Miguel Tejada "On the Back Burner"?

by Jesse on Jan 19, 2010 12:27 PM EST in News

Haven't heard his name in a while.

Miguel Tejada, huh? Over at Daily Dish, it sounds like Minnesota has Miggy on "the back burner", while the source itself (Fox Sports, MLB Buzz) has the smoking gun of maybe-ness:

Meanwhile, one person with knowledge of Tejada’s market said he remains "on the radar" for the Twins but that he is not one of the team's top priorities.

It's certainly not the first time this off-season we've seen the Twins attached to Tejada...even loosely. He was worth 2.6 wins above replacement last year, but for any number of reasons I'm not high on bringing him in to man third base. I know, I'm crazy, but (one of) the last thing(s) I want is to bring in a 36-year old with a poor history of personal conditioning, ask him to change positions, and then expect him to hit anywhere close to the .313/.340/.455 he managed in Houston last summer. The guy walked in an astounding 2.9% of his plate appearances.

I'm with the Twins here. There are other routes to try before we think about this seriously.

Miguel Tejada

#10 / Short Stop / Houston Astros

Height: 5-9

Weight: 215

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: May 25, 1974

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Miguel Tejada	158	635	83	199	46	1	14	86	19	48	5	2	.313	.340	.455

Poll

Would you sign Miguel Tejada to play third base for the Twins?

Yes, RIGHT NOW.

121 votes

Yes, but only after we've explored other options.

242 votes

No.

129 votes

492 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

All about the money

If he’s willing to take Nick Punto’s contract (2 years, $8M) then sign him now. There are some noises the Orioles and A’s both want him back. If he signs with the A’s, Kouzmanoff becomes available again. Would Beane flip Kouzmanoff for Perkins?

by DJL44 on Jan 19, 2010 1:44 PM EST reply actions

I don't think Beane would do that.

Not after giving up what he did. Kouz is a decent, long-term answer if Beane wants him to be. Tejada could actually serve a super-utility role for the A’s, a little short, a little third, a little first, some DH. All that, of course, unless Beane for whatever reason really valued Perkins.

by Jesse on Jan 19, 2010 1:50 PM EST up reply actions

I say yes, but only if second base options fall by the wayside.

by Twins Territory on Jan 19, 2010 4:14 PM EST reply actions

Tejada is another Crede

But will his defense be as good?

Don’t mean to state the obvious, but take him away from Houston and those offensive numbers will drop. I’d imagine he wouldn’t produce much better than what we got out of Joe C, with the injury risks as well. I’d probably target Crede above Tejada and go hard after a 2B… that’s my 2 cents.

by diehardtwinsfan on Jan 19, 2010 4:22 PM EST reply actions

I'd take Crede as well, just because of his defense.

Tejada might still be better with the bat, but his defense is already suspect. Not sure it would get much better at third base.

by Jesse on Jan 19, 2010 4:25 PM EST up reply actions

Probably better at 3B

He still has the arm strength for SS (longer throw than 3B) and his range is dropping but he still handles SS okay. My guess is he provides average or better 3B defense. Fielding bunts is a question mark.

by DJL44 on Jan 19, 2010 5:27 PM EST up reply actions

Crede isn't really a good comparison in terms of skill set, but is pretty close in overall value

Tejada is better offensively, CHONE projects him to be .297/.333/.434, and that’s a ballpark-neutral estimate. Crede projects to be .245/.307/.426. 34 points of OPS isn’t exactly a wide margin, but is something.

Tejada will not be as good defensively. It’s hard to project someone who would be changing positions, but I would expect him to be right around average defensively at third. Crede is probably a +10 fielder at third over the course of a full season.

So on a per game basis, Crede has an edge: not a huge one, but is probably the better player. The real difference between the two guys is in durability. Crede projects to play about 100 games, while Tejada missed more that 4 games only once last decade, and projects to play something in the 145 range.

Overall, CHONE projects Crede at 1.7 WAR, and Tejada at 1.8. Because we have decent backup options (Harris, and hopefully Valencia), I’d probably give the edge to Crede, but it’s pretty close if the dollars are the same. The dollars won’t probably be the same – Tejada will probably get more than Crede – so Crede is almost definitely the better choice, although he’s also the riskier one.

by Steven Ellingson on Jan 19, 2010 7:48 PM EST up reply actions