O's: Tejada Staying

[ThomasTomasz]

Amid reports that Miguel Tejada could be headed out of town, the man who signed the shortstop to a $72 million deal before the 2004 season said the All-Star is not going anywhere.

"The Orioles have no interest in trading Miguel Tejada ," said Orioles principal owner Peter Angelos. "He is an exciting and exceptional athlete and a great baseball player."

Orioles front office personnel also affirmed their position before last night's game at Camden Yards against the Philadelphia Phillies was rained out, acknowledging that they have received inquiries from clubs interested in Tejada, but they are not shopping the player, who has been criticized for not running out ground balls and scrutinized for a more subdued demeanor.

Tejada leads the Orioles with a .312 batting average, 16 home runs and 54 RBIs and is most likely headed to his fourth All-Star Game in five seasons.

The Orioles' position all along is that no player on the roster is untouchable, and that they would listen to offers about Tejada, but would have to be overwhelmed to trade him.

"We have not made one phone call about him," said Orioles executive vice president Mike Flanagan. "Have other teams asked about him? Yes. But we are not actively shopping him. This process goes on on a daily basis about every team's best player."

Tejada arrived at Camden Yards and through an Orioles spokesman declined to speak to the media, referring all questions to his agent, Diego Benz, who did not return a phone call last night.

The 30-year-old has been slumping at the plate, going 6-for-40 (.150) with three RBIs in his past 10 games, and without a home run since June 13. His mood has also appeared to suffer both in the clubhouse and on the field, prompting concern that his dismay last December with the direction of the team may have carried over to this season.

After a trying 2005 season where both his numbers and his team faded down the stretch and his name became intertwined in the Rafael Palmeiro steroid controversy, Tejada asked for a trade, but then rescinded the request a month later. Orioles vice president Jim Duquette spoke to Tejada on Sunday and said that the player was adamant that he is happy in Baltimore.

"I don't want to talk about the specifics, but the crux of our conversation is that he's happy here," Duquette said. "He said that he didn't want to go anywhere."

Several newspapers have reported in recent days that clubs have called about Tejada, who was sensitive to the reports, and questioned Duquette about them.

"At first, he misunderstood [the reports]," Flanagan said. "Jim told him that there are clubs that have called but we are not shopping him. He understood that."

Several players said yesterday that the controversy surrounding Tejada has grown tiresome and they still consider the Dominican Republic native the team leader and a good teammate.

"All of this stuff is driving me crazy," said Melvin Mora , one of Tejada's closest friends on the team. "Believe me, I am frustrated about this. Let it go. Leave the man alone. He's a good guy."

"I don't know why people go after him," said Brian Roberts , another of Tejada's close friends. "Obviously, the star always takes the fall. It's unfortunate. ... For the most part, he's the same guy I've known. I think everybody gets frustrated at times. It is part of the process, when you are part of a team that is not playing as well as you like. It's hard to be happy go-lucky all the time."

Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo acknowledged that he has noticed that Tejada hasn't been his normal animated self, but he did not think it was cause for concern. In his first season and a half with the Orioles, Tejada's bilingual chatter filled the clubhouse and the dugout. Teammates have said privately that Tejada is far more subdued now.

"When your team is not winning and you feel that you are not doing enough to change the outcome on the field, everybody gets down," Jeff Conine said.

In his pre-game talk to reporters, Perlozzo defended the shortstop on several issues, including his range in the field, which has been criticized by scouts. Tejada has also taken heat from fans for not running out ground balls. Perlozzo acknowledged that sore knees may play a part in the shortstop being less mobile than in past seasons.

Barring anything unforeseen, Tejada's consecutive-games streak, the longest active one in the league and the seventh longest of all time, would hit 1,000 on Saturday in Atlanta.

"We got this guy here to be our RBI guy and he's leading the team in RBIs," Perlozzo said. "He's doing what he's supposed to be doing. When he comes in the dugout, there's nobody more disappointed when he makes an out than him. What you perceive to see out on the field is not what's really going on. What you see is misread."

When asked if Tejada not running balls outs is a problem, Flanagan said the topic is "splitting hairs. He's out there playing hard every day."

Perlozzo and Flanagan disputed a detail in a story in yesterday's edition of The Washington Post that Tejada has ignored fines for being late. The Orioles manager said that he has received payment from Tejada.

Flanagan said that Tejada's tardiness hasn't been an issue for "about a month, maybe longer."

The Orioles changed their guidelines about a month into the season, requiring players to be on the field in time for stretching and their batting practice group.

"Nobody cares," Roberts said. "He's not doing anything wrong. If you are ready to stretch or ready for [batting practice], then what's the big deal?"

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/b...ports-baseball

[ThomasTomasz]

Maybe all the speculation is what has Tejada down? I mean, he did bring it on himself by complaining this offseason, but now that it is a dead issue, the media should just drop it. Then, we should see Tejada bounce back. It isn't a concern right now, considering Ramon Hernandez is no longer struggling.