In 2009, the New York Yankees signed Mark Teixeira to a long-term deal, but how would things be different today if they never pulled the trigger?

December 23, 2008: the New York Yankees decided to make their third move of their free agent spending spree and sign first baseman Mark Teixeira to an eight-year, $180 million deal.

With the Yankees heading into their first season since 2008 without Teixeira on the roster, we take a look at how history could have been changed entirely if this deal was never made.



First off, if the Yankees do not sign Tex then they do not have an everyday first baseman heading into the 2009 season. However, like with every problem, there is always a solution.

One possibility is that the club could have gone the route of resigning Jason Giambi to a one-year deal following an impressive 2008 campaign where he slugged 32 home runs.

While it is unclear whether or not Giambi would have carried this success into the new stadium, it’s safe to say he, or perhaps Nick Swisher, would have been their backup plan if they weren’t able to sign Teixeira.



Now that we have the first base hole without Teixeira filled, let’s try to imagine how a 2009 season would play out without the switch-hitter.

Tex proved throughout the 2009 season that he was a vital asset to the Yankees lineup, earning himself a selection to the all-star team. Without the gold glove winning first baseman, the Yankees would be missing out on a .292/.383/.565 slash line, 39 home runs and 122 RBI’s, as well as a gold glove first baseman, manning the spot.

Judging how Giambi’s 2009 season played out between Oakland and Colorado, the production from the 38-year old wouldn’t come close to what they got from Teixeira.

Due to this, the Yankees would have most likely been the same team they were in 2008 when they missed the playoffs except now they would have a much better starting rotation with the additions of CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett.

There is a possibility that the Yankees still make the playoffs in 2009 without Tex, but there is no chance they still win the World Series without the gold glove winning first baseman.

Without the switch hitter, the Yankees do not have an impactful bat to go in front of Alex Rodriguez throughout the season and are unable to open up the new stadium with a World Series trophy like they did in reality.

However, despite missing out on another World Series trophy, there is a chance that the Yankees might have gotten a nice consolation price by drafting superstar Mike Trout in the 2010 MLB Draft.

In reality, by surrendering their pick to the Angels following the signing of Teixeira, the Yankees missed out on their original first round selection in which Los Angeles used to draft Trout. 

It is evident that if Trout was available when the Yankees made one of their selections, they were going to take him. The Yankees vice president of scouting was reportedly “infatuated” with Trout and he was number two on their big board.

The entire course of history could have been changed had this draft selection had been made. It is possible that with Trout the Yankees could have won more World Series titles than they did by signing Teixeira.

Well there you have it, it is certainly one big what if scenario but it is very interesting to think about. Had the Yankees not signed Mark Teixeira, it is certainly possible they could have had Mike Trout for years to come.


My name is Patrick Hennessy and I am an Editor as well as the Lead Trending Writer here at ESNY. I mainly cover the New York Yankees, but I also reach out to many branches of the sports world. I have had the opportunity to broadcast my work on many different platforms and I plan on continue doing so.