Who was injured by Tejada lies?

[Appling]

A fe days ago, Miguel Tejada admitted that he lied about his age when he was first drafted. He was 19 at the time, but claimed to be just 17.
Was anyone "injured" by his misrepresentation?

1. The team that drafted him: Oakland A's
Oakland scouts no doubted evaluated his skills relative to his age. He had a high level of skill for a player so young. But if they knew he was really 19 years old, they would not be as impressed. Baseball skills (especially for a middle infielder) typically improve a lot between age 17 and age 19. They probably would not have drafted him as high if they knew the truth.

2. The team that owns him now: Houston Astros
Until last week, the Astros believed he was 31 years old -- with perhaps two or three more "prime years" left in his career. NOw that they know he is really 33, their expectations for his future performance are much reduced.
Would the Astros have acquired Tejada if they knew the "truth" about his age?

Or was there really any "injury" at all? Perhaps age is a trivial matter when judging a baseball talent. What do you think?

[Steve Jeltz]

Tejada wasn't drafted, he was signed as an free agent by the A's in 1993. The A's aren't hurt at all by this revelation since he no longer plays there. Houston, on the other hand, shouldn't cry foul. They had to know there was suspicion about his age and alleged steroid use, yet, Houston still traded for him.

[DodgerBlue8188]

Tejada wasn't drafted, he was signed as an free agent by the A's in 1993. The A's aren't hurt at all by this revelation since he no longer plays there. Houston, on the other hand, shouldn't cry foul. They had to know there was suspicion about his age and alleged steroid use, yet, Houston still traded for him.

Does that really matte though? innocent until proven guilty right? He lied about his age. I'm not sure the length of his contract. But lets say they just signed him to a 7 year deal thinking that will end his career there at 39. Well, now you're talking 41. Just an example.

[Pere]

Perhaps age is a trivial matter when judging a baseball talent.

Some have said that current age is the single most important number to have when evaluating a player.

[rockin500]

wouldnt baltimore have been the most affected? considering he signed that big contract when he did they were assuming he was one age when he was in reality something else.

[Erik Bedard]

That's what I was thinking at first. But maybe the Astros could have gotten him for less if they'd known his true age.

[Old Sweater]

 Miguel Tejada ss
6 years/$72M (2004-09)

acquired in trade (from Baltimore) 12/12/07

signed as a free agent 12/03
$12M signing bonus ($4M paid in '04, $2M in '05, '06, '10, '11)
04:$3M, 05:$9M, 06:$10M, 07:$12M, 08:$13M, 09:$13M
$50,000 All Star bonus

4 years/$11.3M (2000-03)
agent: SFX (Pat Rooney, Diego Bentz, Fern Cuza)
ML service: 10.033

Astros if they want to move him before 2009. Not bad though, he'll only be 34 when this contract is up.

[west coast orange and black]

caveat emptor.

[Mattingly]

wouldnt baltimore have been the most affected? considering he signed that big contract when he did they were assuming he was one age when he was in reality something else.

Since that was discounted ($72m/6 yrs), then I wouldn't say that they were hurt. $12m/yr wasn't much for a top SS back then.

I said Oakland, since they'd originally signed him, and may have not given him as serious a look had they known he was older, and that may have made him a Minor League journeyman for longer than he actually spent in the farm.

[Brian McKenna]

I think the Orioles to a lesser extend since he so dramatically lost his effectiveness at SS. But, obviously Houston was counting on a younger Tejada.

[holyroman]

I was expecting a diminished SS in Houston, but he is making every play. He has stepped up as a vocal and enthusiastic team leader. In short Houston has gotten more than they were expecting.

[Cubsfan97]

I dont think anyone is hurt...the Athletics cant be hurt...they got an MVP season out of him. THe Orioles arent hurtm, they got what they expected from him. Age doesnt really matter that much in this case. When the Orioles signed him, they knew what they were getting number wise, the Astros knew what his numbers were...now if the Astros had extended his contract to a lenghty amount of time, then they may have been hurt, but right now, no one is hurt. All is well if you ask me.

[Brooklyn]

I'm not sure anyone was hurt.

I certainly can't say Oakland was hurt. If they knew his age they may have either not signed him or moved him through the minors slower. Either way, they would have had his major league services less or not at all. He was a very good player for the majorty of his 6+ seasons at Oakland. if anything, the A's were helped by him lying.

The Orioles aslo got 4 very good seasons out of him. It is possible they would have paid less if they knew he was two years older, but is a 29 year old fomer MVP SS really worth that much less then a 27 year old? As someone pointed out earlier, 12 mill for 6 years wasn't outrageous for him, not sure he would have gotten any less if they knew the truth. And they got prospects back for him.

The Astros traded for a guy with 2 years left on a 6 year deal. would they have acted that differently if he were known to be two years older?

[rockin500]

All is well if you ask me.

maybe, maybe not. The more i think about it, the more I think the party most hurt is Tejada himself. With the perjury investigation looming over him, this can be used to show that he isnt trustworthy. He'll probably have to sing like to avoid further troubles.

[insanefishpossay]

I said Oakland, since they'd originally signed him, and may have not given him as serious a look had they known he was older, and that may have made him a Minor League journeyman for longer than he actually spent in the farm.

And then they would have missed out on 4 years of 25+ HRs, as well as an MVP award, coming from the shortstop position. If anything, Oakland benefited from this.