Orioles sign Miguel Tejada, Thoughts
The Orioles signed Miguel Tejada to a 1 year deal worth $6 million with up to $1 million in incentives.
Miguel Tejada will play 3B for the Orioles, taking over for Melvin Mora who the Orioles did not attempt to re-sign.
Tejada played for the O’s from 2004-2007, averaging 25 HR’s and 108 RBI’s, with his MVP like 2004 during which he put up a .311, .360, 34, 150 line.
In 2 years with the Astros, Tejada averaged 13 HR’s, 76 RBI’s, a .298 average and 42 doubles.
Obviously, Tejada has experienced a drop in power, but the doubles are still there for him. He stands to be a fairly clear upgrade over Mora both on the field and in the clubhouse. During yesterday’s Fanfest, the players, especially Brian Roberts, who called Tejada one of his 5 favorite teammates, expressed their affection forMiguel Tejada. Tejada is a vibrant, outspoken leader, and even for one year, this team could certainly use one.
Of course, there are some questions and about this signing. Tejada left as a 31 year old after the 2007 season, and will be turning 36 during the 2010 season. Tejada was involved in the steroid scandal, and one cannot help but take for granted that much of Tejada’s power loss is due to his not taking steroids since the Mitchell Report and all of that exposure.
Tejada also did not always give 100% effort as an Oriole. His reluctance to run out ground balls was well publicized in Baltimore during his latter years with the team.
It is obvious that Tejada was tired of the losing that the O’s experienced during each of Tejada’s years with the team. Orioles fans were tired of it as well. The Orioles had no direction and AAAA players or major league retreads made up half of the roster.
Under MacPhail, all of that losing culture is in the past, and I think this signing represents that. The Orioles are not signing the franchise cornerstone Miguel Tejada. They are signing the best possible 3B stopgap in order to help the team win as many games as possible while continuing to develop their young talent. Andy MacPhail said that wins and losses were the focus this year, and this signing represents that. In addition, you will not find one player that fits into that equation like Tejada that also brings the off the field perks that Tejada brings.
Another point that cannot be overlooked about the 3 players that MacPhail has acquired on one year deals in Garrett Atkins, Kevin Millwood, and Miguel Tejada, is that all are likely to be sought after at the deadline if they are having average or slightly above average years, especially the latter 2. A team like the Orioles who have to compete with the Red Sox and Yankees need to take full advantage of all of their resources. Getting 4 months out of Millwood and Tejada, parlaying them into 2-3 solid prospects, and then promoting Josh Bell and Jake Arrieta is a very possible scenario and would represent MacPhail taking full advantage of all of his resources and getting top value out of players both on the field and in trade.
Also, something that cannot be overlooked is that MacPhail actually went after Tejada. It would have been very easy for MacPhail to dismiss the possibility as water under the bridge or as a thing of the past. However, he realized that Tejada was the best option available to fit the need, and he went and got him, regardless of the past circumstances. Now, we have a mostly positive reaction by both the fans and players because of the “risk” that MacPhail took with this signing. I think that I can speak for most Orioles fans as being pleasantly surprised and encouraged by a GM acting as MacPhail did with this move; not that I did not feel that MacPhail would explore all of his options, but it is encouraging to see it acted out in reality.
I feel that the signing of Miguel Tejada is a positive for this team and organization. He will spark this team on the field and off. He will support MacPhail and the organization’s goal to put more of an emphasis on wins and losses in 2010.
O’s fans should be excited about the return of Miguel Tejada to orange and black.
nothing like signing a 3rd basemen that never played 3rd base befor…speaking for most fans….not a good move…..