Mark Teixeira is overpaid and he’s not afraid to say it.
The New York Yankees 32 year old first baseman is currently in the middle of a $180 million, eight year contract. That averages out to $22.5 million a year.
Teixeira signed his contract in 2009. He played his first season on the Yankees at 28-years old. The “prime” for a baseball player is generally considered to be between the ages of 28 and 32. With four years left on his massive contract, Mark Teixeira is leaving his prime.
The New York Yankees slugger was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal recently and revealed that he believes he is overpaid.
Over the last two season’s Mark Teixeira’s statistics have been declining. About his changing from a .280 hitter to a .250 hitter he says:
“I looked at the first six or seven years of my career, I was in my 20s, it was easy. I wasn’t searching for the right formula. To think that I’m going to get remarkably better, as I get older and breaking down a little bit more, it’s not going to happen.”
He continues:
“Maybe I’m slowing down a tick. Look, I’m not going to play forever. Eventually you start, I don’t want to say declining, but it gets harder and harder to put up 30 [homers] and 100 [RBI].”
Finally, Mark Teixeira addresses his salary:
“I have no problem with anybody in New York, any fan, saying you’re overpaid. Because I am. We all are. Agents are probably going to hate me for saying it. You’re not very valuable when you’re making $20 million. When you’re Mike Trout, making the minimum, you are crazy valuable. My first six years, before I was a free agent, I was very valuable. But there’s nothing you can do that can justify a $20 million contract.”
In a sport where Buster Posey is making eight million dollars in his fourth year, it’s rare to see a professional athlete admit to how exaggerated baseball contracts have become.
Are you surprised to hear Mark Teixeira openly admit to being overpaid?
[image via Rena Schild / Shutterstock.com ]
