Hopefully, it'll be "quite a get" for local newspaper guy Peter Schmuck when he reports that the O's have matched the Red Sox latest offer and are willing to increase it if need be.

So let's see, Sabathia and Burnett to the Yankees, Teixeira to the Red Sox, K-Rod to the Mets, Furcal to the Dodgers. I don't see any Kansas City, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh or Baltimore in there. Nobody should say baseball doesn't need a salary cap of some kind. I don't want to hear about the Rays being competitve, that won't last for more than a couple years when their good, young players leave for NY and L.A.

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Pete's reply: I would be okay with a salary cap, I guess, but that isn't the issue here. The O's could sign the guy if they wanted to. They've got the money.

Just do it!

$207M over 9 years.

2009 $21M
2010 $22M
2011 $23M
2012 $24M
2013 $25M
2014 $24M
2015 $23M
2016 $22M
2017 $21M
...and a $2M bonus at the end if he plays all nine years with the Orioles.

Just do it!

ANDY!!!! What are you waiting for??? Its now or never. I'm might as well start drawing my SELLOUT posters for next years O's-Sox games... it's a bit depressing think our hometown boy may end up in one of them ugly new Boston uniforms...

Let's say this is true and Red Sox management is meeting with Boras. They can hammer out all they want, but Tex still has to say yes. And even then he still has to sign a contract.

After the whole Furcal carnival (I couldn't quite call it a circus), I'm not putting much weight in anything until I see that pen has been put to paper by Tex.

Aw, c'mon Angelos!!!!!

Shake loose some of that ridiculous amount of tobacco money you won and help us out!!!!!

If Teixeira is acting in good faith by saying that he's attracted to us then that means we can get him by matching or coming close. If it doesn't work, then call Boras out.

GET IT DONE!

We know you have the money and we're sick of the dumb negotiating postures. The patience of the fan base is really wearing thin.

The Sporting News and Espn are saying the same thing. Tiexiera will be a Red Sox by Friday unless SOMEONE gets on the phone and pulls the trigger and brings our boy home. We have had 5 years to get ready for him to become a free agent and we do nothing.....Amazing Angelos at the helm steering us into some more rocks. I guess I won't be going to any Orioles games again this year.

If anybody actually thought the Orioles under Peter Angelos had a snowbals chance in hell to sign MarkTexeirathen you were even bigger fools than I thought.Have been a diehard fan of the O's since they won the pennant on my 6th birthday many many moons ago.If Tex signs with Boston,my fandom of the O's under Peter Angeloser will officially end.The man will never recieve another penny of my money as long as he owns the club.That includes cancelling Comcast and having to pay extra for MASN as well.And please don't give me all the crap about how much he's done for the city.I know how he got his money first hand.He's an egotistical arrogant little pissant in my opinion.

Apparently the deal will be finalized in the next 2 hours. Very sad he's going to Boston and our attendance will dip even further. Also don't think any quality FA will ever come here. We can't even attract a hometown guy. Just when I think we can't sink any lower, this happens.

Only position player in the minors is Weiters. Reimold is a part timer at best. Billy Rowell is a wash out. We've waited for Ryan Minor, Cal Pickering, Val Majewski. Nothin.

Over achievers like Huff and Scott will struggle to hit 15HRs this year. B-Rob gone. Nick waiting his time. No hope in sight.

