Mark Teixeira calls the Yankees underdogs

It’s hard to argue with what the Red Sox have done this offseason. They signed the best position player available in Carl Crawford and acquired Adrian Gonzalez, one of the best all-around first basemen in the sport. They also bolstered their bullpen with the additions of Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler. Most impartial observers believe that they deserve to be called the favorites in the American League East.

According to Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York, Mark Teixeira and that ragtag bunch of Yankees are ready to embrace their new-found “underdog” role.

“We’re the underdogs this year,” Teixeira said. “I love it. No one is picking us right now. Everyone in here should be looking forward to winning a championship. When you put on the pinstripes that is exactly what your goal should be every year. I think everyone understands that just because the public may not be picking us it doesn’t mean we don’t believe it in here.”

Says the guy who plays for a team with a $200 million payroll. Maybe this is a byproduct of playing in the ultra-competitive American League East, but comments like this always remind me that the Yankees live in a completely different universe than most everybody else.