Written by Greg Fertel | 01 June 2007

Brent Nycz, one of our good friends over at MVN's Bronx Block, asked me the following question:

Here’s my question: If you were able to be Cashman and push a trade involving the prospects you study and write on every day to get Mark Teixeira, who would you add to the package?

That's a very tough question and a very relevant question. Teixeira is a lot like Bobby Abreu in some ways and unlike him in a few others. Like Abreu, he would be under the team's control for a season and a half. Like Abreu, he's got some problems with his team's management. Unlike Abreu, he does not have an overbearing salary that will prevent teams from competing for him, nor is he past his prime. In short, Teixeira has all the good things in trade value going for him without any of Abreu's bad things. Barring big time turnarounds from half the Yankee lineup (which is possible by the way), the Yankees are going to need at least one bat in order to compete for a playoff spot, if Jason Giambi's prognosis is as bad as George King says it is. Teixeira seems like a great solution - he's one of the few guys out there better at fielding the 1st base position than Minky, and he can hit. I think that he's a bit overrated if you look at his splits. People tend to forget that the Rangers have a huge home/road split due to the ballpark. Still, he would be a huge upgrade even through hid away statistics. So, I'm going to set up two different trades. I'll say the maximum that I would give away, and then I'll set up a trade that would get the job done if Texas really feels like demanding a king's ransom for the above average 1st baseman. My trade: Matt DeSalvo + Brett Smith + Austin Jackson + Kevin Whelan I'm not crazy about this, but we have to give up value to get value. This is about the maximum value that I would want to give up. Texas needs starters, and DeSalvo can't be much worse than their current crop. Brett Smith is kicking some butt down in Trenton, so he provides them another rotation option later this year. Austin Jackson is a high ceiling prospect down low in the minor leagues, and Kevin Whelan is a very good relief prospect. I'm not sure if Texas would bite, but I wouldn't give up much more than this (or some variation) for Teixiera. Update: Since this has caused some controversy, let me explain a little further. I think that Teixeira is overrated. I think that he's an above average player. I'd love to have him on my team over the current crop of 1st basemen, but If I'm Brian Cashman I don't go over the top just to get him. He's not good enough - and the Yankees aren't close enough in the standings - to single-handedly thrust the Yankees up in the standings. I'm willing to throw a bunch of 'B' prospects out and say "Here, pick four", but there is no way that I want to trade a Phil Hughes, nor do I think about selling low on an Ian Kennedy or Joba Chamberlain. If you want to talk about Miguel Cabrera, then we can start to discuss the necessary 'A' prospects. King's Ransom: Jose Tabata + Tyler Clippard + Jason Jones Blue chip prospect + Major League ready starter + Filler starter. You could also see Melky, Alan Horne, or someone like Chris Britton included. Texas will definitely put a premium on starting pitching though.

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