With the decidedly wonderful news that the Red Sox have dropped out of the running for free agent 1B Mark Teixeira, the Orioles are a step closer to locking him down in Baltimore for the foreseeable future. This would be incredibly awesome, because it would make their 2009 starting lineup look like this (player names followed by 2008 season stats):
- Brian Roberts (2B): .296-9-57 (with 40 SB)
- Adam Jones (CF): .270-9-57 (and he's only 22)
- Nick Markakis (RF): .306-20-87
- Mark Teixeira (1B): .308-33-121
- Aubrey Huff (DH): .304-32-108
- Melvin Mora (3B): .285-23-104
- Luke Scott (LF): .257-23-65
- Cesar Izturis (SS): .263-1-24 (plus Gold Glove defense and 24 SB)
- Matt Wieters (C): .355-27-91 (minor league stats)
Methinks Tex's implications are clear. It gives the Birds one of the most potent 3-5 slots in the league, and removes the pressure from the 36-year-old Melvin Mora to be a pivotal run-producer (in addition to his advancing age, he is also a bit of punk-ass crybaby, so this would also give his whining less merit).
In a larger sense, however, the addition of Teixeira, who grew up in Maryland rooting for the O's, would be an organization-wide signal of a renewed intention to actually win baseball games. Teixeira obviously wants to play in Baltimore at least a little bit, or else he would have taken the Red Sox rumored offer of 8 years and $180 million (or the similar one made by the Angels). The Nationals have also made a huge play for his affections, but the Orioles continue to be in the running, despite their less-lucrative offer of 7 years and $140 million. To my mind, this indicates that Teixeira wants to play in his hometown badly, and is willing to consider less money than the market seems to think he's worth to do so. My hunch is that Tex is holding out for assurances that the Orioles will play to win if he signs with them.
For this reason, it is imperative that the Orioles get their shit together and sign at least 2 solid starting pitchers ASAP. The only one I know of them pursuing is Jon Garland, which would be a step in the right direction, but with the remainder of the potential rotation a hodge-podge of unproven youngsters and journeymen, it will take more than just Garland and his as-yet-unfulfilled potential to get the job done. I'm inclined to think Jeremy Guthrie, who managed a solid 3.63 ERA last season in spite of his 10-12 record will be a much better pitcher with the Tex-infused line-up, and run production helps any starter, but the next-lowest ERA in the Oriole rotation last season was the thankfully-departed Daniel Cabrera's unsightly 5.25, and it's tough for any lineup to win games when they're starting out with a five-run deficit four out of every five games, no matter how potent the bats. I'd love to have seen the O's make a sweeping overture to Mike Mussina--for both practical and sentimental reasons--for a 2-year deal before Moose retired. But until they land Garland and someone else like him, I'd expect Teixeira to keep them (and we Baltimore faithful) waiting.
