SAN DIEGO — Ruben Tejada would be a candidate for “least popular Mets player” if a poll were taken among the team’s fans, but his manager hasn’t given up on him.
That was evident Monday, when Terry Collins put Tejada on equal footing with Wilmer Flores for the starting job should the club fail to add a new shortstop this offseason.
Collins indicated he has talked with Tejada about participating in the team’s strength and nutrition program at the team complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla. If Tejada participates in the January session, it will show the manager he’s serious about wanting the job.
“I’ll be the first guy out there that morning waiting for him to walk through those doors,” Collins said at the Winter Meetings. “And if he walks through those doors, his name is going to be right there with Wilmer’s, and that job is up for grabs.”
Team brass continues to consider external shortstop options, but general manager Sandy Alderson said he’s no closer to a trade or signing.
One name that has emerged as a possibility in recent days is South Korean shortstop Jung-Ho Kang, and Alderson indicated the Mets could have interest. Kang, 27, hit .364 with 39 home runs in 116 games for the Nexen Heroes last season.
The trade market includes names such as Alexei Ramirez, Chris Taylor and Brad Miller, with free agents Jed Lowrie, Asdrubal Cabrera and Stephen Drew also possibilities.
“There are still lots of different possibilities, all weighed against what we have, and both as a front line at that position and as a backup at that position,” Alderson said.
Asked about the possibility of signing an international shortstop, Alderson said it’s difficult to gauge the abilities of such players.
“But there seems to be clubs willing to spend $60 [million] to $70 million to find out,” Alderson said. “We haven’t been in that category, but I expect we will be in that category soon. But these international shortstop possibilities, at least the ones that are major league-ready, probably don’t fall into that category anyway.”
Alderson throughout the offseason has only mentioned Flores as the alternative to acquiring a new shortstop, but Collins still sees potential in Tejada, who was a non-tender candidate when the season concluded. The Mets tendered Tejada a contract last week.
Tejada had a slash line of .237/.342/.310 with five homers and 34 RBIs in 355 at-bats for the Mets last season after spending part of 2013 at Triple-A Las Vegas.
Tejada’s struggles have been a source of disenchantment with fans eager for the Mets to upgrade at the position, but Collins sees the glass as half full.
“He’s 25,” Collins said. “It would be one thing if he was 31 or 32 and maybe on the downside of his career, but he’s right in prime time. What we saw at the end [of last season] is the Ruben Tejada we know he can be, tremendous defender, great arm. He hit for more power than we expected, but he’s doing that by design.”
But Collins says he also likes Flores, who received an audition at shortstop for the final two months of last season.
“You’ve got a guy who can be an offensive shortstop,” Collins said. “Wilmer Flores made all the routine plays, he’s got a good arm and he can turn a double play. Now, we’ve said all along, is he going to be that rangy guy who goes hole to hole? No. But if we do our job and we pitch the way we’re supposed to pitch and get him in the right position, he’ll catch the baseball and throw people out.”