CELEBRATION, Fla.-- --Spring training means hope.
Trading away Erik Bedard and Miguel Tejada, however, has a way of draining the unbridled enthusiasm reserved for 2008 at Camden Yards.
So in the fine tradition of glass-half-full springs, here's a shot of optimism for Orioles fans courtesy of a training camp in sunny Florida.
Mark Teixeira still loves Baltimore.
"It's my home. I was born and raised there," Teixeira, the Atlanta Braves' first baseman, said recently.
"I am always going to support Mount St. Joseph High School and am going to support my local church there. And my parents live there. It's a great place to live," said Teixeira, likely the biggest jewel of the 2008-09 free-agent class. "But, other than that, at the end of the season, we'll sit down and talk about those things."
Consider that a crack in his free-agent window, not much more.
The Holy Grail of Severna Park politely declined to bite when asked about the possibility of playing for his hometown team.
"We are not going to touch that," he said, smiling.
Truth is, getting Teixeira to return home and lift this downtrodden franchise onto his broad shoulders is unlikely. Highly unlikely even, but not impossible.
"I just want to win, and I have a chance to win this year with the Braves," he said. "And that's all I worry about."
Teixeira, who turns 28 in April, has been in the majors since 2003; his teams have never finished above third. Only twice have his clubs made it over .500.
If he signed here, he would join a franchise that hasn't been to the World Series since he was 3. One that hasn't had a winning year since he played varsity for the Gaels.
If he wants to win - and what player doesn't? - it won't be an easy sell with the Orioles in full rebuilding mode and two of his most ardent suitors expected to be the perennially competitive New York Yankees and Braves.
Teams won't comment on players in other uniforms. But Atlanta can talk about Teixeira. And the Braves definitely want to keep him after dealing away five prospects for his services last July.
"We saw what a great player he was last year in the second half after we acquired him," Braves general manager Frank Wren said. "We are looking forward to having him for a full season this year, and we are hopeful we can have him for a long time. We will kind of wait and see on that one."
Baltimore possesses that hometown allure, but Atlanta is a close second. Teixeira attended Georgia Tech and married a Georgian. The question is whether the Braves would shell out so much for one player - perhaps $20 million-plus per season for six or more years. A major strength of the Braves organization is that it doesn't get caught up in emotions. It makes its moves based on what best fits the overall plan.
Therefore, the Orioles should be able to outbid Atlanta. And don't be surprised if they take on the Yankees, too. Orioles owner Peter Angelos doesn't like to overpay, even for a star. He would never do it for a pitcher. But he did open the checkbook rather wide for Albert Belle and Miguel Tejada. And this one is a better match.
An articulate, marketable Baltimorean in his prime that just so happens to fill glaring power and leadership roles on a club devoid of big names.
If Angelos sets a club salary record, it would be for Teixeira.
If Angelos sets a club salary record, it would also be with Teixeira's agent, Scott Boras, whom the club has avoided pointedly in the past.
That marriage is hard to fathom. In fact, Teixeira recently joked with Atlanta reporters that a false rumor that he and Boras had separated was probably just "wishful thinking" on the part of Orioles fans.
But, strangely, Boras' involvement might prove to be a positive for the Orioles. For one, the high demands would chase away some less serious competitors. Second, the two sides forged deals last year for draft picks Matt Wieters and Jake Arrieta, proving they can work together.
And, maybe most important, this wouldn't be the first time Boras has sent a top player to a bad team for big money. Remember 2003-04, when catcher Ivan Rodriguez, a Boras client, helped the Florida Marlins win the World Series and then signed a four-year, $40 million contract with the Detroit Tigers, baseball's worst team. Critics said it was classic Boras, caring more about the dollar amount than his client's landing spot.
The next year, Rodriguez was joined by Magglio Ordonez, another Boras client, and then another, left-hander Kenny Rogers. In 2006, the Tigers, thanks to deft trades and drafts and the Boras trio, made it to the World Series. Giving Boras the last laugh.
At this point, Teixeira smartly is not willing to say whether he would sign a deal with a hapless club and be its Rodriguez.
"It's way too far in advance to talk about that," he said.
For him, it is. But not for Orioles fans.
Not when it's February and the season's glass is already half empty.
dan.connolly@baltsun.com