The St. Louis Cardinals have signed free agent shortstop Ruben Tejada to a one-year contract, worth $1.5 million. Tejada, 26, was placed on waivers by the New York Mets on Tuesday. He cleared waivers and was released by the Mets the following day. The Mets felt like they didn't need Tejada any longer, so he became expendable. The Cardinals were looking for help at shortstop because they will be without All-Star shortstop Jhonny Peralta for 10-12 weeks, after he had surgery on his thumb. They didn't feel fully comfortable with just having Aledmys Diaz, Greg Garcia, and Jedd Gyorko while Peralta was out with his injury. Diaz needs more time in Triple-A Memphis, he's only played 14 games in Memphis and saw 58 plate appearances. If Diaz is ready, all he needs to do is go to Memphis and hit. The Tejada signing also means the Cardinals think Greg Garcia is only a bench player, and Gyorko is more needed for his current role they are going to have him in, which is super-sub (a player who is able to play multiple positions).
Tejada was signed as an international free agent in 2006 by the New York Mets. He ended up make his MLB debut April 7, 2010 against the Miami Marlins (back then the Florida Marlins).
Tejada's been in the MLB for 6 seasons. His career's stats are: 580 games played, 198 runs, 493 hits, 99 doubles, 1 triple, 10 home runs, 148 rbi's, 16 stolen bases, 187 walks, and a batting average of .255. He's known more for his defense and his ability to get on base. His career OPS is .653. Last season, he hit .261, with 3 home runs, 23 doubles, and 28 rbi's. He does well leading off, if the Cardinals try him there at times, and he hits lefties well in his career (.281).
Tejada will wear no.19 for the Cardinals. It could be a good move for both Tejada and the Cardinals. Time will tell, if it doesn't turnout to be good, Tejada will be gone whenever Peralta is ready for if Diaz does well in Memphis, and shows the Cardinals that he's ready to play. It's a low risk move too and shouldn't hurt the team, because they didn't lose anything. The Cardinals also don't know which Peralta they'll get when he comes off the DL (disabled list). Having depth at shortstop is important and the Cardinals now have more depth.
