Miguel Tejada to the Minnesota Twins? Only If the Price Is Right

It makes perfect sense doesn't it? A power-hitting infielder out of favor with his home team looking for a new place to land.

The Astros have, apparently, gotten tired of Miguel Tejada and may be looking to cut bait with last winter's major acquisition already. According to Ken Rosenthal, they know they'll have to eat at least a piece of the $13 million that Tejada is owed for the 2009 season.

As with any and all shortstop or third base rumors from here on out, the Twins haven been tabbed as a team of interest. I'm sure GM Bill Smith will sit down with Ed Wade to at least make a cursory run at Tejada, but should he pursue it any further?

That depends largely on who the Twins need to give up to get Tejada and how much salary the Astros are willing to take on.

Wade will almost certainly ask for one of the Twins young starters, but anyone besides Perkins should prompt Smith to ask for the check. If Wade is serious about rebuilding for the long term, someone like Anthony Swarzak or even Deolis Guerra could be a valuable piece to the deal.

In any case, for just one year of a third baseman who is barely on the right side of 35 (and that isn't even a given), the Twins need to be fairly judicious in their offers.

This is all dependent, however, on how much money the Astros will eat of Tejada's contract. If it's less than four to five million, Tejada isn't worth it. His bat isn't what it used to be, even in the hitter friendly Enron, er, Minute Maid field.

His defense was quite good last year, but has ranged anywhere from -8 to +17 in FRAA over the last five years, so there's certainly no guarantee that he will continue to be a plus defender as his bat slips.

If the Twins can get the Astros to eat four million or more, then a deal can go forward. Michael Cuddyer and Anthony Swarzak could form a solid core to any deal, but there would almost surely be side pieces offered by both teams.

Tejada is no longer the marquis player he was in Oakland and Baltimore, and the Twins should learn from the mistake the Astros made last winter and decline to pay top dollar for a player who no longer commands such a fee.