Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports that the Mets have placed infielder Ruben Tejada on the waiver wire, which is a move that likely signals the end of his time with the team after a decade in the organization.
Tejada was slated for a much less substantial role than he served in 2014 and 2015, but new starting shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera going down with a strained knee last week seemingly made Tejada a lock to be on the Opening Day roster.
Instead the Mets are willing to lose him for nothing, with Rubin reporting that they’d like to get out from under the $3 million he’s owed this season. When the Mets tendered Tejada a contract for 2016 they hadn’t yet traded for Neil Walker or signed Cabrera, so the infield situation has changed a lot.
If he passes through waivers unclaimed the Mets can release Tejada and be on the hook for just $500,000 of his $3 million salary due to the unique rule surrounding arbitration settlements. At that point he’d be free to sign elsewhere for whatever he can get as he comes back from the broken fibula suffered on Chase Utley’s postseason takeout slide.
Tejada is a 26-year-old career .255 hitter with a .653 OPS in 580 games for the Mets, who apparently feel comfortable with Wilmer Flores as their Opening Day shortstop and eventual backup.
