Mark Teixeira is now an Angel
The Los Angeles Angels of Aneheim (seriously when are they going to change that ridiculous name?) have traded for one of the best available hitters, the Braves' Mark Teixeira. The Braves have fallen out of the pennant race and became sellers for the first time in nearly a decade. Teixeira, who will be a free agent at the end of this year, was a natural choice to be traded.
The Angels on the other hand, have the best record in baseball and have been searching for a consistent power threat to combine with Vlad Guerrero.
In return for Teixeira, the Braves received first baseman Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Stephen Marek. Teixeira is batting .283 with 20 homers and 78 RBI while Kotchman is batting .287 with 12 long balls and 54 RBI. More importantly to Atlanta, Kotchman is under team control until 2011, a stark contrast to the looming free agency of "Tex". While the return for Atlanta wasn't anywhere near the package of 4 players they gave up last year to land the first baseman, it's definitely better than the two draft picks they would have received when Teixeira left via free agency.
The Angels are expected to attempt to sign their newly acquired slugger to a long term extension but as with any client of Scott Boras, it's not going to be easy. The asking price that has been passed around early on is a 10 year deal worth a total of $230 million. If Teixeira and Boras stick to that price, I don't see him remaining an Angel for long.
