To me, this means two things:
1) He's not getting many offers to play shortstop, because of his diminished range/age/etc.
2) He's motivated to work on another position in an effort to increase his value, which in turn means, you might be able to get him on a one year contract should he be playing out of position in 2010.
I'm not saying anyone will get Tejada on the cheap. But what I am saying is that maybe, just maybe, he's willing to take a lesser one year deal to prove that he is capable of being a good third baseman/second baseman/first baseman in order to land a bigger deal next season as a solid hitting, versatile, player in the off season. With his line from last year being a pretty solid one: .313 BA, .340 OBP, .455 SLG, with 14 HR, 86 RBI and 83 runs. It seems like convincing him to come to CitiField and play some first base isn't such a crazy idea. Also, it allows the Mets to do other things with Murphy, like package him for a starter.
In no way am I calling for Murphy's job, but I just don't see where he fits in with the Mets plans. They now have a left fielder for the next 4 years, Murphy proved he cannot play second base in Arizona last fall and with Ike Davis on the horizon and Wright at third, there is literally nowhere for him to play. So, maybe it's best to get what you can for him now before it's too late and bring in another bat like Tejada to take his place.
I love this idea. Personally I don't want to see Murphy in the lineup ever! Tejada could then be used at 2B/SS/3B as well if Castillo, Reyes, Wright need rest. He could be our infield super sub while getting ABs almost every game. I would rather see Tejada playing for Reyes or Castillo than Cora as well.
ReplyDeletePersonally I would like to see Delgado come back as a mentor for Murphy and the rest of the team for that fact. If not I can see Tejada as a 1b and a nice back up for any other infield position when Murphy is playin 1b. Tejada when not playing is a bat that teams would fear coming up as a pinch hitter which we have lacked in past years.
ReplyDeleteIt all depends on your focus,is it short term or long term, short term you bring in Tejada and trade murphy, long term you keep murphy and see if he keeps developing power and consistancy. Short term deals have killed the farm I say keep Murphy.
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