After the CC Sabathia signing, Mark Teixeira is the hottest player on the free agent market. Several teams have shown interest in his services, including the Angels, Orioles, Nationals, Yankees, Red Sox, and possibly others.

The Red Sox have reportedly made an offer, believed to be for 8 years and an undisclosed amount. Based on what Teixeira is looking for, it will be between $21M and $27M per year. If the deal is made, it could be the second most lucrative contract in MLB history.

The Red Sox will have a dilemna if they sign Teixeira, since their 1B/3B/DH positions will be overstocked with players making big dollars, and not all of them will be able to play at once.

The projected lineup would include Teixeira at 1B, David Ortiz at DH, and Kevin Youkilis would move back to 3B, where he started his career. That would leave 3B Mike Lowell as the odd man out. Lowell is coming off a series of injuries, including an offseason hip surgery. The Red Sox have reportedly been trying to trade Lowell, but the market is thin for 34-year old third basemen coming off of multiple surgeries. The Phillies were rumored as a possible destination, but nothing has materialized from that so far.

The Sox would need to do something with one of them if they were to sign Teixeira. Kevin Youkilis had an MVP-caliber season last year, and turns 30 this year. He's not going anywhere. David Ortiz is making $12.5M, and is also coming off some nagging injuries, but is still a relative bargain as one of the better DH's in the game. Lowell is making $12M per year through 2010, and the Red Sox can't afford to pay him that much to sit on the bench, since he would likely be the one to do so, if Teixeira was signed and the Sox were unable to make a followup trade.

Teixeira would be a great addition to the Red Sox, and it looks like they'll do anything in their power to make it happen, but they need to avoid becoming more like the Yankees and spend money on top of more money. We'll see how it shakes out, but it looks like they're the favorites to land the next big free agent.