No one knows how long Shortstop Michael Young and first baseman Mark Teixeira will be together in Texas. Young is signed for 2007, with a club option for next year, and negotiations are underway to extend his contract.
Teixeira is under contract for 2007, but 2008 will be an arbitration year. That means Teixeira will be eligible to become a free agent after the 2008 season, and since Scott Boras is his agent, the money to keep him will be the main issue.
“Well Tex is a little different, (than Michael Young)” says Rangers Owner Tom Hicks. “We'd love to have Tex, but Tex has an agent who has a process he follows that, we'll respect that process. So, our conversation with Tex will be down the line.”
An extension for Young would be similar to Chase Utley and Vernon Wells. Utley received $85 million dollars while Wells received a $126 million dollar contract. That makes the median average annual salary around $15 million dollars.
“We're talking to him, (Michael Young)” says Hicks. “We'd love to do something. It’s a business and he's got an agent who's doing his job for him, but Michael is the kind of guy I think who should be the face of this franchise, he has been, and he should be.”
Fans know that unless something is done, time is running out for both players.
“If I thought that way, I'd be thinking to the future,” say Young. “I'd be thinking about what lies in store for both he and I, but for me, its always like this. Last year, it was 06 or die, the year before it was 05 or die, and I'm taking the same attitude this year. This team is going to get everything I have for the 07 season. After that, we'll take it as it comes.”
For Teixeira, the future is now.
“You always want to win now, after June, July or August, when your out of the race, you start thinking for next year,” says Teixeira. “You start thinking for next year. You know its here. One more year, and it may not be anymore in Texas, so we're just going to go out there and play hard to win here because we want the fans to be excited about Texas again.
There is no question that the Rangers would like to have Young and Teixeira to have long productive careers in Texas, but in the end it will come down to two things, one is money, the second is their desire to be on a team that can win a championship.
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