In hindsight, yes

But at the time of the deal, Saltalamacchia was the centerpiece, with Andrus as the 2nd. Feliz was almost a throw-in.

Additionally, Teixeira had 1 1/2 years left on his contract before became FA-eligible. The move was also seen as a desperation move for John Schuerholz who retired after the season.

by T Pac on Jul 8, 2010 2:15 PM EDT up reply actions

Feliz really wasn't a throw in

he was more akin to Flores or Meija last year. Most Rangers fans I know were more excited about him than anyone else in the package.

I want Jerry Manuel fired now, not three years from now. That is my stance.- John Peterson

by Gina on Jul 8, 2010 8:21 PM EDT up reply actions

thing is

if we get him it makes most sense to offer him arb and watch him walk and take the picks

I like Ike

by astromets on Jul 8, 2010 2:21 PM EDT reply actions

Yeah, so either we get an extra how many years of him, or we get two draft picks back

Both are good scenarios, however the question is, are the 2 draft picks worth more than whoever we give up? Probably not, which is why you have to hope that Cliff Lee provides good value.

Gas prices today are a lot like a pitcher's ERA. Anything under 3 is amazing, under 4 is pretty good and anything 5 and up is something you want to avoid.

by Bobby Baseball on Jul 8, 2010 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions

exactly or you hold out with a johan santana like offer

or dont make the move

I like Ike

by astromets on Jul 8, 2010 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions

It's just not an analogous situation

I mean, I like this as a cautionary tale, but you can’t just toss in “of course, Tex had a year left on his contract” as an aside. That completely changed Teixera’s trade value, and changed the way both teams approached the deal. Half-season rentals are just not valued on the same scale as players with 1+ years remaining under contract in the last few years’ deadline markets, and for good reason. I think the Braves basically misunderstood the consequences of this principle on both ends of their Teixera deals, and as a result it was a fiasco for them; but Lee just does not have the potential to be a delayed time-bomb of a deal in any similar way.

by anonymous on Jul 8, 2010 3:21 PM EDT reply actions

still

the deal the indians got for lee last year was nowhere near this good

I like Ike

by astromets on Jul 8, 2010 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions

plus the fact the Braves couldn't have predicted

the economy would collapse, which drastically changed the trade value of tex in 08. From what I understand their original plan was to flip him for prospects and then flip those prospects for Bay, who also had like 1.5 years left at that point.

I want Jerry Manuel fired now, not three years from now. That is my stance.- John Peterson

by Gina on Jul 8, 2010 8:22 PM EDT up reply actions

The trade market has also changed a lot in the last couple years.

I doubt you see any GMs trading that many real prospects anytime soon.

by FrancoTAU on Jul 8, 2010 10:39 PM EDT reply actions

Holy crap, I didn't realize that Feliz was a Brave Minor Leaguer.

Phew, we dodged a bullet, there. The Braves don’t need another young pitcher with dominant stuff.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Jul 9, 2010 1:01 AM EDT reply actions

Yes we do…

"Sharks have a week dedicated to Jason Heyward."
METS: My Entire Team Sucks.

by Scott Coleman on Jul 9, 2010 3:35 AM EDT up reply actions

People still bitch about that Tex trade on a daily basis. Moot point anyway since NYY just signed Lee.

I fed a fish to a pelican and Frisco bay and he tried to eat my cell phone he ran away

by TradeAndruw on Jul 9, 2010 2:20 PM EDT up reply actions

you mean traded?

I like Ike

by astromets on Jul 9, 2010 2:26 PM EDT up reply actions

you mean none of the above?

"Sharks have a week dedicated to Jason Heyward."
METS: My Entire Team Sucks.
Phillies Baseball: Established - 2008

by Scott Coleman on Jul 10, 2010 4:05 AM EDT up reply actions

I was at the game on Sat, and these two Braves fan down my row

were talking to some other guys, and one of them was saying how the Teixiera trade was a good trade (for the Braves).

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Jul 11, 2010 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions

That dude probably still wished they had Frenchy too...

Save Jenrry Mejia!

by Ogre39666 on Jul 11, 2010 1:50 PM EDT up reply actions

Maybe.

This pair of guys directly to my right were happy to see him playing with us, or anyone that’s not the Braves. These guys were down the row, about nine seats, to my right. They were uncool Braves fans, doing the chopping and the chant, and whatnot. The guys near me were polite and stuff.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Jul 11, 2010 6:47 PM EDT up reply actions