Halos Heaven On Gary Matthews Jr.
by Eric Simon on Jan 23, 2010 7:58 PM EST
Email
PrintWho better to give us a feel for what to expect out of Gary Matthews Jr. than someone who has had to suffer through his inept balling for the past three seasons. After the trade was announced I asked for a quick scouting report from Rev Halofan from SB Nation Angels blog Halos Heaven. Here's what he had to say.
Enjoy Gary Matthews Jr in limited quantities.
For the Million bucks or so you are paying Gary Matthews Jr., here is what you are getting:
- Great clubhouse guy.
That is about it. Enjoy the chemistry.
Seriously, Gary Matthews Jr. (or GMJ as we call him) is the incomplete package. His defense is okay, no cannon arm, occasional terrible routes to balls, nothing egregious, nothing profound. He won't hit for power, he is okay on the basepaths, he might stretch from 1B to 3B on singles, but won't steal bases. He is smart, but you would rather have young and dumb than old and smart. He will be lucky to see the north side of .240. All the playing time he grumbled for will only make him ache more given his age.
For a million bucks, you won't get a better veteran league average outfielder who is the anti-Milton Bradley when it comes to crabbing about the way he is being treated.
That is all I got. The less you notice the guy the better your team is doing.
41 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Now he's a great clubhouse guy?
I read yesterday, I think over at Halos Heaven, in the massive “Thank God He’s Gone” thread, that he was a clubhouse cancer.
"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.
by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Jan 23, 2010 8:05 PM EST reply actions
Clubhouse cancer has always been so subjective to me
I haven’t heard of his teammates speaking out against him like some Cubs did with Bradley.
Coming this April, fun times with Jeff and Gary!
I actually read it quite differently.
I thought most of the readers felt he’d be an issue going forward, but he hadn’t been as of yet.
"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green
by Stephen Schmidt on Jan 23, 2010 8:15 PM EST up reply actions
Ah, alright. I guess I misinterpreted that.
"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.
by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Jan 24, 2010 1:15 AM EST up reply actions
At least when we rant about how much he sucks
we only have to type three letters, save us some typing energy. …Just trying to stay positive.
by wrightttxgirlllx3 on Jan 23, 2010 8:24 PM EST reply actions
This made me feel better
"We're investigating the investigative procedure of the investigation of Tony Bernazard"---Omar Minaya (he really didn't say it but he would"
I agree, this is reassuring to hear
Not that I ever really cared that much about this trade — I think Matthews is a decent gamble to be a replacement-or-slightly-better bench player and occasional CF.
Also, in a video “analysis” currently running on the front page of ESPN.com, brilliant thinker Tim Kurkjian rates this a great trade for the Mets because it will allow them to give “Felix Martinez” a full year in AAA. Seems appropriate that trading Stokes should cause the “Brain Socks” name aphasia to spread to other players.
is felix martinez like some combination of felix hernandez and fernando martinez?
hitting and pitching skills?
If so, lets hope that King Felix merged with Fernando Martinez, and not the other way around, so we can keep that amalgamation of greatness.
"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.
by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Jan 24, 2010 1:16 AM EST up reply actions
I like Tim Kurkjian
if only because it’s hilarious when he starts talking about sacrifice files
You don't cheer for the Mets. You drink for the Mets.
is gmj only a met because he was once a met?
back during the clamor for matt murton, i joked that the only reason omar hadn’t signed him was because he probably had no clue who he was and that the only players outside of the mets organization that omar is aware of are either former mets or former expos. now i’m actually pretty nervous that this isn’t a joke and that he legitimately doesn’t know about most of the talented fill-in-the-cracks, bench guys who routinely pop up on waivers, minor league free agency, etc. i know we like to joke that he loves former spos but this trend is just getting nuts. and to those trusting/naive fans who say ’that’s nonsense, he’s the GM of a professional franchise. we can joke but it’s his job to know these things’, listen to jim bowden on XM radio for 5 minutes, consider that he was a major league GM for nearly 15 years and you’ll realize it can happen. seriously.
gary matthews is just the most recent example (he was an ‘02 met for those who forgot); players like endy, pagan and clint everts, all former prospects under omar; guys like tatis, tony armas and wilson valdez who played for the expos under omar; guys like alex cora, roberto hernandez and sandy alomar jr who omar knew personally. and the list goes on. it’s not that they’re bad acquisitions and since a lot of them have worked out i guess i can’t complain but as each passing day brings me closer to the realization that omar really doesn’t have the creativity, foresight or general wherewithall to run a team, i’m starting to worry that he defers to ‘his’ guys so often not because they’re the best options but because he really isn’t that aware of what else is out there. and now, as we prepare to hand gary matthews potentially 150-200 ab’s, matt murton is preparing to play for the hanshin tigers goddammit.
by Rob Castellano on Jan 24, 2010 12:27 AM EST reply actions
It's...It's something.
That’s not on the scoreboard, I’m willing to bet.
"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.
by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Jan 24, 2010 1:18 AM EST up reply actions
This is all I needed to know:
The less you notice the guy the better your team is doing.
"Never throw a slider to The Glider."
