Cardinals sign Tejada to 1-year deal
The St. Louis Cardinals have announced the signing of infielder Ruben Tejada to a 1-year contract.
Tejada becomes the likely favorite to earn the Cardinals' starting shortstop job. St. Louis was in need of depth at the position after losing Jhonny Peralta for two-to-three months to a thumb injury.
Before signing Tejada, it was expected the Cardinals would turn to either Jedd Gyorko or Aledmys Diaz to fill in for Peralta. Manager Mike Matheny spoke with both incumbent shortstops before Tejada's deal was finalized, and then told reporters Tejada and Gyorko will man the position going forward.
"Bring (Tejada) in and give him some opportunity and see how it fits," Matheny said. "We're going to continue to give Jedd opportunities as well. (Diaz) will get some work today. We'll evaluate things later."
CARDINALS INTERNAL SS OPTIONS
| 2015 | OPS | HR | K | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruben Tejada | .688 | 3 | 70 | 2 |
| Jedd Gyorko | .694 | 16 | 107 | 0 |
| Aledmys Diaz* | .784 | 13 | 67 | 6 |
*2015 season split between Double-A and Triple-A
Tejada was released by the New York Mets on Wednesday after hitting .278/.316/.611 in eight spring games, while showing no ill effects of the broken leg he suffered during last season's National League Division Series. He owns a career .255/.330/.323 line over six big-league seasons, and can play multiple infield positions.
The 26-year-old would have earned $3 million if the Mets retained him. His deal with the Cardinals is worth $1.5 million, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.
On Friday, it was reported Tejada rejected a minor-league deal from the New York Yankees.