After losing Albert Pujols and Carlos Pena’s commitments to the team, the Dominican Republic was left desperate for a first baseman to complete their already explosive offense.

However, instead of looking at a traditional first baseman to add to the roster, the DR went after Houston Astros’ shortstop Miguel Tejada. Tejada, who has had a bad offseason, to say the least, felt his home country was giving him a slap in the face when they offered the proposition.

From the AP:

“It’s really disappointing because I wanted to represent my country,” Tejada said. “But if I don’t get a chance to play it’s not worth going. They’ve never seen me play first base. I prefer to be sitting the bench and wait for a chance to play short or another position, but not first base.”

As of now, David Ortiz and Willy Aybar are the only players with marginal first base experience on the Dominican Republic’s roster.