As expected, slugger Mark Teixeira was dealt today, but not to the Arizona Diamondbacks as many predicted. The Braves shipped the first baseman to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (nope, not used to that stupid name yet) in exchange for first baseman Casey Kotchman and minor league relief pitcher Stephen Marek. Teixeira joins a team in the Angels, that already has the best record in the big leagues at 65-40.

The Diamondbacks had been in the discussion for Teixeira’s services, but appeared to be unwilling to trade Conor Jackson to Atlanta.

As much as I’ve been on the bandwagon of the D-Backs acquiring Teixeira for the last year, I think its best that he’ll be playing in Anaheim for the remainder of this year, for a number of reasons. First, if the deal was contingent on the Diamondbacks parting with Jackson, that would have created an enormous hole in left field. We all know Eric Byrnes is out for the season, and Jackson has filled in admirably. But with Jackson gone, who would have manned left? Chris Burke? No thanks. Alex Romero? Micah Owings?

Secondly, make no mistake about it, Tex would have been a Sedona red rental for this year no matter what. He’ll command big money in free agency this winter. So much so that he’ll price himself out of D-Back payroll range. If Teixeira would have agreed to a new deal before being traded, it would have been a great pickup. But the Diamondbacks can’t afford to give up on young players with only the promise of receiving compensatory draft picks once Teixeira broke the free agency bank. He’s way more likely to sign with a major market team with deep pockets, like the Angels.

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