New York Mets Rumors: Ruben Tejada To Become A Free Agent?

New York Mets Rumors: Could Ruben Tejada become a free agent this winter? There seems to be a real possibility of that, as the Mets are seriously considering non-tendering the shortstop.

The New York Mets have a very important offseason ahead of them. After making a surprise run to the 2015 World Series, they have to make some moves to improve certain areas to ensure making it back. Daniel Murphy and Yoenis Cespedes are both free agents and expected to move on from the Mets. Could another teammate be joining them on the free agent market?

According to ESPN New York, the Mets are leaning towards non-tendering Ruben Tejada, which would make him free to sign with another team. Tejada, who got crushed by Chase Utley at second base in the NLDS and broke his fibula, could have that be his last memory of playing with the Mets.

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That play turned into a rallying cry for the Mets and their fans, as they wanted to win for Tejada. While the injury was unfortunate, this could have been the highlight of Tejada’s time with the Mets. He was someone fans were critical of throughout his six seasons with the team, as he was given multiple chances of being the starting shortstop of the Mets but always seemed to come up short.

Tejada is only 26-years old, but it feels like he has been around forever with the Mets. He made his debut as a 20-year old in 2010, and had the label of being a slick fielder at shortstop. That never fully came to fruition, as Tejada is regarded as a good fielder compared to his teammates, but is merely average when compared to the rest of the major leagues.

That quickly became a problem, as Tejada is as light hitting as they come. He has a career slash line of .255/.330/.323, which is rather poor; you never want to see your slugging percentage lower than your on base percentage. Also, without much speed, Tejada doesn’t offer much as a base runner, stealing only 16 bases in six seasons but getting thrown out 11 times.

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With as little offensive production as that, you had better be a whiz defensively, continually contending for Gold Gloves. Tejada is not, which is why the Mets may choose to let him walk.

Last season, Tejada earned $1.88 million. In arbitration this year, the early projections have him earning over $3 million if he went to a hearing with the club. That is a rather nice raise and pretty penny to pay for a player that offers as little as Tejada does. Also, he has fractured his fibula twice, so he is injury prone to an extent.

With a team that is as careful with their cash and spending as the Mets are, that more than $3 million that they could allocate better. It would be worthwhile for the Mets to put that money towards a player such as Ben Zobrist, or Gerardo Parra, two players the Mets have been rumored to be in contact with.

It could also open the Mets up for an addition of someone such as Ian Desmond. The Mets have made it clear they do not want to use Wilmer Flores as an everyday shortstop, as Tejada was getting most of the at-bats before getting hurt. Desmond would represent a huge upgrade at the position, and if Tejada is out of the way Desmond could walk into everyday duties from the start.

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Whatever the Mets may decide to do, non-tendering Tejada if he is expected to get over $3 million like early projections say, is the right move. That is money they would be more wisely spent in other areas, such as the bullpen, centerfield or second base.