EDIT: This was written before Tejada declined a minor league deal from the Yankees. Let's assume this article is for a Major League deal to avoid any confusion.
Spring Training is good for more than a few things as far as Major League Baseball is concerned. It means that games that actually mean something and count are right around the corner and it’s also the last chance for teams to get their rosters in order before the season starts. Every year we hear about spring competitions around the league and we hear about “out of options” players who have to make their respective clubs or be forced onto the waiver wire and free agency. The New York Mets had one such “out of options” player just clear the waiver wire and hit free agency in Ruben Tejada, should the New York Yankees be interested?
Spring Training is good for more than a few things as far as Major League Baseball is concerned. It means that games that actually mean something and count are right around the corner and it’s also the last chance for teams to get their rosters in order before the season starts. Every year we hear about spring competitions around the league and we hear about “out of options” players who have to make their respective clubs or be forced onto the waiver wire and free agency. The New York Mets had one such “out of options” player just clear the waiver wire and hit free agency in Ruben Tejada, should the New York Yankees be interested?
Truth be told I believe the St. Louis Cardinals will snatch
up Tejada and turn him into a .300 hitter and an All Star but for the sake of
the post let’s debate whether New York would be interested in Tejada. The
former Mets second baseman can play second base, third base and shortstop so
his versatility is something the Yankees would presumably like but his bat
leaves much to be desired. Tejada finished the 2015 campaign with just a .261
average with three home runs, 28 RBI and 23 doubles for the Mets before being
taken out by Chase Utley of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the playoffs. For the
$550,000 he will presumably sign for, the major league minimum, that’s sufficient
production for a bench piece but he’s definitely not worth the $3 million the
Mets were about to be on the hook for.
The Yankees needed a legitimate back up third baseman
entering the spring but the move of Robert Refsnyder to third base may have
alleviated that situation. If Refsnyder showed he couldn’t handle the position
or if Tejada had one of those bats you have to make room for it would be a
different thing but Refsnyder has done a lot to impress not only me, his
biggest fan aside from his mother, but the Yankees organization as well. Tejada
is a good player and will likely latch on somewhere and do well but I don’t
think that will be back in New York and I don’t think it will be with the New
York Yankees unfortunately.
NAY !!...to Rubin Tejada.
ReplyDeleteThere has to be a reason the Mets let Chase Utley's tackling dummy go.
The ultimate jinx.
They seem to like Wilmer Flores. They were ready to trade him last July, now they love him. Funny how that works.
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