Oct 04 2008
Tex is an Angel; the devil is was the deal worth it?
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
ATLANTA – Is it just me, or does Mark Teixeira look strange in red and white?
That thought struck me while I watched Game 2 of the American League Division Series last night/this morning. Actually, that thought struck me as I glanced up at the TV while working on a project for work that, well, was a lot of work.
But I digress. On a couple of occasions my eyes were on the TV and not on a spreadsheet or customer list, I saw Teixeira chopping a single up the middle, running hard from first to second, diving to his left to make a nice play behind the bag at first.
Hard to believe this time last year, Braves Nation was dreaming of seeing Big Tex make his postseason debut in 2009. That dream came true; just in a different uni.
We all know how this happened, how Tex was offered a deal in spring training that according to Braves GM Frank Wren would’ve made him among the highest paid players in the game. Tex and his agent – some dude named Scott Boras (you may have heard of him) – said no. Once the Braves coughed up those back-to-back leads in Philly in mid-July, the season was over: Tex shipped to the Angels, his one-year stint in Atlanta finished.
When the Braves sent half the prospects in their organization – OK, it was five players, but to hear all the negatively nillies talk, you’d think the Braves sent their entire farm system until the year 2037 to Texas – to the Rangers for Tex’s services at the 2007 trade deadline, it was a classic case of risk/reward. The reward, of course, was Tex carrying the Braves to one, or two, postseasons. The risk would be the Braves would miss the playoffs in 2007 and 2008, and Atlanta would get nothing for Tex when he left after the season as a free agent.
The reality: In the middle. Atlanta got a good young first baseman in Casey Kotchman and a minor-league pitcher. The Angels, well on their way to winning the AL West, got a needed first baseman and lineup protection for Vladimir Guerrero.
So, watching Tex play for an Angels’ team that’s one win from going to the house, I asked myself if the deal for Tex was worth it for the Braves? In some respects, no. Atlanta missed the playoffs without Tex in 2006. It darn sure didn’t need any help in doing that the past two seasons. But that thought aside, I’d do the deal again. The Braves were in contention when the pulled the trigger last July, and had every reason to believe they would contain in 2008, until injuries derailed their season.
They needed an answer at first base. Tex was the answer. It didn’t work out, but you can’t be afraid to make moves if you want to build a winner. This one didn’t work out, true. But at the same time, who’s to say the next one – like trading for Jake Peavy or Roy Oswalt, anyone? – won’t be the move that catapults the Braves back toward October.
And I have a feeling we’ll see at least one, or maybe even two, major trades between now and the time this team hits Lake Buena Vista in mid-February.
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