It wasn't money that wound up costing the Nationals the services of free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira. It was the fact the slugger wasn't totally sure the team could win in the near future.
According to a team source, the Nationals were "not beaten by anybody" on the number of years or the amount of money they offered Teixeira, who signed an eight-year, $180 million contract with the New York Yankees. Rather, Teixeira picked the Yankees because he wanted to win now, after starting his career with the Texas Rangers and landing with the Atlanta Braves at a time the consistent contender wasn't competitive.
"He didn't go (to New York) because they offered more money or more years," the source said. "His experience in Texas hurt us. He waited a long time (to win), and he wasn't ready to wait."
With Teixeira off the market, the Nationals likely will revert to their long-stated philosophy of building through scouting and development. That doesn't mean they won't make a run at first baseman/outfielder Adam Dunn or second baseman Orlando Hudson, but the money the team was willing to spend on Teixeira also doesn't guarantee they'll start a shopping spree on other players.
But if the pursuit did anything, general manager Jim Bowden believes, it showed the baseball world the Nationals are willing to pay top dollar for elite free agents when it makes sense to do so.
"A lot of credit should go to the Lerner family (that owns the team)," Bowden said. "They showed they are committed to winning in D.C., and they stepped up at the highest competitive levels."
