Welcome to the Hot Stove League — Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune is eager to link the St. Louis Cardinals with perennial Veteran Leadership pick Miguel Tejada. Tejada was a two-time All-Star during his tenure with the Houston Astros, but he hasn't been the player people think of when they hear his name since 2006, when he played all 162 games, hit .330, and drove in 100 runs for the last time.
↵2010 was actually something of a renaissance for him, but it's exactly the kind of renaissance the Cardinals would be ill-advised to bet on — he had perhaps the worst offensive season of his career and proved to be a butcher at third base but had an inexplicably great year at shortstop, where the defensive metrics haven't liked him since — ever. With his usual defensive performance he'd have rapidly approached replacement level.
↵Miguel Tejada would be an interesting flier if he weren't Miguel Tejada; he'd be another attempt at filling the Felipe Lopez role, somebody who can spot David Freese at third and spend time at shortstop if Brendan Ryan continues to struggle with the bat. But Miguel Tejada doesn't come so cheaply, and he probably doesn't come to fill such a clearly defined utility infield role. Any more than one or two million and the Cardinals are signing the 2002 AL MVP, not the 37-year-old butchery shortstop who's hit .290/.330/.422 over his last 600 games.
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