- Ed Charles, No. 5
I'm the first to jump Omar about everything
But this is not a bad trade. I’m a Mets fan who was an Angel season ticket holder since I’m stuck in So Cal. So i’ve seen me some GMJ. I truly believe if allowed to play consistently, especially in the NL East, we will be very happy with him. GMJ in center will help Bay and Frenchy . He has good range and can be spectacular, regardless of his Fan Graphs for the last few years (he didn’t play enough for it to be an accurate sample) He didn’t bitch and complain about being the 5th option in a four man rotation. He just cashed checks and did what he was told. That’s actually amazing in today’s game. I see him in the Mets line up, in Citi, as a .270 15 85 guy. He’s not going to win the MVP but Omar could have, and has, done a Hell of a lot worse given time and money. For two million? I’m happy about this deal.
Of course I reserve the right to drop bombs on the guy if he stinks it up in April.
Jerry and Omar assclowns for life
by Ghost of seven in a row on Jan 24, 2010 3:26 AM EST reply actions
He just cashed checks
for $ 30 million. Seriously, he;s getting paid $10 million a year to be a fourth outfielder
"We're investigating the investigative procedure of the investigation of Tony Bernazard"---Omar Minaya (he really didn't say it but he would"
by firejerrynow on Jan 24, 2010 5:53 AM EST up reply actions
I guess Omar isn't the only GM that f's up
"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green
by Stephen Schmidt on Jan 24, 2010 12:08 PM EST up reply actions
Reasonable Comments...Finally
He’s not a great player. Everyone knew that already. But, he’s relatively cheap for the Mets and they just need him as a fourth or fifth outfielder in the long run, some veteran cover while Beltran is out. There are all these blog and article comments around the web blasting Omar for the sake of complaining. I think both Rob Neyer and Buster Olney are way off base in criticizing the Mets for this. Even if he fails and get cut, it’s only $2 million. The Wilpons are probably spending more than that on paint to silence complaints.
We just have to manage expectations. Perhaps, he’ll be healthy enough to be productive. But, he probably will just be part of a stop-gap until Beltran returns. Pagan is more likely to be successful, and, if he goes down and Beltran is out for a prolonged period, we’ll probably have to look elsewhere for a solution. Matthews is probably not a starting center fielder at this point, but neither is Alex Cora a starting shortstop. And, he has far more up-side than Reed and Sullivan, who both proved they are marginal major leaguers at best.
by Marc from Brooklyn on Jan 24, 2010 10:17 AM EST reply actions
saying it's only 2 million
for every crap player Omar brings in is how you end up with an 80 win team for 140 million dollars. And I can’t see any way you can say he has more upside than Reed, Reed was a big time prospect as recently as like 2 years ago and is still only 27, GMjr had one productive year 4 years ago and is WELL into a players normal decline years. His only upside is possibly not being replacement level. And the fact that Cora isn’t a starting short stop either isn’t really a helpful point since the Cora contract was just as bad. And if you’re going to look elsewhere for a solution as soon as Pagan goes down then why bring in someone as awful as GMjr to begin with if you don’t have faith in his abilities to start, since he is going to be a 4th outfielder on an injury prone team. In fact why bring him in at all when theres better options still avaialble?
"We have a plan, and our plan, I like our plan'
it's Omar's world, we're just livin in it.
The last sentence is really my problem with it
In a vacuum, fine, a big market team can make this kind of gamble and not really adopt much risk, but there were just so many other options available that were at least as viable, many more so, and probably would have cost even less. Now those options are pretty well cut off, for the reason James posted yesterday, that it just doesn’t make sense to add another outfield-only player. You can’t cut GMJ if he plays poorly in the spring, he’s owed too much money even by the Mets for that. So now the Baldellis, Grosses, and Byrneses still on the market are pretty much cut off. I’ll be the first to flip flop on my resentment of this move if he plays well, just as I’ve done with Francoeur after he played well, but that still wouldn’t make it a good move right now, just like I still don’t think the Francoeur trade was a good one, even if I don’t mind having him moving forward from this point.
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Jan 24, 2010 1:21 PM EST up reply actions
He's really not owed that much money.
If the Mets cut him, somebody will likely pick him up. Anything he makes from another team comes off the Mets tab, not the Angels.
"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green
by Stephen Schmidt on Jan 24, 2010 1:32 PM EST up reply actions
So? All that means is the Mets save league min
And still have to pay $2 million after another team picks him up. They’re not going to cut a $2 million player in ST. I guess its not impossible, but I find it very unlikely.
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Jan 24, 2010 2:37 PM EST up reply actions
It's only 2 million total as of right now according to Cot's.
The veteran minimum is just shy of 500,000, so releasing him could cut that bill almost in half. I really don’t think it will come to that though, as if he shows anything at all that’s an easy contract to move at the deadline or next offseason.
"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green
by Stephen Schmidt on Jan 24, 2010 2:48 PM EST up reply actions
The reported amount was $1.25 mil per year I thought
Even if its just $2 million, it cuts it by less than 25%, not nearly in half. I suppose at this level its nitpicking though. It still doesn’t change the point, he’s got his roster spot locked up, so the team can’t really go out and get another outfield-only type player even to provide veteran competition, unless its for virtually no money or a minor league deal.