Enough! This hype over Texiera is ridiculous. The Orioles need a lot more than him. Let the Red Sox sign him, and the Yankees will sign Manny. The Orioles are finally trying to build a team in the Paul Richards mold, with, defense and young pitching. In a few years, when they are competitive, then they can sign a player that can make the whole team better{can you say Frank Robinson?}

Until that time everyone needs to chill out. Texiera is not going to turn this franchise around. Macphail is doing all the right things in starting to take a pragmatic approach to transform this storied franchise that has been run in to the ground by Peter Angelos. Let's hang in for a few years. Get a beer and relax

this is disgusting to see from a life time oriole fan in canada. bring in big tex to be the face of this team or this team will face ruin. whatever it takes get this done or i am done with the orioles

this is disgusting to see from a life time oriole fan in canada. bring in big tex to be the face of this team or this team will face ruin. whatever it takes get this done or i am done with the orioles

I have been a diehard O's fan since I have been born. My dad grew up an O's fan an he passed it on to me. I read all the blogs I can, check on games daily, and even keep up with our minor leaguers. But if Tex goes to Boston, without Orioles management doing everything they can to sign this guy, I am going to have a hard time rooting for them anymore. Seeing the Yankees introduce Sabathia and Burnett, and hearing them talk about how committed Yankees management is to winning, has made me pity myself for being an Orioles fan. How can we not sign this guy? We(Orioles fans) have had a website up for like 3 years, talking about how much we want this guy to be an Oriole. This signing is not just about putting a slugger at 1B. We need to sign him to prove to the fans that we are committed to winning and that there is hope after 11 STRAIGHT LOSING SEASONS. I cannot believe I have stuck around this long, but I have. I am not a bandwagon fan but if Tex goes to Boston, .......I just don't know how much more I can take.

Break out the effing checkbook Mr. Angelos. Give us some hope, please. I hate Boston sports teams with a passion.

Well, if true, Angelos has done it again, giving the fans false hope while his front office sits idly by, on its thumbs after their initial and only offer. Instead of acting like the O's and looking for a "home town discount," the Red Sox ownership are players. They take aggressive action and set up a meeting and sit down with Boras and work out a deal, while the Angelos team sits at home thinking about what rinkydink they can get to come to Baltimore on the cheap. If I was Markakis, Jones and Roberts, I would see the handwriting on the wall and head down the road ASAP. Darth Kona is right, other than Weiters, there isn't an offensive player in the minors that has the potential to be a solid everyday player for the O's. The big sucking sound that you hear is more season ticket holders heading out the door.

This team has the $$$ to match if not exceed Boston's offer. If anyone within this pathetic organization had common sense they would see that signing Tex would imply that the people who run the team care about winning and are committed to bringing the fans back to the once glamorous Camden Yards.

Had they signed Tex I would think it would be much easier to re-sign B-Rob and get Markakis his long-term extrension, and even ink Guthrie. I figure signing Tex might actually pay some dividends because if the fans see the front office is committed, you might see more people paying the bucks to come to home games and maybe, just maybe it would mean more money to re-sign our other key guys. Now all we can do is look forward to another 11 years of hell. No way I attend a home game this year. Bogus.

This is a very sad day if it is in fact true and a SOX signing is imminent. Come on Andy, Boras and Tex were begging you to jump in on the bidding. Get in there and make this happen. Without an increase in the offer, all of our worst fears are true. - the offer was intentially low, there was no intention on ever increasing it, and the race for Tex was an illusion to make it seem like we are trying.

ok so now there is a guy on yahoo sports, gordon edes who says that tex will be at the meeting to but that it is more of a sales pitch type of thing:

"The parties are meeting at an undisclosed location in Texas, the Red Sox having requested the face-to-face meeting with the player so he can hear directly from them why they believe he should spend the next eight years in Boston."

Pete's reply: I would be okay with a salary cap, I guess, but that isn't the issue here. The O's could sign the guy if they wanted to. They've got the money.

Very definitive. How much money? Do you know what sort of budget they are looking to operate under? for 09? for beyond? No one's talked about this. It'd be good to know.

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Pete's reply: No, I don't know that, but Peter said a year or so ago that he foresaw (though he didn't say when) expanding the payroll to about $110 million. Tex would fit under that number, unless I'm missing something.

