Screamin' Teixeiras! New York Yankees Drop $180m For Free Agent

If the Yankees had any more money, then they'd probably be getting calls from beleagured banks wanting a bailout. CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett helped to bolster the pitching staff, and the latest deal—Mark Teixeira for eight years and $180m—has made one of baseball's best offenses even better. The question is: good deal or bad deal? GOOD DEAL The Yankees become vastly improved at first base. Teixeira's an undeniably better fielder (he's got a fielding percentage of 0.995) than Jason Giambi (0.621)—and he's got a better bat, too. His numbers last year were fantastic: .308 Avg, 33 HR, 121 RBI. His on-base and slugging percentages were both much better than Teixeira's lifetime average. He's also got a history of hitting well at Yankee Stadium (remember, the new place still has the same dimensions as the old one)—he's batted .305 lifetime with 32 hits and five HRs in 26 games in the old House That Ruth Built. The Yanks wanted to get younger, and Teixeira helps ... (link)