Finally, someone has assessed Gary Matthews, Jr. at his real value. The Mets swapped out a spare bullpen part for Little Sarge and will pay him $1 million/year for attempting to be their fourth outfielder/defensive replacement this year and next. If anything, they overpaid for a guy who peaked in 2006 and hasn't sniffed respectability since.
After Matthews broke out with the Rangers in '06, posting a wind-aided .313/.371/.495, 19-homer, good defense performance, the Angels rushed to ink him to a delusional five-year, $50 million contract. The deal is back-loaded so most of the cost comes now when Matthews is 35 and can hardly lift a bat, much less swing one.
In his three campaigns in Anaheim, Matthews stretched his game to a new level -- Triple-A -- by batting .248/.326/.379 and producing for the regretful Angels one loss worse than a random guy pulled off the MLB outfielder pile.That's the pile from which the Mets just claimed him.
Anaheim GM Tony Reagins may be dancing the jig that someone was willing to relieve him of this burden, even if $21.5 million of the $23.5 million still being transferred to Matthews checking account comes from Arte Moreno's World Series fund. But the Mets are desperate for outfield play, particularly because of the uncertainty around Carlos Beltran's return, and Matthews might have more success in the weaker league. In any case, he knows where to find his glove. A million bucks, in Major League Baseball these days, is clubhouse tip money, so the Mets have invested little. We'll see if it yields anything.
b
No comments:
Post a Comment