I've been an O's fan for 25 years. The last 11 years have been painful. There finally seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel. Some good young position players up (Markakis, Jones), some coming (Wieters, Reimold), good defense, some strong arms in the pen, etc.One good starter, but a bunch of young guys on the way - with any luck, AM's numbers game will work out there. What we are lacking is organizational strength in the infield - especially 1B, 2B, and SS. The Teixeira signing would solve the hole at 1B.
-He's the right guy.
-At the right position.
-At the right time.
Anyone who thinks you can build starting pitching through free agency is off base. In today's market, $12M/yr gets you a .500 pitcher with a 4.50 era. Heck, the Yankees just paid $18M+ for a guy who is an enormous injury risk. Good starters just don't make it to free agency anymore, and when they do, they are very risky (Zito/Hampton/Brown anyone). The O's have plenty of money - in a sense, we are a big market club if we are winning - anyone remember the Angelos/Steinbrenner battles of the mid 90s - and that was before MASN $'s. This is the right deal - Angelos please pull the trigger and up the ante.

I have probably said this ten times before, but I am done for good this time. I had gotten a small raise this year and I was ready to buy a six game season ticket plan, but no way now. The only thing that makes me even more mad is that I have been paying for over 2 years for MASN and I was fine b/c I thought the money would go to Tex!

3 Years from now "Tex" will be sitting in visitors dugout at Camden Yards watching the team he grew up cheering celebrating a playoff series clinching win over his Red Sox...
I wonder if he'll be cheering for them, then?
Time to rise up! We are bigger than one guy! Let's stop whining and cheer for who we have! B-Rob, Markakis, ...yea them! And our very own mega-star is looming in the minors ready to dominate!
Let's take some of this saved money and go sign Sheets, Byrd, Lowe, someone that can get people out!

Hate to agree with Darth Kona, but it's true nonetheless. All hope is gone. Honestly, the best we can hope for is that the bad economy causes half the teams in MLB to fold in the next two years. Maybe then MLB will realize there is more to baseball than the overhyped New Boston Yank Sox "rivalry". I personally will do my part by not buying a single ticket next season. MASN will officially be banned from my TV.

The patience of the fan base should not be thin, it should be gone.

Pete,

Not so fast my friend. Multiple reports saying no deal is imminent and this won't be a "take it or leave it" meeting. Also, the figures in the initial report are said to be not what Boston has offered yet.

Pete,

Not so fast my friend. Multiple reports saying no deal is imminent and this won't be a "take it or leave it" meeting. Also, the figures in the initial report are said to be not what Boston has offered yet.

Start planning now...when Tex signs with Boston, Brob gets traded, and Markakis the Greek is waiting for an extension....please, please, please....NO ONE show up for opening day. I mean NO ONE. What a statement it would make if the entire stadium was literally empty save for ushers, the ground crew and Jim Palmer

Hey everyone...There is more to life than just baseball, football..and sitting and watching overpaid, egotistical sports "heroes" (not)... bicker over a "million here or a mil there"...They are paid too much as it is for what...three hours per day for 180 days...I've checked this site the past week to see how many people were taking time away from their families, wives, kids, friends, etc...in order to beg someone to play for our team. Remember what it's about people and instead of being glued to the internet to get the latest "scoop"...go out and toss the ball around a little. It is just a game...JUST A GAME. The game itself has forgotten it is just a game and we, as fans, have also lost sight of this. Now, let me say, I am a sports fan, however, if it is a choice between spending the time I HAVE LOST this past week checking this site that I will never get back or enjoying an experience with family and friends with whom I DO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP...It's clear cut. These professional athletes are just in it for themselves. It's a sad state of affairs...Did anyone watch the replay of the '58 COLTS/GIANTS game and the difference between the "old school" sports figure and the "new school"...There will never be another time like that...Everyone have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year...Peace, JKIII

For crying out loud folks, nothing is done! He's meeting with the Sox people. If he really wanted to be a redsux, he didn't need to have the travelling entourage meet him here in Texas. I SMELL SALES PITCH, WITH NO DEAL COMING OUT OF IT!!!