Tejada likely will be with another team in 2004
ESPN.com news services


Miguel Tejada's seventh season in Oakland likely will be his last.

At a Saturday news conference in Arizona, the Athletics said that they will not try to re-sign the reigning American League MVP at the end of the 2003 season. Tejada is eligible for free agency after the upcoming season.

Tejada led the Athletics to the American League West crown with a .308 average, 34 homers and 131 RBI during the 2002 season. Tejada also had an amazing run of clutch hits for the A's, including a pair of dramatic game-winning hits during Oakland's 20-game winning streak in August and September.

Tejada has spent his entire major league career in Oakland.

More info from ESPN regarding the A's:
http://espn.go.com/mlb/news/2003/0315/1524172.html


Saturday, March 15

Tejada hoping A's have change of heart

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Associated Press


PHOENIX -- Another AL MVP could be on his way out of Oakland.

Athletics owner Steve Schott told star shortstop Miguel Tejada on Saturday that the team won't offer him a multiyear contract after this season.

Schott said there would be no negotiations, which Tejada was hoping to get underway during spring training. He wants a long-term contract and the A's can't offer that, Schott said.

Tejada would be the second MVP to leave Oakland in three years. Jason Giambi, the 2000 MVP, signed a $120 million, seven-year contract with the New York Yankees after the 2001 season.

"I just think the world of him,'' Schott said. "The problem is there's absolutely no way we can sign Miguel to a long-term contract. The system is broken down when only two or three teams can pick up a player of Miguel's caliber and sign him to an eight-to-10-year contract and pay him the money he deserves. This small-market team with the system we have just can't afford him.''

Tejada has not said how much money he will ask for. He made $3.65 million last season and will get $5 million this year.

Until the A's can generate more revenue -- Schott said it will take a new ballpark to do that -- they won't be able to keep all of their star players. Aside from Giambi, outfielder Johnny Damon and closer Jason Isringhausen also went elsewhere for big money after the 2001 season.

Edited by cubbiej-
This is an indication of the financial situation in small-market oakland. Who knows, maybe after Montreal, then the A's?

Neyer talked about this move today at the Baseball Prospectus chow and drink. He thought it made good sense for one very good reason... it won't hang over the club, and Tejada all season long.

This would have been a topic of discussion all year. Better to keep this from becoming a distaction early on than have it drag on all season if the A's feel that they won't be able to retain him anyway.

"PLAY BALL!"

A consequence of the A's failure to sign Tejada? This from Jayson Stark's lastest column at espn.com. Here's the link to the whole column:

http://espn.go.com/mlb/columns/stark_jayson/1526054.html

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quote:

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All over the map, heads are still scratching, among agents and even some other club officials, over Oakland's announcement that it couldn't sign Miguel Tejada -- before it ever seriously negotiated with him.


Miguel Tejada
Shortstop
Oakland Athletics
Profile


2002 SEASON STATISTICS
GM AB R HR RBI AVG
162 662 108 34 131 .308



One of Oakland owner Steve Schott's prime motives, obviously, was to dramatize his team's need for a new ballpark. But he's not getting one in Oakland, and trumping up a new Miguel Tejada crisis hasn't changed anything.


"That team needs to move," says one prominent baseball man. "Period."

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