by Ken Rosenthal

The Red Sox are making progress in their quest to sign free-agent first baseman Mark Teixeira, according to a major-league source.

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A rival general manager whose plans could be affected by the Red Sox's addition of Teixeira also indicated that a deal was getting closer.

But Teixeira's agent — Scott Boras — said Thursday that the Teixeira sweepstakes remains wide open.

Asked if Teixeira was down to deciding between the Red Sox and Nationals, Boras said, "That would be totally inaccurate," adding that other teams were in the mix.

Teixeira is the Red Sox's No. 1 offseason target. They view him as the perfect fit for the middle of their order.

Teixeira is seeking a 10-year contract for at least $20 million per season. The Red Sox preference would be to sign him to a deal between six and eight years.

With CC Sabathia taken, Teixeira is now the biggest prize on the free-agent market. He hit 33 home runs and had 121 RBIs as a member of the Braves and Angels last season. Teixeira has never hit less than 26 homers in his six major-league seasons.