Henry: “We are not going to be a factor” to sign Teixeira

In a stunning twist after people thought a free agent signing of Mark Teixeira by the Boston Red Sox was imminent, John Henry e-mailed the media saying:

We met with Mr. Teixeira and were very much impressed with him. After
hearing about his other offers, however, it seems clear that we are not
going to be a factor. (Boston Globe)

The rumor is that the Red Sox refused to go past eight years in the bidding which some other teams may have offered and also will not pay him the highest annual salary of any of the bidders.

The “Luke Warm Stove” may have been stoked.

New news in on the Mark Teixeira negotiations, and a deal may be imminent.

Is it a Luke Warm Stove season?

Maybe it’s impatience from a fan of a team that is constantly being mentioned in the rumor mill. Or maybe it’s just because the remaining high-priced items on the free agent market have fundamental flaws that are creating hesitation around the league. Maybe everyone is just waiting for President-elect Obama to force his $1 trillion bailout to stimulate the economy. For whatever reason, it seems to this writer that the Hot Stove season is unusually luke warm in 2008.

Why limit ourselves to Mark Teixeira?

UPDATE 11:01 PM: SOX OWNER SAYS “NOT A FACTOR” FOR TEIXEIRA

UPDATE 6:54 PM: RED SOX FINALIZING DEAL WITH TEIXEIRA

Milton Bradley – SD Dirk

The question becomes — why are we looking at just Teixeira? There are two main arguments against signing Teixiera: the first being the length and dollars of the contract and the second being the blocking of Lars Anderson and Mike Lowell.

Considering it seems like a foregone conclusion that the Sox are going to bring in a bopper, (and thus push Mike Lowell out of a job) why not bring in players who would command short-term deals? Why are we limiting ourselves to Mark Teixeira? Why couldn’t we look at…