Why Red Sox should not sign Mark Teixeira

Mark Teixeira - ccho

I am not a proponent of signing Mark Teixeira, as talented as he is.

While signing Teixeira and trading Mike Lowell are possibilities, it would mean investing money in a position that we do not have foreseeable issues at for the next two years and perhaps beyond

The premise for signing Teixeira, many people seem to believe, is predicated on the fact that they think David Ortiz is done. Sorry, I'm not prepared to write off a hitter who has finished in the top five of MVP voting five straight years after one injury-marred season.

WEEI.com Source: Initial offer to Varitek for one year

According to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com, sources close to the negotiations between the Red Sox and their captain Jason Varitek indicate that the Red Sox first offer was for only one year. The dollar amount was not disclosed by Bradford's source.

If this is true, I think it speaks volumes of (a) the ongoing tenor of the negotiations and (b) the Red Sox willingness to not go longer years than two on any contract with Varitek.

I did think the Red Sox would likely try and overpay in annual dollars by a small factor to keep the deal at two years. Don't be surprised if the Red Sox final offer is in the 2 year, $22 million dollar range.

Red Sox sign Junichi Tazawa

Nikkansports.com has reported that Junichi Tazawa has settled on the Red Sox and will officially sign with them in early December. The contract is for three years. Tazawa will earn $1 million a year and start off in Double-A.