Are The Red Sox Bluffing With Teixeira? You Bet They Are...

As I went sleep last night, the reports out of Boston were that Scott Boras, Mark Teixeira and members of the Red Sox office flew down to Texas -- where Teixeira has his off-season home -- and went to hammer out contract details.

However, before I went to sleep, I got an email saying that the Red Sox were suddenly out of the sweepstakes for the slugger. Well, I put my head on the bed and thought, "hey, this is great for Baltimore - woohoo, although I am against the signing of him", but then I immediately thought the Red Sox may be bluffing with Boras and Teixeira, and the super agent along with his client may have overplayed their hand.

It goes without saying, fans across Birdland were overjoyed at the news this morning and some actually now think that the slugger may don the orange and black when it is all said and done. I say, "not so fast."

You hear nothing from the Red Sox for weeks acknowledging the deal, and then the owner of the team emails the press? Well, well, I think he's taking a page out of Scott Boras' book -- the art of the bluff and deception. Sorry, I don't think you travel umpteen miles to talk to your client after months of talk and double-talk and call the deal off?

No, I think they are waiting for Boras to come back, negotiate and take the offer from the Red Sox. Why do I feel this way? Well, because Boston (assuming the Yankees are not in the bidding) is on the East Coast, a place where he could contend and be on the national stage immediately.

He won't get that in Baltimore or Washington, nor in laid back Anaheim. If the Orioles and Nationals are truly interested, they'll jack up their offer, insitute a full court press on him and see if Teixeira bites. If he doesn't take it or let's his decision linger for a while, assume he wants to go Boston.

Right now, there have been so many twists and turns that I expect anything to happen. The Sun's Peter Schmuck has no clue what could happen and the Red Sox are playing games; meanwhile, erstwhile MASN blogger Roch Kubatko is sick of the entire drama, Jay Trucker of the Examiner calls out ESPN on their reports from last night, as well Drew Forrester and Bob Haynie also give their take on the whole saga.

Camden Chat reports that the offer for Teixeira may go up; the Roar from 34 shows how much bloggers and us fans really despise this whole saga; the mouth of the North, Curt Schilling gives his two cents on this whole affair; Orioles Hangout's own Tony Pente really wants Mark Teixeira in an Oriole jersey, and the Wayward O gives his thoughts on the Freel trade along with the spring training site debacle going on in the Sunshine State.