Teixeira is said to be seeking a resolution before Christmas. ESPN.com reported last night that he is looking for a $195 million deal.

According to multiple Baseball sources, the Red Sox are currently unwilling to improve their eight-year offer worth approximately $170 million, or $21.25 million a year. It remains to be seen if the Red Sox would ultimately increase that offer, but they might show more flexibility if they suspected that Teixeira's agent, Scott Boras, had a believable offer for more.

According to one source, Boras was ``pretty upset'' that principal owner John Henry went public about the negotiations, which were held in person near Teixeira's Dallas-area residence with Henry, president/CEO Larry Lucchino and general manager Theo Epstein.

After Henry e-mailed his statement to the media, Boras e-mailed his own, saying, ``The Boston ownership was kind enough to request and travel to meet with Mark Teixeira. While it was a very positive meeting, Mark was candid and advised he is in the process of making a decision and is now attempting to eliminate teams.''

So far, the Sox do not believe Teixeira has a better offer in hand. Unless there is a mystery team involved, or at least one competitor in the hunt is perpetrating a massive disinformation campaign, it is hard to discern the Red Sox' foes in this bidding war.

The Nationals are believed to have offered an eight-year deal worth approximately $160 million, and no reports have surfaced to indicate Washington has gone higher. The Orioles are believed to have offered a seven-year deal, and although there have been indications they are willing to sweeten the offer, no reliable reports have said they have.

That leaves two other teams - the Angels, known to be in the Teixeira sweepstakes; and the Yankees, rumored to be.

The Angels stated last Friday evening, after the winter meetings had concluded, that they had made Teixeira an eight-year offer. Terms of that offer have not surfaced but Angels GM Tony Reagins said in yesterday's editions of the Los Angeles Times that Henry's e-mail represented ``an interesting turn of events. . . . Beyond that, I have no knowledge of it.''

Reagins said he believed the Angels were still in it, although the Times said that according to a source familiar with the negotiations, the Red Sox' offer was ``significantly'' better than the Angels.

In yesterday's New York Post, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman denied they were involved in the Teixeira negotiations. Most believed, if they were in it, it was simply payback to the Red Sox for their so-called interest in free agent CC Sabathia in order to drive up his eventual price tag.

Epstein made a public appearance at Logan Airport yesterday afternoon, but lived up to a pre-press conference assurance that he would not be commenting on the Teixeira matter.