The Los Angeles Angels became the second club (the Boston Red Sox being the other club) in the same week to pull out of the bidding war for Mark Teixeira by withdrawing their contract offer.

General Manager Tony Reagins was not immediately available for comment. The Angels offered Teixeira an eight-year deal, and though financial terms were not disclosed, it was believed to be worth at least $160 million.

The Washington Nationals, who reportedly offered eight years and $160 million, and the Baltimore Orioles, who reportedly offered seven years and about $150 million, remain heavily involved in the bidding.

Comments made by Boston Red Sox owner John Henry on Thursday night gave the impression that they were no longer pursuing Teixeira. The team had reportedly made him an offer in the eight-year, $170 million range.

This is such a unique situation because clubs are finally standing up to free agents who want extraordinary amounts of money and ridiculous contracts. So now if Teixeira wants to go to a winner, he’d better relax on his contract demands or else take the money and play in Washington or Baltimore next year.

The interesting thing now is whether or not the Yankees will make an official offer. Rumors of circulated that they’ve been interested, but like many people, I’ve always held the impression that they were only involved in the Teixeira talks to drive up the price for the Red Sox and Angels. But now that both of those clubs have pulled out of the race, the Yankees could land one of the top free agents on the market if they wanted to pony up. Stay tuned.