Yankees Mark Teixeira Hesitant to Waive No-Trade Clause

New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira has declined to discuss waiving the no-trade clause in his contract with the media.

Most Yankees players with expiring contracts after the 2016 season have been hot topics on the rumor circuit in the lead up to the August 1st trade deadline, with one notable exception. Aroldis Chapman, Carlos Beltran, and even Ivan Nova have all seen their names discussed in potential deals over the last month, but no team has been said to be interested in first baseman Mark Teixeira.

This shouldn’t be particularly surprising to Yankees fans who have watched the 36-year-old Teixeira struggle through a miserable first half. He’s hitting .193/.272/.317 (57 wRC+) with seven home runs in 243 PA at the All Star Break and has been well below replacement level by fWAR despite being one of the best defensive first basemen in the game.

Between the cartilage tear in his knee that will eventually require surgery and the neck spasms that have periodically kept him out of the lineup, it’s not even clear that Mark Teixeira will be able to play anything close to an everyday role in the second half. 

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On the other hand, Tex is just year removed from being one of the top sluggers in the American League, with 31 home runs and a 143 wRC+ in 2015. Would a team with an injury at first base be willing to gamble on a buy-low pickup?

The Yankees are going to lose Teixeira for nothing after the season since there is no chance they’ll extend a qualifying offer at this point. A B-level prospect and some salary relief would probably get the job done if anyone was interested.

The biggest obstacle at this point would probably be the full no-trade protection Teixeira has in his deal. When asked if he would be willing to waive the clause to facilitate a trade to a contender if the Yankees approached him, Teixeira told Ken Davidoff of The New York Post, “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

Teixeira has always seemed to enjoy his time in New York and been very vocal about his desire to stay with the organization this year. When Davidoff brought up Teixeira’s impending free agency and the possibility of a deadline trade, he responded:

“I’m playing for these guys in this room. I’ve been here for eight years. I’m playing for the Yankees. And that’s why I can focus on today. I don’t worry about those other things.”

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Since he’s in full control of the situation, it sounds like Teixeira is inclined to finish off the 2016 season in the Bronx. That said, I’m sure if the Yankees can find the right situation for him, Teixeira could be persuaded to accept a trade. He knows he’s likely to be gone after the season, so it doesn’t hurt for him to start looking around.