[Ken Rosenthal] Astros were the team closest to landing Tejada

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5235582

O's should still listen to offers for Tejada
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Ken Rosenthal / FOXSports.com
Posted: 1 hour ago



Either Miguel Tejada had a genuine change of heart about the Orioles, or he flat-out blinked.

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The National League champion Astros were the team closest to landing Tejada, FOXSports.com has learned, offering closer Brad Lidge, shortstop Adam Everett and either outfielder Jason Lane or Willy Taveras.

The Phillies also wanted Tejada, intending to move him from shortstop to third base. The Tigers, too, were in the mix, representing little of an improvement, if any, over the Orioles — the team Tejada was trying to flee.

Perhaps Tejada sensed that he wasn't going to land with the Red Sox, seemingly his first choice, or the Cubs, possibly his second.

Perhaps, lacking no-trade protection, he wanted to regain a measure of control, and the only way to do that was by saying he would remain with the Orioles.

Well, that's no longer a sure thing.

The Orioles aren't looking to trade Tejada, but they're also in no position to dismiss interest in a player who remains at least somewhat disgruntled. The Astros' proposal intrigued them, and who's to say the Orioles won't revisit those discussions and others?

Everett, a gifted defender, would have been another Mark Belanger at short. Lane could have helped replace Tejada's offense, or Taveras would have filled the Orioles' void in center field, a position the team addressed Monday by acquiring the Cubs' Corey Patterson.

Lidge, one of the game's top closers, was the central figure from the Orioles' perspective, either as the replacement for departed free agent B.J. Ryan — or as a trade chip who could have helped the club address its biggest need, starting pitching.

Sources with knowledge of the negotiations say the Orioles and Astros could have agreed on the players in the deal with little difficulty. The Astros were concerned that Tejada would invoke his right to demand a trade at the end of next season as a player dealt in the middle of a multi-year contract. They likely would have asked Tejada to waive that right, a potential sticking point. The deal also would have required the approval of Orioles owner Peter Angelos, a demanding negotiator.

Astros owner Drayton McLane, however, evidently was prepared to absorb most or all of the $48 million remaining over the final four years of Tejada's contract while parting with three low-cost players who played significant roles in the Astros' World Series run. Barring further moves, the Astros' payroll might have soared past $100 million, assuming that right-hander Roger Clemens returned to the club.

Given Tejada's desire to play for a winner, he likely would have been satisfied by a trade to Houston — Clemens, Roy Oswalt and Andy Pettitte are just slightly more accomplished than the Orioles' Rodrigo Lopez, Daniel Cabrera and Erik Bedard. But Tejada didn't necessarily know he was going to the Astros. Perhaps he grew anxious when the Orioles' talks with the Red Sox and Cubs stalled, creating openings for other suitors.

One possibility clearly disturbed him: Through his agents, Tejada signaled to the Phillies that he would have played third base for only one season, then exercised his right to demand a trade. For that, the Phillies would have parted with right fielder Bobby Abreu? Didn't make sense.

In the end, Tejada chose the familiar over the unfamiliar, even though the familiar is a franchise that has had eight straight losing seasons — including six straight before he signed his six-year, $72 million contract with the Orioles after the 2003 season.

Tejada should have known what he was getting into when he sold himself not to the most competitive team but to the highest bidder. He may simply be biding time with his latest reversal. Judging from his comments to Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe during an interview in the Dominican Republic, Tejada still doesn't sound content.

Tejada told Edes he changed his mind because of his daughter, Alexis, 6, who had told him that she liked living in Baltimore. He also indicated that he had been bothered by criticism of his trade request both in the U.S. and Dominican Republic. But he also made it clear that he was not happy with the Orioles' direction, saying he was "really angry" that the team had not made significant off-season improvements.

Well, he can't have it both ways. If Tejada wanted out, he could have gotten out. Perhaps, as he told Edes, he merely heeded the advice of his wife, who told him, "Wait for God to give you the opportunity to win. Don't look for it. Let God decide when you're going to win."

Or perhaps, with the trade talks moving toward unknown, potentially undesirable outcomes, Tejada simply lost his nerve.


Come on Miggy, demand a trade one more time and you could come to Houston. In Baltimore, you will never come close to winning anything with the Yankees and Sox in your division.