According to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post, the arbitration settlement between Ruben Tejada and the Mets included granting the shortstop one extra day of service time, making him a free agent after this season.
Coming into this year, Tejada had four years and 171 days of major league service time, just one day short of becoming a free agent after the 2016 season.
The Mets and Tejada settled on a one-year, $3 million deal last month.
The controversy between the Mets and Tejada dates back to 2013, when the Mets left Tejada in Triple-A for three days after the season had ended, presumably to get an added year of team control. Tejada went so far as considering filing a grievance against the club, but that did not come to fruition.
While Tejada is not in line for a large, multi-year contract once he hits the open market, he will now become a free agent at just 27 years old, which is quite young. On top of that, the upcoming shortstop class is very thin, which should further help Tejada.
In 116 games last season, Tejada batted .261/.338/.350 with 23 doubles and three home runs.
