Halos withdraw offer to Tex

Halos withdraw offer

The Angels are out of the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes.

The team has withdrawn its offer to the free-agent slugger, according to a source close to the negotiations.

The Red Sox did not necessarily end their bid for Teixeira when owner John Henry said the team "is not going to be a factor" in the negotiations.

The Angels' decision, however, appears more final.

- Ken Rosenthal from Foxsports.com

This is from Yahoo's Tim Brown

The Los Angeles Angels on Sunday afternoon withdrew their offer to free-agent slugger Mark Teixeira and do not intend to continue negotiations with his agent, according to a source close to the negotiations.

Believed to have offered about $160 million over eight seasons, the Angels became the second team in recent days to declare the price on Teixeira to be too steep. The Boston Red Sox reached a similar decision Thursday night after meeting with Teixeira and agent Scott Boras. Team owner John Henry issued a statement that concluded, “ … we are not going to be a factor,” though evidence suggests negotiations are not dead.

A source told Yahoo! Sports on Sunday that the Angels would not re-enter the bidding for Teixeira, whom they acquired from the Atlanta Braves at the trade deadline in July.

The Angels’ withdrawal would appear to narrow the field for the switch-hitting Teixeira to the Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles and, presumably, the Red Sox and New York Yankees. It is unknown if the Yankees have made an offer on Teixeira or if the Red Sox’s offer – believed to be in the neighborhood of $170 million over eight years – still stands.

The Nationals’ bid reportedly matched the Angels’. The Orioles reportedly were considering whether to add an eighth year to their offer.

Owner Arte Moreno for weeks had led the Angels’ negotiations and abruptly pulled out Sunday amid reports Boras was asking for more than $180 million over eight seasons.

The apparent loss of Teixeira is a big hit for the Angels, who had made him their No. 1 priority after again losing to the Red Sox in the American League Division Series. They’ll now turn their attention to signing closer Brian Fuentes and adding offense through a trade (Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko) or free agency (Adam Dunn, Pat Burrell).

Source Tim Brown

What a very interesting twist to the Teixeira saga. So who is the top bidder as of now, and do you think the Red Sox are the favorites once again?