For his four-plus seasons, Tejada is a .255 lifetime hitter with 16 homers in 1,929 at-bats. He is considered a better defensive option than Gyorko. Diaz may or may not be ready to start the season in the majors but the Cardinals would have coverage if they wanted to send him to Class AAA Memphis.

Mozeliak didn’t specifically mention Diaz but he said the signing of Tejada “allows us not to have to push any one person. Clearly, (Tejada) is an experienced shortstop who played on a championship team last year. Ultimately, that’s our goal, so I think he’ll fit in nicely for us.”

Tejada, through an interpreter, said he signed with the Cardinals because “I heard a lot about the club and the clubhouse, so that’s something I took into consideration when I made my decision. That’s something you look for when you’re a player.”

The interpreter used the word “tranquility” to describe the mood Tejada thought he would feel here.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, in Fort Myers, Fla., with the team, said he spoke to both Gyorko and Diaz on Saturday morning about the addition of Tejada. The manager added that he wants to get "a lot of looks" at Tejada at shortstop. It's clear those starts could come at the expense of Diaz, as Gyorko will continue to play shortstop.