New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira killed any thought the Yankees (or more likely, some Yankees fans) might have had about including him in a trade that would land Albert Pujols in pinstripes.
"I'm not going anywhere," Teixeira said when asked about the possibility of his being included in a trade. "I got that no-trade for a reason. I'm going to be buried in these pinstripes."
Good for Teixeira, who has embraced everything about being a Yankee from the moment he showed up in New York, and perhaps even longer than that.
More importantly, good for the Yankees. Is Albert Pujols a better player than Mark Teixeira right now? Yes, he is. Is there enough of a gap between the two to justify the massive difference between Tex's current deal (six years and about $140 million remaining) and what will likely be required to sign Pujols (nine-10 years for at least $250-275 million)? ABSOLUTELY NOT!
Just think of what the Yankees could do with that extra $110-135 million, all while continuing to enjoy the benefits provided by the guy who is perhaps the American League's best all-around first baseman.
The Yankees have plenty of needs right now, especially for a team that invests the resources they do, but first base ain't one of them.
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