Red Sox trumped in Teixeira stakes

"From the moment we arrived in Boston in late 2001, we saw it as a monumental challenge," Sox owner John Henry said in an e-mail to the Associated Press, in reference to competing with the Yankees.

"We sought to reduce the financial gap and succeeded to a degree. Now with a new stadium filled with revenue opportunities, they have leaped away from us again. So we have to be even more careful in deploying our resources."

The Sox were willing to invest in Teixeira long-term, even with young Lars Anderson about a year or two away from the big leagues, because they believed a player of his caliber would not be available again in free agency for a while.

Sources close to the negotiations said Yankees general manager Brian Cashman did a tremendous job in sealing the deal. Meeting the "financial obligations" - as agent Scott Boras put it - by offering him the extra $10 million and throwing in the no-trade clause went a long way, but the bottom line is that the Yankees took a player the Red Sox had coveted for at least three years.

Does it guarantee a championship in the Bronx? Of course not. Nor would it have ensured a Red Sox championship had they won the battle.

Those who think the Sox didn't need Teixeira can make the argument that they already have a pretty formidable team that reached Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. But they had targeted Teixeira as the piece that could take them over that hump.

Teixeira, who will be 29 years old in April, is a really nice player - a combination of power, excellent on-base percentage, and super fielding. In terms of pure hitting, Manny Ramirez is better, but there's no doubt the Sox identified the right guy as the "special" type of player they were seeking.

The Sox put a value on that player, walked away for a short time, and raised their final offer only from $168 million to $170 million, according to a source close to the negotiations. The Nationals and Yankees both knew the Sox were hovering, and both increased their offers. Washington went to nine years at $180 million, and the Yankees trumped that with one fewer year at the same money and the no-trade.