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Jan 24, 2010 2:53 PM EST up reply actions
Cot's has it listed as exactly 1 million per year.
Here. The veteran minimum is 480,000, so it could cut the bill to as little as 520,000 (which would be assuming he plays the full season in the majors…unlikely). Thats a risk, but it’s the type of risk a team like the Mets can actually afford. Omar has cut bait with bigger deals than that before, so I could see it happening if the move really needs to be made.
"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green
by Stephen Schmidt on Jan 24, 2010 3:06 PM EST up reply actions
Isn't it kind of a catch 22 though?
If he’s bad enough to released, he’s more likely to wind up on a minor league deal, and he’s more likely to spend less time in the majors, thus the Mets are responsible for a larger portion of the tab. I agree that its a tolerable risk, but there really isn’t much payoff, and there were choices that had less risk and more payoff, or at least a better ratio of the two.
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Jan 24, 2010 3:56 PM EST up reply actions
I definitely agree that there were far less risky moves than GMJ, but it's really not that bad.
He’s signed cheaper than either Marlon Anderson or Julio Franco were, and he’s probably got a better chance to have some value than either of those players did. The financial hit of releasing him shouldn’t be a major factor this season, so the big issue with the deal is the 2011 gaurantee. Worst case scenario is 1 million bucks next year, and it will likely drop from that as he’ll likely catch on somewhere. As much as I hate the 2nd year, I have a hard time getting worked up over something this low cost.
"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green
by Stephen Schmidt on Jan 24, 2010 4:13 PM EST up reply actions
I hear you
Its just the process the whole thing seems to indicate that bothers me. Finding a player like GMJ but better and/or cheaper was clearly possible, even without dealing away a fingey right handed reliever. Its not that the cost is so high that its intolerable, its just that there were actually some relatively attractive options available, lots of them. Cheap outfielders somewhere between replacement level and average might be the most depressed market there currently is, and the Mets managed to make one of the least useful moves they could have possibly made to patch this hole. And now the guys that are out there right now are essentially off the board. Perhaps if GMJ sucks for a few months and gets cut, there will still be some attractive options available, but whose to say that there will be? And whose to say the Mets will do any better of a job identifying them in June or July?
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Jan 25, 2010 12:24 AM EST up reply actions
Byrnes is really the only player of that group that's likely to sign at the minimum, and I could see him not wanting to come to NY.
He’s getting 11 million regardless of where he goes, and he likely won’t see the field alot when Beltran is healthy. I can see him wanting to go somewhere else that he’d likely have a chance to play regularly all year. Baldelli and Gross could both very easily end up costing more than 2 years of Matthews.
"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green
by Stephen Schmidt on Jan 24, 2010 1:35 PM EST up reply actions
Why would Baldelli and Gross end up costing more than 2 years of Matthews?
And why not just resign Jeremy Reed, or Endy who’s already said to be looking for as little as a minor league deal.
"We have a plan, and our plan, I like our plan'
it's Omar's world, we're just livin in it.
The Baldelli to the Yankees rumors earlier this winter seemed to imply that the Yank's only had 2 million left to spend and Rocco may cost more than that.
I seem to think that there is some bogus info there about the Yank’s spending restrictions, but Rocco is still unsigned so it’s very possible he’s looking for decent money. As for Gross, I think it’s fair to assume he’d get at least a million signing somewhere, although it’s possible he doesn’t. I believe Reed already had reached an agreement prior to the Beltran surgery event, and Endy may not be ready for the part of the season we’d need him. I’m not saying Matthews was the best choice, but I can at least understand why he may have been settled on.
"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green
by Stephen Schmidt on Jan 24, 2010 1:47 PM EST up reply actions
But even before the surgery
they knew Beltran had knee problems and was seeing doctors for opinions, and that we only had one other outfielder. I mean they stockpiled outfielders last off-season when we didn’t seem to have the need, this off-season there was legit reason for concern going in and they waited basically till the last minute to look for a 5th outfielder.
"We have a plan, and our plan, I like our plan'
it's Omar's world, we're just livin in it.
I wasn't really listing those as the players who would necessarily be cheaper
Though I doubt any of them make much more than is owed to GMJ. Even still, they’d be much better values on whatever deals they got. The point was those options are closed off now because of GMJ. The Mets aren’t handing out another major league contract to a fringey outfield-only player.
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Jan 24, 2010 2:39 PM EST up reply actions
i think he's ok
a decent role player.
Self-proclaimed president of the Pat White and Brian Hartline fan club.
No hating on Jay Fiedler, please.
Official Back-Up Phinsider LOL'er.
The one and only "ho-nerd"
Randy Winn
Make it happen OMAR!
Aaron King is still my homeboy... iffy mechanics and all
McFAQ for all you newcomers out there.
GET THAT VORP AND WHIP SH!T OUTTA HERE!!!
Whomever Sabean signs this off-season will make a good platoon partner with Ryan Gark-ohh... nevermind...
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Amazin' Avenue
Related FanShots on Amazin' Avenue
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recommended FanShots
Recent FanShots
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
