Cardinals sign Ruben Tejada

St. Louis signed shortstop Ruben Tejada to a one-year, major league deal Saturday morning, according to MLB.com's Jim Langosch.

New York released Tejada earlier in the week, and the Cardinals reportedly quickly expressed interest in the veteran shortstop.

Tejada also turned down a minor league offer to play for the Yankees.

Johnny Peralta had thumb surgery and is expected to be out for 12 weeks, and as a result the Cardinals lacked an experienced shortstop option. Greg Garcia and Jedd Gyorko were among the internal options St. Louis considered.

Tejada, 26, now appears to be in position to open the season as the Cardinals' starting shortstop. At 26, he batted .261/.338/.350. He has not been known for his plus defense and he does not have a significant amount of power, but he could thrive in St. Louis and might remain with the club since he won't be a free agent until after the 2017 campaign.

It appeared Tejada was in the Mets' plans, but the club then acquired Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera.