Blame Mark Teixeira For Not Getting Mike Trout

1 more on @Trouty20, about to turn 23. yanks hoped to pick him No. 29 but he went No. 25. instead nyy got slade heathcott
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) August 6, 2014

I am sure by now many Yankees fans have already heard the story but since Jon Heyman of CBS brought it up again I figured that I would too. The Yankees signed Mark Teixeira to a free agent contract before the 2009 season and gave up the 25th overall pick in the MLB Draft to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Yankees still held the 29th pick in the draft and felt comfortable forfeiting the pick to get Teixeira to join Nick Swisher, CC Sabathia, and AJ Burnett on the team. The move worked in the short term as the Yankees won the 2009 World Series but it's hard not to think of what could have been.

The Yankees were primed to pick Trout 29th overall if he fell that far but instead drafted Slade Heathcott with the pick. Slade has had an injury riddled Yankees career much like Teixeira has and Trout has been easily the best player in all of the major leagues since bursting onto the scene. Imagine an outfield with Trout, Brett Gardner, and just for fun Jacoby Ellsbury. Oh, what could have been.

Hindsight is 20/20 and I realize that and I'm not calling for a mulligan or bashing Brian Cashman or anything like that, just feeling nostalgic I guess. The Yankees will survive and we can always sign him about three or four years past his prime anyway like we always do.