Old friend Gordon Edes and Yahoo's! Tim Brown write that Scott Boras has been causing a stir and it appears "the Boras camp and others were using the media to ratchet up the price beyond what any team had actually offered":
Those executives are not with the Los Angeles Angels, but they, too, are becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the leverage Boras is utilizing and the stratosphere the Teixeira numbers apparently are reaching. So they are looking at other options for a bat.
Re-signing the switch-hitting first baseman has been the Angels’ top offseason priority, but they are balking at offering more than a seven-year deal and have been told that the Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals each have offered an eighth year at about $20 million a year. Baltimore Orioles are in the mix as well, and the New York Yankees reportedly have sent out feelers on Teixeira.
Who knows if this is true. I think the only thing we actually do know is that the Red Sox have made an offer to Teixeira, because if they haven't, they wouldn't be in the 'race' anymore. I feel like Theo is just sitting back, waiting for the largest offer to come in and then dropping a number a little bit bigger to snag in the fish. Sounds like a good plan to me.