Astros Acquire Miguel Tejada
But Trading for the Baltimore Shortstop Is a Questionable Move
There was a time, 2002 to be specific, when Miguel Tejada was an MVP. That was then and this is now, though, and he certainly isn’t one anymore. Despite that, the Houston Astros traded 5 players, mostly prospects, to Baltimore for Tejada. That begs the question: What were the Astros thinking?
Astros Needed a Bat
Astros’ GM Ed Wade made it perfectly clear that Tejada was the big bat Houston wanted for the middle of their lineup. God knows they need one. The Astros ranked 10th in the National League in homers (167), 11th in RBI (700), 12th in batting average (.260) and 13th in runs (723). That’s despite playing 81 games at the notoriously hitter-friendly Minute Maid Park.
But just how big a bat are the Astros getting?
Last season, Tejada whacked 18 homers and drove in 81 with a solid .296 batting average. Not bad, especially when you consider he missed 6 weeks while nursing a broken wrist, the first significant injury of his career.
Assuming a return to normal health, Tejada should amass about 100-120 more at bats than last season’s 514. Projecting last year’s numbers over those extra at bats, the Astros can expect to get somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 homers and 100 RBI out of Tejada.
What’s so bad about that? Nothing really except that those numbers will cost Houston $13 million a year for the 2 that remain on Tejada's Baltimore deal.
Luke Scott Hit As Many Homers as Tejada Last Season
Last season, Luke Scott, an outfielder who was part of the package that went to Baltimore, hit the same number of homers as Tejada, but in 145 fewer at bats. In fact, in 663 career at bats, Scott has hit 28 round trippers and driven in 105. That doesn’t look much different from what a similar number of at bats from Tejada would look like.
Better yet for you accountants out there, Scott does his thing for about 12 and a half million bucks a year LESS than Tejada.
But let’s be fair here. Scott is, at best, a 4th outfielder type who will be 30 in June, just a year younger than Tejada (if you believe he’s really 31). The other 4 players in the trade are all prospects with ceilings of varying heights. Tejada is a bankable commodity who could well tee-off on the pitching in the clearly inferior National League.
Tejada's Glove Isn't What It Used To Be
Still, there’s another side to this story worth considering. Tejada plays shortstop, the most demanding defensive position in baseball. Word out of Baltimore was that the O’s were unhappy with his diminishing range and wanted to move him to 3rd, something Tejada wanted no part of.
In Houston, he’ll replace Adam Everett, who just signed with Minnesota. Everett can’t hit the floor with his hat, but he’s a superstar with the leather. Even though he’s never won a Gold Glove, Everett has been called the best shortstop in baseball by teammates and stat geeks alike.
Assuming that’s true, Tejada’s lesser defense could cost the Astros almost as many runs as he is going to put up for them if he maintains his current offensive production.
Anything Left on the Astros' Farm?
Finally, Tejada had better be as good as the Astros hope he’ll be. By trading 5 players to get him, they’ve denuded their farm system of players they might need in order to make a move at the trade deadline.
Of course, that’s assuming they're actually contenders. Last season, the Astros finished 16 games under .500. They’ll need to improve by 12 victories just to match Chicago’s Central Division-leading total of 85.
Tejada will help, but it’s unlikely he can elevate the Astros that much.
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