New York Mets Rumors: Ruben Tejada's Spot In Jeopardy?

New York Mets Rumors: Could Ruben Tejada’s days on the roster be numbered as we get closer and closer to the regular season?

The New York Mets have have just begun Spring Training, but a majority of their roster is already set in place for the season. The starting rotation is locked in, and with the additions they made during the offseason in the middle infield the lineup looks to be closed to set as well. What does that mean for incumbent shortstop Ruben Tejada?

Things are not looking great for Tejada currently. Tejada’s future with the season is very uncertain, as there is a chance he does not even make it through Spring Training with the team. The writing was on the wall during the offseason when the Mets acquired not one, but two middle infielders; Neil Walker in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates and free agent Asdrubal Cabrera. They are expected to be the new double play combo for the Mets as the starters at second base and shortstop respectively.

With those two expected to take a bulk of the playing time in the playing time, it pushes Wilmer Flores into a super utility role. Flores was the starting shortstop at the beginning of 2015, but also played second base and third base when injuries occurred and he began to struggle fielding at shortstop. The Mets are also prepping him to play at first base as the backup to Lucas Duda.

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There is no doubt that Tejada and Flores are held in different regards. Tejada has seemingly worn out his welcome with the Mets, struggling to produce at times on the field and with being in shape. He is also owed $3 million, which is a lot of money for a light-hitting infielder that does not have a gold glove; Tejada has a career slash line of .255/.330/.323. Flores, on the other hand, launched 16 home runs last season alone, six more than Tejada has in his career, to go along with 59 RBI.

Another knock against Tejada’s future with the Mets was the fact they granted him an extra day of service time, giving him five full years of time and giving him the chance to become a free agent after the 2016 season instead of 2017. If a team wants to keep a player in the fold, they would want to keep him off the free agent market as long as possible, but the Mets were willing to let Tejada hit the market a year early.

According to Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News, it seems like nothing is gauranteed when it comes to Tejada and a spot on the 25-man regular season roster. One team source that she talked to said, “A lot depends on how spring training goes. We’ll have to see.”

Not exactly a ringing endorsement for the 26-year old Tejada, who became a sentimental fan favorite after Chase Utley broke Tejada’s leg with a slide in the NLDS. That slide prompted a rule change, and may be what Tejada is most remembered for during his Mets’ tenure that looks like it could be coming to an end soon.

It is a decision that would have to come quick for the Mets if they want to save some money. If they waive Tejada 15 or more days prior to the regular season, they only have to pay him 30 pays worth of compensation. If he is released within 15 days of the regular season, that number jumps up to 45 paid days. If Teajda makes the regular season roster, his full $3 million salary will become guaranteed.

The Mets will probably keep Tejada around as long as they can, and try to find a spot for him via trade before releasing him. Keeping him on the bench makes little sense currently as the Mets are very right-handed heavy at the plate and could do better with a true backup first baseman or finding a cheaper option that could bring the same production as Tejada does.

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New York Mets Rumors: Ruben Tejada’s Roster Spot In Jeopardy?

By Kenneth Teape | Mar 1, 2016

New York Mets Rumors: Could Ruben Tejada’s days on the roster be numbered as we get closer and closer to the regular season?

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