Giants fill infield hole with Tejada

Chris Haft
SFGiants.com
The Giants appeared poised to fill their shortstop vacancy by signing free agent Miguel Tejada, the 2002 American League Most Valuable Player and a six-time All-Star, to a one-year contract.

Giants officials declined comment, but an industry source familiar with the negotiations indicated a deal would be announced pending a physical.

Tejada told The Associated Press in the Dominican Republic that he had agreed to the deal worth $6.5 million.

"I'm very happy and satisfied to reach an agreement with the San Francisco Giants," Tejada told the AP in Spanish. "I take pride in having the opportunity to compete for that team."

Tejada, 36, primarily would replace Juan Uribe, whose three-year, $21 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers became official Tuesday. But Tejada would fit the Giants' needs in more than one realm. The 14-year-veteran played 97 games at third base last season with Baltimore and San Diego, a spot where he could be needed if Pablo Sandoval doesn't heed management's mandate to improve his physical conditioning.

A two-time Silver Slugger recipient with Baltimore in 2004-05, Tejada owns a .287 career batting average and a .462 lifetime slugging percentage. But he endured one of his least productive seasons in 2010, hitting .269 with 15 home runs and 71 RBIs. His .381 slugging percentage, which declined 74 points from 2009, was his lowest since his 1997 rookie season with Oakland.

But Major League scouts contacted by MLB.com remained mostly upbeat about Tejada's existing skills.

"He has outperformed what I thought he was going to be," one scout said. "He does a very good job of positioning himself. Offensively, you're not going to see quite the pop that you've seen in the past."

Said another, "He's not as strong as Uribe. His range is below average. But he has good hands and an accurate arm. He's still a dependable player."

Having earned $6 million last season, Tejada also is expected to be relatively affordable -- another significant factor, since the club payroll for the World Series-winning Giants almost surely will soar past $100 million.

The Giants had been rumored to be actively pursuing trade possibilities for shortstops, including Tampa Bay's Jason Bartlett and Minnesota's J.J. Hardy.