The New York Mets announced the release of shortstop Ruben Tejada this afternoon, after being unclaimed on waivers. The Mets are only responsible for $500,000 of Tejada’s $3 million salary, and Tejada is now free to sign anywhere.

Tejada surprisingly went unclaimed on waivers, but much of that was due to the $3 million  he was scheduled to make this season. You can expect there to be a quite a bit of interest on the open market for Tejada’s services. Tejada has heavily been linked to the St. Louis Cardinals due to their opening at short, but their interest has reportedly been overblown by the media. Now that Tejada doesn’t carry a salary of $3 million, I would expect them to make a play for him, as well as other teams who are looking to round out their bench.

Matt Reynolds should be a virtual lock for the Opening Night roster at this point, with Eric Campbell also possibly in the mix as well for a spot. Both players will be considered bench depth, with Wilmer Flores scheduled to be the starting shortstop on Opening Night in Kansas City, if Asdrubal Cabrera is still injured.