The baseball season is filled with plots and subplots. Should a team make a trade? Move a player in the order? Change positions on the field?

The Athletics reacted to Miguel Tejada’s slow start with a flourish Thursday, moving the reigning MVP from his coveted third spot in the batting order to fifth behind Erubiel Durazo and Eric Chavez.

By contrast Yankee Jason Giambi hitting under .200 for the season still holds his spot (third) in the NY order.

So, is it a good move to Miguel now?

Click Read More and I’ll give you my opinionTejada’s situation is further complicated by the fact that the A’s have already told the insecure Tejada that they won’t be able to afford to keep him next season.

Tejada’s comments after being told yesterday of the move in the batting order centered around his feeling that a trade was next and the A’s losing confidence in him.

The important thing about the reaction is Tejada has interpreted the move as a lack of support and not a move to help him, and the precursor to further player personnel moves (a trade).

That is not good.

It also points out what I have said about Tejada’s pending departure as a free agent. Whether or not this move is correct right now isn’t the point. The point is the A’s understand more about Tejada’s psyche than any other team can or will. If he is on the Dodgers next year and starts off hitting .175 after 100 at bats, can you imagine the pressure he will have.

Coach Ron Washington has known Tejada since he (Tejada) was a teen ager, Ken Macha prodded Tejada on Art Howe’s behalf for the past three years, and hitting coach Thad Bosley works with Tejada during the season on a daily basis.

Now the move.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The A’s are tied for first in the AL West. It is obvious that the A’s pitching except for the fifth spot is vastly superior to any other pitching in the league, except NY’s and it’s pretty close when comparing their staffs.

Durazo has cooled off considerably from his hot start. Durazo has a history of physical ailments, placing him third in the order puts him on the bases more, running more, and puts more pressure on him to perform every day. The number three hitter has to play every day, he has to be the team’s best hitter, in the long run Tejada can stand up to the physical grind better than Durazo. The A’s need Durazo’s bat big time, but in the fourth or fifth spot not in the “I’m your man” third spot.

I worry about Durazo’s durability.

Will Tejada reclaim the third spot?

Yes, it is inevitable that Tejada will hit and hit well for Oakland. I think that would have taken place without moving him from the third spot in the order, a move which has just shaken his confidence in the organization even more than it was shattered during the spring.

Tejada is a high maintenance individual who requires tons of support, messing with his head like this, and hearing his reaction to the move, in my opinion doesn’t help him.

Tejada homered in his first at bat last night off Jon Garland who gives up homers all the time. For the A’s sake, just hope Tejada is put back in the three hole before something happens to Durazo.

Tejada is the AL MVP, you don’t mess with that until there is no other recourse, not when your team is playing over .600 baseball and you have three big studs who will win 20 games each and have you in the race all summer long, even with Miguel Tejada hitting a buck ninety in May.

I wouldn’t have moved him now, I would have given him a day off, that would have been enough of a wake up call, it has worked in the past with Tejada and as I say, history repeats itself.

The A’s offense has other issues such as Eric Chavez not stinging the ball and the inevitable cooling off of Scott Hatteberg, Terrence Long, and Ramon Hernandez, plus the loss of slugger Jermaine Dye for five weeks.

Imagine the circus tonight in NY surrounding Tejada, as if his impending free agency wasn’t enough, why create this issue with him before going into the second guess capital of the world? Why not wait until the A’s get home to the friendly atmosphere of the Coliseum and then if necessary make the change?

Only one person can answer that and his initials are BB and he has been conspicuously quiet about Tejada.

Other matchups today:

Minnesota in Boston. The Red Sox burst the Royals bubble with late inning comebacks all week. The Twins have an excellent bull pen, it would behoove the Sox not to get into late inning contests with Boston, because Minnesota’s pen won’t give it up as easily as KC’s did.

Kyle Lohse has not thrown wll in his last starts and pitches against a very dangerous line up. This looks like a good game to follow tonight.

Dusty Baker showed the baseball world how he thinks Barry Bonds should be pitched. Knocking Bonds off the plate, hitting him, walking him, it all happened at Pac Bell and the Cubs won two of three. Now, let’s see if the Reds went to school. Danny Graves still is struggling in the middle innings and Kurt Ainsworth needs to step up and show he can work consistently for SF.

Scott Shields missed his turn to pitch because of the rainout yesterday in Cleveland. John lackey threw better in his last start against Boston, but has yet to dominate anyone. Toronto can hit and Cory Lidle knows the Angels pretty well, this one will have some fireworks.

Kelvim Escobar is now a starter for the Blue Jays, problem is no one can close the games, and their bull pen is the 2003 version of the arson squad.

Shawn Estes pitches at home against Colorado. He’ll do better today especially because the Rockies generally struggle as soon as they leave Coors Field.

Ted Lilly and David Wells in the Bronx. Wells is virtually unbeaten in Yankee Stadium. Lilly is auditioning for a playoff start against NY. If he pitches well tonight then be assured the A’s will go with a four man rotation in October if they face NY in the first round. If he gets lit up, then it’s back to the three man with Lilly in the pen.

Lilly won’t see NY next week in Oakland unless the A’s change the rotation and then if he misses NY in August, this would be the only chance to see how the lefty handles the Bombers.

If the A’s can keep their middle relievers off the field and just use Bradford, Rincon, and Foulke they can win this series.

Wells, Jeff Weaver, and The Rocket are all coming off losses in their last starts. Lilly, Hudson, and Zito match up well in this series.

Will Kevin Millwood tie Johnny Vandermeers’ record of two consecutive no hitters? He couldn’t have picked a better opponent than the light hitting Padres.

So much baseball and it’s only May 2nd.