Former Yankees champion Mark Teixeira announces shocking political rebrand

When Mark Teixeira came to New York as a member of the 2008-09 Yankees' vaunted offseason free agent class, he was framed as a switch-hitting winner who could dominate equally from both sides. After his post-retirement disappearance and prominent return to the public sphere on Thursday morning, it's pretty clear he's always preferred one side to the other.

Teixeira retired after the 2016 season, tanking the Red Sox postseason run preemptively with a hilarious walk-off grand slam off Joe Kelly. Though he battled injuries during the latter part of his Yankees career, he essentially delivered on every promise he made when he arrived. He mashed clutch home runs throughout the '09 season and postseason. He won a ring. He made a pair of All-Star teams in pinstripes in a loaded first base field, and cracked 39 home runs twice.

And when he retired, the affable Teixeira lent his talents to television first, working for ESPN between 2017 and 2020. He coached in the 2024 Futures Game. He largely stayed under the radar between the end of his broadcasting journey and the summer of 2025.

Until now, when he kicked down the Twitter doors and announced a full political rebrand, seeking a seat in Congress as a representative of Texas' 21st district! What?

Former New York Yankees World Series champion Mark Teixeira is running for Congress in Texas

It shouldn't surprise anyone that a former MLB player holds conservative political views. But it's downright shocking to see Teixeira retire, work on and off as an MLB analyst, disappear largely from the public view, than re-emerge ready to run for Congress deep in the heart of Texas.

And while Steve Garvey recently failed in an effort to win a Senate seat in California on a similar platform, something tells us Teixeira has a more fruitful opportunity to win this particular election.

It's far from unprecedented for popular athletes to announce runs for political office, from Steve Largent to Jim Bunning. Often, their name recognition and strong personalities help breed success. But for Teixeira to go from off the map to in the thick of it in the blink of an eye was shocking, with the full rebrand ready for launch. This is ... yeah, this is probably going to work.