It’s no secret the Yankees have been struggling this year, and for the past few seasons. Today’s [Friday, August 5] news isn’t the kind of news that Yankee fans want to hear about. ESPN is reporting that Mark Teixeira, 36, will announce his retirement, which will be effective at the end of the season, later today at a press conference.
Teixeira has had a solid career, winning 5 Golden Gloves and 3 Silver Sluggers, appearing in 3 All-Star games, and he helped the Yankees to their last championship back in 2009. His production has fallen off by a lot this year, and he is on the last year of his 8 year/$180 million contract.
The Yankees are in the middle of a rebuilding project, trying to wait out the contracts of older players such as Teixeira, and that other guy who used to play a lot, Alex something. The Yankees were sellers at the trade deadline, shipping Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, Ivan Nova, and Carlos Beltran out for a slew of young prospects.
Teixeira has been a lock-down defender and a reliable bat during his Yankee career, but this seems to be the right time for him to bow out, with the Yankees looking to promote their new prospects, especially at his position. Yankees fans will be looking to the future now, hoping to see the team return to its juggernaut status.
