BOSTON -- The Angels, after Tuesday night's 6-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox, are 11-3 this month with Maicer Izturis hitting third, but the table-setting switch-hitter will have to relinquish his spot to a more powerful force tonight: Mark Teixeira.
Tony Reagins, in his first year as Angels general manager, did what predecessor Bill Stoneman was never willing or able to do at the trade deadline, pull the trigger on a blockbuster deal for the big bat the Angels have craved for years.
Teixeira will bat third, play first base and wear No. 25 for the Angels tonight in Fenway Park after the Atlanta slugger was acquired Tuesday for first baseman Casey Kotchman and double-A pitcher Steve Marek, a relatively small price for one of baseball's elite players.
"He's like, 'Forget it, we want to win,' " Angels center fielder Torii Hunter said of Reagins. "He came after me over the winter, and now Teixeira. He's very aggressive. I can't say that's a bad thing. It's a great thing.
"A lot of people wanted that extra bat in the lineup. You got it. Believe me, you got it. There aren't many players who hit like this guy. All I can say is, wow!"
Teixeira, 28, hit .283 with 20 home runs, 78 runs batted in, 63 runs and 27 doubles in 102 games for the Braves. A two-time Gold Glove winner, the switch-hitter ranks fifth in the National League in walks (65) and sixth in RBIs.
He will also be a free agent this winter, so there is no guarantee he will remain in Anaheim.
But in convincing owner Arte Moreno to suppress his aversion to rental players, and in seeking to improve a team that already has baseball's best record (66-40) and a double-digit division lead, Reagins made his intentions for this season very clear: He's all in.
"Our goal is to win a world championship," Reagins said. "The team is playing well, but being able to add a player like Mark Teixeira makes us that much better. . . . I don't view Mark as a rental player. I view him as a player who can impact us significantly."
The Angels made a strong push for Teixeira last July, offering Kotchman, pitcher Joe Saunders and a prospect to Texas, but Teixeira was sent to the Braves in a seven-player deal.
Atlanta failed to make the playoffs, but not because of Teixeira, who hit .317 with 17 homers and 56 RBIs in August and September.
"We're all very sensitive to the fact that we're not comfortable with a rental player," Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. "But this player at this time was very important to us, and this was the only chance to get him."
