There are two ways to spend your time and attention from April to August: obsess about the Dallas Cowboys during the NFL draft, training camp and preseason games, or give your heart to the Texas Rangers during an actual season of competition.
Trading an outstanding Mark Teixeira now for players who might be pretty good in a few years is just another reason to choose the former.
I can't help but ask, Does this trade make the Rangers a better ball club for the remainder of the year? For next year? For the year after that?
And I can't help but respond, Definitely not, No, and Probably not.
Mark Teixeira was not a prospect. He was a proven performer, a Gold Glover. He was young, too, and still improving as a player. Why in the world would you get rid of a guy like that?
(Because, some will answer, Teixeira didn't want to play here. And because he's expensive. Well, maybe he didn't want to play here because management traded away good players and overspent on bad ones? And as far as Tex's price tag goes -- he's good! If you win, and people fill your stadium and buy your merchandise, you recoup your investment and then some!)
Teixeira called out the management and challenged them to prove they were interested in winning now. This trade does the opposite.
So... if you're Michael Young -- by far the most important part of the Texas Rangers now -- how are you supposed to believe in your front office's commitment to winning on your watch?
Better yet, if you're a high-quality starting pitcher looking for a new place to play, why would you think of moving to Arlington?
The Rangers have brought in high-priced free agents (Alex Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano), regretted doing so, and dumped them. The Rangers have also developed talented young players (Chris Young, Adrian Gonzalez, and now Mark Teixeira) and sent them packing. They'll regret that, too. A whole lot of fans fans already do.
