There is debate as to whether or not the Yankees are serious about pursuing Teixeira. While he is clearly the best option at first base, do the Yankees necessarily need him?
Teixeira is everything you want in a ballplayer. He hits for average, power, takes his walks, plays gold glove defense, and although he isn’t fast, runs the bases very well. He is a career .290/.378/.541 AVG, OBP, SLG guy, and he went 7 for 15 in his first playoff stint this year, showing that he can play when it counts. With that being said, Scott Boras has stated they are aiming for a ten-year $200 million contract. While you are going to get great production right now, do we really need another aged player in a few years? The contract would look good now, but in 5-6 years I’m not so sure. If the Yankees could get him for fewer years, then he certainly would be a nice addition.
In my opinion, however, the Yankees should put their resources towards pitching, and leave Tex as an afterthought. If you look at the dynasty of the late 90’s, you will notice that all of those teams were built on great, reliable, pitching.
In today’s recession, we should all appreciate value. The Yanks can get good enough value out of Juan Miranda in AAA. He is 3 years younger than Teixeira, and is a career .990 fielder, compared to Tex’s .995 career fielding percentage. He had a .993 FPCT last season, and his defense would definately be a bonus to a team that hasn’t had a strong defensive first basemen in a while. Strong defense only makes the pitching staff stronger, and it is a much cheaper solution.
He hit .297 last year in AAA with an OBP almost 100 points higher, so there isn’t much left to prove at that level. When asked, an NL Scout had this to say in 2007 about Miranda:
“This guy’s got huge power. He’s a legitimate threat regardless what his ceiling is age-wise.”
I can’t imagine much has changed in a year, and if he keeps raking in the Arizona Fall League, the Yankees should give him an opportunity to make the club out of Spring Training. I believe in making players earn their spots on the roster, and he has done everything so far, so they should give him a shot.
