Are the Nationals going to be serious bidders for Mark Teixeira? The early indication is that Washington will at least get involved in preliminary bidding for the star free agent, then find out if it can compete with the big boys who covet the slugging first baseman.
The Nationals acknowledge they're in the market for a power-hitting first baseman. They can't rely on Nick Johnson and Dmitri Young to stay healthy, so they've decided to look elsewhere. There's no more attractive guy on the market than Teixeira, who grew up near Annapolis, Md., and is going to draw interest from both of his "hometown" teams, the Nationals and Orioles.
The question is how much Washington is willing to pony up for Teixeira. The Nationals' $54 million payroll in 2008 was one of baseball's lowest, and principal owner Ted Lerner has shown an unwillingness to spend big bucks so far during his reign.
But the Nationals are coming off a 102-loss season that alienated fans, and the front office has promised to take major steps toward improving the on-field product. The acquisition of a player like Teixeira -- who figures to command $20 million a season for seven or more years -- would go a long way toward appeasing those fans who are ready to give up on the franchise.
Washington will face steep competition, though. In addition to the Orioles, the Red Sox, Yankees and Angels are all expected to go after Teixeira, whose agent (Scott Boras) is notorious for playing clubs off each other to squeeze out more money.
