Signing Manny over Teixeira makes more sense for Yanks

It's hard to blame the Yankees for going after Mark Teixeira, if only because the one sure way to keep him away from the Red Sox would be for the Yankees to sign him themselves.

Manny Ramirez owns a .376 average with 12 homers and 41 RBI in his past 39 playoff contests. (Getty Images)

But if the Yankees want to upgrade their offense the way they've already upgraded their rotation, Manny Ramirez is the free-agent hitter that suits them best.

Why? Ask their opponents.

"During the season, I'd be more scared if they had Teixeira," one American League executive said Monday. "But in the playoffs, I'd be more scared if they had Manny. In a seven-game series, I'm much more scared of Manny than Teixeira. Manny helps you in October as much as any hitter in baseball."

And the Yankees, despite last year, are judged on what happens in October.

The last three times they got there, they lost in the first round. All three times, they hit worse in the postseason than they did in the season.

The last four times Ramirez has been to the postseason, he's hit .376, with 12 home runs and 41 RBI in 39 games. Oh, and he won two World Series.

Someone is sure to point out that Teixeira was 7-for-15 for the Angels in his first postseason appearance. Yes, he was. He was 5-for-8 with the bases empty, 2-for-3 with a runner on first and 0-for-4 with a runner in scoring position. In a five-game series, he drove in one run.

But the point here isn't to tear down Teixeira. He's a fine player, he's far better defensively than Ramirez and he's absolutely certain not to cause any problems in the clubhouse.

With Manny, you're taking a chance, and you know there will be a few headaches. In return, you're getting a guy who is a proven performer at the most important time of the season.

Talk to people who have scouted both the Red Sox and the Yankees in advance of postseason series. They'll tell you that all the Yankee hitters have holes that can be exploited by top pitchers.

"Even with (Alex Rodriguez), there are holes you can attack," one scout said. "The thing that made Boston so tough was that with both Manny and David (Ortiz) in those days, there were no holes."

Manny scares pitchers and opposing managers in a way that Teixeira just doesn't. Few active hitters this side of Albert Pujols have the same scare factor.