Posts
Q&A about the contract details for MT:
Q: I was watching the Yankees' feed of the Rangers game on Saturday (April 23), and the announcers mentioned several times that the Rangers were building the team around Mark Teixeira. They went on to say that Texas had Teixeira (as if under contract) for the next several years. My impression has been that the Rangers would probably trade Tex at or before the All-Star break to avoid a costly contract. Did I miss something?
Weldon, Sedalia, Mo.
GRANT: Teixeira signed a major league contract when he was drafted out of Georgia Tech, and that contract expires after this season, but the expiration date does not necessarily make him a free agent.
At the end of this year, Teixeira will have three years of major league experience, which makes him eligible for the arbitration process. That means his salary will jump significantly over each of the next three years, but that the Rangers can still control his rights by simply tendering him a contract. I expect the Rangers will do that.
While his salary could jump to $6 million or more in 2006, $8 million or so in 2007 and $10 million in 2008, that would essentially be a $24 million, three-year contract, very reasonable for a 40-home run guy. Few teams would turn the other way on a player of Teixeira's considerable skills at that price.
At the end of those three years, though, Teixeira has the right to take free agency and sell his services to the highest bidder. That's when you may see him leave the organization.