The reaction in certain circles to the Mark Teixeira /Yankees marriage has been passionate to say the least, with columnists like Phil Sheridan going so far as to say that Bug Selig should have invoked the “best interests of the game” clause and blocked the signing. Others are less hyperbolic, but overall there is definitely a groundswell of anger over the 8 year, $180 million contract that Teixeira is getting. Here are 5 reasons why this is neither the end of the world, nor necessarily a reason to begin picketing outside Major Baseball Headquarters in support of a salary cap.

1. The free market. While the dollars given to Teixeira during a recession certainly looks bad, this is an example of the free market working the way it always does. Teixeira went to a high bidder, although not necessarily the highest one. The Nationals are rumored to have offered $5 million more total to Teixeira, who instead chose to go with the team more likely to compete in the near term. The notion that Bud Selig should have blocked this deal is naive at best. Why should Teixeira not be allowed to go to the Yankees if he wants to? He should be forced to go elsewhere simply because it’s unfair that the Yankees have both the means and the balls (not to mention possibly a lack of gray matter) to dump nearly a half billion dollars on 3 players in the hopes of winning another World Series? What kind of ridiculous precedent would that set? You can’t just say that Selig should have blocked the deal without considering the ramifications down the line for doing so.

How much different are baseball contracts from stock purchases? You believe in the product, you buy the product. The decision either works or it doesn’t, and you either learn from the mistake or you make a lot of money. The Yankees blew millions and millions of dollars on Carl Pavano. Bad decision. Wasted money. No one is complaining about that. With a recession fully underway and the New York City economy suffering from the loss of high paying jobs and tax revenue by extension, the Yankees’ financial situation could be tenuous in the coming years. They made a big gamble. If it pays off, they deserve whatever comes with it. It could just as easily blow up in their face,

2. Someone was paying, whether the Yankees did or not. Had the Yankees not swooped in at the eleventh hour and signed Teixeira, he was headed to most likely the Red Sox or the Washington Nationals for roughly $170-184 million, according to published reports. Should Selig have blocked those deals as well, or only when the Yankees are involved? The economy being in a recession does not stop the business of baseball from plowing forward. Someone was going to show Teixeira the money. Crying about it being the Yankees is pointless.

3. What would a salary cap accomplish? I prefer MLB’s current situation, as it allows teams to spend whatever they are willing to spend, but punishes them once they’ve exceeded a certain threshold. Instead of setting a figure that no one can exceed, they created a situation that forces the big spender to think long and hard about their signings, as the price tags for the luxury tax can be very high. If the salary cap was set at, say, $110 million, does anyone think that the Pirates or Marlins will spend to the cap? Does anyone expect ticket prices to go down? So we should penalize the players by capping how much they can earn, thereby increasing revenues for owners? No, no and no. By the way, a salary cap does not guarantee parity. Just ask the NBA, where 4 teams currently boast winning percentages of .800 or better so far this year, while 4 teams are under .250.

4. Teixeira guarantees the Yankees nothing. Pavano, Randy Johnson, Mike Mussina, Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield have all donned Yankees pinstripes with much ballyhooed signings to leave the Bronx will a collective 0 World Series rings. Championships are not bought. They are earned on the field and the collection of baseball’s 4 most expensive contracts does not come with it the Commissioner’s trophy. The Yankees will have to play 162 games like everyone else. They have committed to, and most likely overpaid for, a career .290 hitter who switch hits and has a great glove. Teixeira does not play one of the most important defensive positions on the field, making his defense not a huge deal. He is an upgrade over Jason Giambi to be sure, but he’s hardly Albert Pujols. The Yankees own the 4 largest contracts in baseball, not the 4 best players in baseball.

5. Baseball needs villians. The addition of Teixeira guarantees that hating the Yankees will continue to be a cottage industry for years to come. As someone who began to sour on “Red Sox Nation”, spoiled fans that they are, over the past 4 years, I will certainly be actively rooting for the Yankees to get no further in 2009 than they did in 2008. If the Yankees falter with this group, there will be hell to pay. Watching it happen will be great. If they get to the playoffs, seeing chronically underachieving October performers like CC Sabathia and Alex Rodriguez attempt to deliver a World Series to the Bronx will be great theater.