The Rev's new deal at Halos Heaven, at least for a little while, is "What To Do With..." I love concept, but I don't like the idea of answering in a simple comment, so I'm going to leave my responses, trackbacks if you will, right here on my own blog.
So, Mat starts with.......Garret Anderson!
Can't say he's making it too easy right out of the gate. There's a lot of emotion involved in this one. G.A. is the last link to the 1995 collapse. He's a world champ. He's a lifer. And unfortunately, I think he's done.
So here's the layout. He has an option for 2009 at $14MM. The Angels can also buy him out for $3MM and make him a free agent. I think step 1 is to exercise the buy out. Even if they re-sign him, they save some money.
They need to be straight with Garret. The Angels have a full time DH in Vladimir Guerrero. They have a center fielder in Torii Hunter. And right now, I'm going to say they (ugh) keep Gary Matthews and re-sign Juan Rivera to give them three outfielders. Another thing to keep in mind (but we have yet to cross that bridge...) both Chone Figgins and Sean Rodriguez can play in outfield. Wood at third, and an outfield of Rivera, Hunter, and Figgins would work for me. That requires re-signing Rivera and Figgins, of course.
But ultimately, I think they need to be straight with Garret and let him know that they'd like to have him around, but not at his current salary. Let him test the market. If someone wants to make him an everyday player, then let him go that route. If he can't find a taker, then they go the Salmon route. Invite him to Spring Training. Let him earn a job. If he deserves it, he's back with incentives. If other guys outplay him, release him and let him sign with someone who will give him at bats.
I love G.A. I love everything he did for this franchise. He drove in the runs that provided the Angels with their only World Series. And it won't be easy to see him playing for another team, though it will be easy to root for him. It's a tough decision, and a brutal way to start this series, but I think they need to buy him out and let the chips fall where they may.
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3 comments:
Thanks for your well-written blog. I would definitely agree with you that GA needs to be bought out. I would consider having him come back at a reduced salary ONLY IF we are able to sign Tex. And that's only because if we sign Tex, we won't be able to afford Dunn, Burrell, or Abreu as well. IF we are unable to sign Tex, I would think about signing Dunn to play 1b, shift Figgy to LF, Wood to 3b, try to sign Abreu to play RF, though I don't know if it's realistic to be able to sign both Dunn and Abreu. If we can't get Abreu, we can still have an OF of Figgy, Hunter, and Morales. Or maybe Dunn in LF, Hunter in CF, and Figgy in RF, with Morales or maybe even Giambi at 1b. I would also seriously think about trading GMJ to a team for a AA prospect and would be willing to pay up to $6 million of his yearly salary - at least we save a roster spot and $4 million, but I don't think GMJ will waive his NTC unless we give him even more money. Anyway, as far as GA goes, we would probably have to spend a fair amount of money to retain his services (I'm thinking about $10 million incl. the buyout), and I'd just rather spend that money on a player who brings more OBP to the table.
Wow, lots to digest there, and lots of speculation of who they can get.
I will say this about GMJ and his no trade. It may take more money to entice him to waive it, but if they can "prove" to him that he won't be more than a fourth outfielder at best, he may agree to waive it without compensation. I think he wants to play, and I think that's a bigger motivating factor. If he knows he not going to see the field very much, I think he'd agree to go to someone who will play him.
I agree that GMJ wants to play, and would ultimately agree to waiving his NTC this winter if he sees that he just isn't going to get much playing time with this team. But it seems to me that the reason the players ask for these NTCs is to put them in a position to get more money from teams desperate to move them.
Perhaps the writing is on the wall already. I didn't quite understand why Scioscia didn't have GMJ out in right field in the ninth inning of Game 4. GMJ probably would have gotten to the ball hit by Bay that Willits missed by inches. This after Willits didn't make a play in right field a couple games before. Was Scioscia saving GMJ to pinch hit? For who? This is pure speculation on my part, but maybe Scioscia didn't like something GMJ said or did during the series that made Scioscia think he didn't deserve to be out there, regardless of whether he's a better defender than Willits or not. Or maybe GMJ was hurt(though I didn't hear anything like this)? If GMJ indeed wasn't hurt and was ready to go throughout the ALDS, then he probably saw from his lack of use that the organization doesn't value his services.
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