Teixeira not critical to Boston's future - MLB

Two stories about how the Red Sox missed out on getting Mark Teixeira this past offseason, one in the Boston Globe:

. . . come the end of this season, particularly if the Red Sox fail
to retain Jason Bay, the Yankees’ signing of Teixeira at the Red Sox’
expense could loom as a pivotal turning point in baseball’s fiercest
division . . . [Teixeira] might have been the centerpiece of the Boston
lineup for years to come. Given the struggles of Ortiz, the Sox’
failure to sign Teixeira now leaves them with something of a long-term
predicament offensively.

And one in the New York Times, which ties it specifically to the Sox-Yanks rivalry, with the headline “Teixeira Altered Dynamics of Red Sox-Yankees Rivalry.”

The question caused Alex Rodriguez to put his palms on the side of
his head, smile and utter, “Wow.” It was Rodriguez’s animated,
one-syllable response to how dramatically different the rivalry between
the Yankees and the Red Sox would have been if Mark Teixeira had signed
with Boston . . . The Red Sox positioned their off-season around
signing Teixeira, a player who would have fit snugly into their desire
for shrewd, patient hitters who play stellar defense. If the Red Sox
were assigned the task of building the perfect player, they would have
constructed someone who hit, fielded, walked and talked like Teixeira.

Only brief mention of the facts that (a) The Sox have yet to lose to
the Yankees this year, so the dynamics haven’t been altered that
much; (b) that the Red Sox have a really good first base prospect in
Lars Anderson; and (c) even if Anderson doesn’t pan out, it’s been a
very long time since the Red Sox were a team that allowed itself to
have gaping holes anywhere. If Bay bolts, they’ll find a way to patch
the holes and will remain competitive. That’s just what they do. So
yes, having Mark Teixeira in Boston would have changed things a bit,
but I think it’s really easy to oversell this storyline. They’ll find
someone else. They always do.

But hey, the Yankees are playing the Red Sox this week, and overselling everything that goes with that is part of the territory.

BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles signed outfielder Aaron Hicks less than 24 hours after Cedric Mullins went down with a strained right groin.

Mullins went on the 10-day injured list, but the Orioles are hoping Hicks can help defensively in the spacious outfield at Camden Yards. Hicks was released last week by the New York Yankees with more than 2 1/2 seasons left on his contract.

“We had noticed that he was a free agent even before the injury,” Orioles general manager Mike Elias said. “When the injury occurred and it became pretty clear this was going to be an IL, it seemed like a good fit even more so at that time.”

The Orioles are responsible for paying Hicks just $483,871, a prorated share of the $720,000 minimum salary. The Yankees owe him the rest of his $10.5 million salary this year, plus $9.5 million in each of the next two seasons and a $1 million buyout of a 2026 team option.

The 33-year-old Hicks hit just .188 in 28 games for the Yankees this year.

“We have stuff that we look at from a scouting and evaluation perspective,” Elias said. “It’s very different from just looking at the back of a baseball card, and we hope that we get a bounceback from anyone we bring here.”

Hicks batted .216 last season.

“Hopefully that’s a good thing for him,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of the Baltimore deal. “A lot of time here and a lot of good things happened for him here. I know the last couple of years have been a struggle. But hopefully it’s a good opportunity for him and certainly wish him well. Not too well being in our division and a team we’re chasing, but hopefully it’s a really good fit for him.”

Mullins left a loss to Cleveland after he pulled up while running out an infield grounder. Outfielder Colton Cowser – the fifth pick in the draft two years ago – is hitting .331 at Triple-A Norfolk, but he went on the IL in the past couple weeks.

“Certainly he was building a case towards promotion consideration prior to his injury and prior to Cedric’s injury,” Elias said. “We’ll just see where we’re at.”

Hicks was active for the game but not in the starting lineup. Austin Hays, normally Baltimore’s left field, was in Mullins’ usual spot in center.

When the wall in left at Camden Yards was pushed significantly back before last season, it made left field a bigger challenge defensively.

“In this park … you really need two center fielders,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “Aaron’s got a lot of center-field experience. Played left field here before also. Brings the defensive aspect and then the switch-hitting.”