New York Yankees net 1B Mark Teixeira

December 23, 2008 @ 00:00:00

By Keith Hernandez
Edited by Tim Heaney

Jon Heyman, of SI.com, reports the New York Yankees reached an agreement in principle on an eight-year, $180 million deal with free-agent first baseman Mark Teixeira (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) Tuesday, Dec. 23. The deal includes full no-trade protection.

Teixeira hit .308 with 33 home runs and 121 RBIs with the Atlanta Braves and the Angels in 2008. After being traded to the Angels at the trade deadline in July, he carried the team with a .358 average, 13 home runs and 43 RBIs in 54 games. He also performed well in the 2008 postseason, hitting .467 with a .550 on-base percentage.

The Yankees receive a proven run producer in Teixeira, who has driven in at least 100 runs in all but one of his six seasons in the big leagues, including 144 in 2005 with the Texas Rangers. He has also hit 30-plus round trippers in every season except for his rookie campaign in 2003. It remains to be seen how the move to the Bronx will affect his power numbers in the new Yankee Stadium; however, the new digs will retain the same dimensions as the old park, in which Teixeira has hit .305 with five homers and 21 RBIs in 105 career at-bats.

Teixeira's presence in pinstripes next year could also boost the already potent fantasy value of elite third baseman Alex Rodriguez, but Teixeira's fantasy value doesn't change much. He's still a top-20 fantasy player that will stay in a generally effective offense.

Fantasy gamers could be tempted to view Teixeira as a top-10 fantasy option in 2009 with his move to the Big Apple. Although Teixeira could very well put up top-10 fantasy numbers in New York next season, there is the potential that he could suffer reduced production in the pressure-packed atmosphere of New York. Expect him to be taken on average late in the first round or early in the second round of most drafts.

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Keith Hernandez

Keith, an editor with KFFL, joined the team as a Hot off the Wire analyst in 2008 and has been playing fantasy sports since 2005. He is involved in MLB, NFL and NASCAR content. He graduated from the University of California-San Diego in 2005 with a B.A. in Communications and was a four-year starter as a member of the baseball program.

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