Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — As warm and fuzzy and hopeful as Mark Teixeira's return to Atlanta was last summer, a cold, hard truth remains: His agent is Scott Boras. A man at least as relentless and successful at the negotiating table as Teixeira has been in the batter's box.

That's the biggest reason most Braves think it'll be difficult to re-sign the switch-hitting, RBI-a-game slugger, who is moving toward free agency and the prime of his career at the same time.

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Braves first baseman Mark Teixeira, who will be a free agent after this season, hit .306 with 30 homers and 105 RBIs in 132 games, his fourth consecutive season with at least 30 homers and 100 RBIs.

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That doesn't mean the Braves don't allow themselves to dream of the possibilities.

"Look at his age — 27," manager Bobby Cox said of the former Georgia Tech standout, who has the fifth-most extra-base hits (365) and eighth-most RBIs (555) in the majors since his rookie season in 2003. "Yeah, you build around him. It would be important if we could get him."

Teixeira will make $12.5 million this season in his final year of arbitration eligibility, then be a free agent after the World Series unless the Braves sign him

to an extension before then. The Braves won't say if there have been any recent negotiations.

Third baseman Chipper Jones said, "Oh, man. [Signing Teixeira to a long-term deal] would allow us to assure ourselves of a pretty potent offense for the next half a decade."

Teixeira hit .306 with 30 homers and 105 RBIs in 132 games, his fourth consecutive season with at least 30 homers and 100 RBIs. He made a major and immediate impact with Atlanta, hitting .317 with 17 homers and 56 RBIs in 54 games after coming over in a July 31 trade with Texas that cost the Braves five prospects.

"He's the ultimate professional," Cox said. "He's organized. He's got a routine that he does, and he's an animal.

"He's going to put up big numbers. Plus, his defense is excellent. He's up there with [Cubs Gold Glove first baseman Derrek Lee]."

As excited as Jones is about teaming with Teixeira for a switch-hitting power duo in the middle of the Braves batting order, he's not going to get carried away thinking of it as a long-term tandem.

"Tex is one of those guys who's a die-hard Boras lover," Jones said, "and that tells me what I need to know right there.

"I'm not going to say there's no chance [they re-sign him], but he stands behind his guy [Boras], and his guy gets top dollar. And I doubt we'll be able to offer top dollar."

Since the day Teixeira arrived he has fit well, in the clubhouse and in the offense. He's lauded for being a diligent worker.

"I know he wouldn't have a problem fitting in," said Jones, a teammate at the 2006 World Baseball Classic. "I knew when I played with him in the Classic he'd be nice to have. Never dreamed it would actually happen.

"Now that we're teamed up back-to-back, we make it tough on opposing pitchers, whether they're left-handed or right-handed."

But for how long? If he has another typical season, Teixeira might command $20 million or more in average annual salary in a six- or seven-year contract.

Just before he was traded, Teixeira turned down an offer from the Rangers that would have paid him about $140 million over eight years, including his final year of arbitration eligibility in 2008 and $18 million per year for the next seven seasons.

"There was an offer made," he said, "but it wasn't what was right for me at that time of my career, and I was ready to move on."

Some Braves fans would like to hear something reassuring from Teixeira, a reason to believe he wants to, or is leaning toward, staying with Atlanta beyond 2008.

Don't hold your breath.

"All I can say is that I'm going to do my best to help us get back to the World Series," Teixeira said, "and that's what they [fans] should be worrying about right now."

Boras has taken the vast majority of clients to the open market when they got as close as Teixeira is now to free agency.

Do the Braves, with a payroll of just over $90 million this season, believe they can re-sign Teixeira to a long-term deal?

"I'm not going to address that," general manager Frank Wren said. "Like I've said all along, we hope we can keep him long-term. He's a great performer. Our intention is to try to keep him."

Wren said the Braves plan to raise team payroll steadily but didn't give specifics.

"I think we're going to have continued growth in our payroll," he said. "That's the plan, as it's been laid out. That gives us financial flexibility to keep our best players."

Teixeira is a Maryland native, and the Baltimore Orioles have indicated their intention to make him a top priority if he's a free agent. Teixeira said the O's would have no built-in advantage.

"There's no advantage for anyone," he said. "It's not even something I'm thinking about right now. If that opportunity arises in the future, then I'll look into it."