Welcome Gary Matthews, Jr.

[MFS62]

It is Stokes, confirmed by Fox Sports. (The security on the computer where I am won't let me post the link).

Later

[duan]

I don't know you can't complain about getting someone for $ 3 million. Lord knows we may catch a bit of lightning in a bottle or he may get on HGH.
We can so easily just waive him and forget about it if it's truly disastrous. Correct me If I'm wrong, but there seemed to be decent chunks of the year where rightly or wrongly Stokes went unused for five plus days (I seem to remember it being 12 at one stage) that means that the management don't trust him. If they reckon they're NOT going to revise that opinion, then moving him's cool with me. Although my surname is truly hurt.

[bmfc1]

Matthews for Stokes and $2 million of Matthew's salary. At minimum, if Matthews remembers how many outs there are and which base to throw to, he's an improvement over Pagan. If he's in a "I'll show them!" mode, all the better.

Edited January 22, 2010 by Guest

[seawolf17]

Shame. Stokes was hilarious as the neighbor on "Frasier."

[A Boy Named Seo]

Sounds like the Mets wanted someone strictly centerfieldery, in case Pagan gets hurt or flames out and Fartinez isn't ready to take over. They're pretty damn thin at CF and this helps with the depth there. That said, not sure if there's a better option on the FA market that wouldn't have cost a usable arm for similar $$.

If there was a poll, I'd be choosing between "indifferent" and "mildly disappointed".

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Stokes is the kinda pitcher you move for a reserve outfielder.[/quote:27mmlzic]

I'd wait to see the price of some of the remaining free agents (like Randy Winn, for example) before giving up somebody I might miss. Stokes was generally effective at getting righties out, and certainly had his moments for us. Matthews has had some very good seasons, but he was sub-replacement the last two years.[/quote:27mmlzic]

This. Cripes. 'Cause... fuck. This guy costs 500K on the open market. Instead, it's 2M and a useful resource (even if he's redundant, he's more useful in virtually any other deal). And Lil' Sarge was beyond sub-replacement last year... he was putrid (-0.8 to -1.8 WAR, depending on who's calculating... in a HALF SEASON). But hey-- he made that catch once! And that other catch! So he's a Platinum Glover!

Unless... wait... did the Angels throw in the PEDs he'll need to be effective/durable again? 'Cause that would be awesome.

Edited January 22, 2010 by Guest

[A Boy Named Seo]

Winn's an outfielder sure, but would you really want that dude playing centerfield in Citi? As I recall, he's been in RF in SF for a good while now and ain't getting younger.

[metirish]

I was surprised to see that Gary Matthews Jr is 35(same as Winn)

[Benjamin Grimm]

Yeah, Gary Matthews Jr. is now almost as old as Gary Matthews Sr.

[G-Fafif]

If Matthews doesn't work out, we can always bring in McKay Christensen two days later.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Weren't we recently wondering about if there were any Mets who were more productive during their second stint than their first? Well, it looks like Gary Matthews has a pretty good chance to do that. He appeared in one game as a pinch-hitter (flied to left field) and another as a pinch runner.

[Centerfield]

I guarantee you his OPS won't be any worse.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

So he's got that going for him... which is nice.

[G-Fafif]

Thirty-four Mets became Recidivist Mets -- former Mets who went on to play for another big league club before returning to play for the Mets again -- through 2009. Only Lenny Harris and Mike Jorgensen strike me as undeniably more productive the second time around. You could make a case for Jeromy Burnitz based on his getting more playing time and your having nothing better to do than making a case for Jeromy Burnitz.

Rusty Staub and Lee Mazzilli acquitted themselves in more limited roles in Mets II. Dave Kingman had his moments before a severe downturn both times. Tom Seaver simply had to show up again. Anderson Hernandez seemed less impressive defensively last year, less hopeless offensively. Jeff McKnight was steadily Jeff McKnight in all his stints.

Gary Matthews has a Brady Clark type bar to clear. Alas, Brady Clark couldn't clear it.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I just got an e-mail from the Mets, announcing this trade, so I guess it's officially official.

The Associated Press is reporting that the Angels are sending the Mets $21 million to pay the remaining $23 million of Matthews' contract.

They must have really wanted to get rid of him.

[Farmer Ted]

The Mets need to offset the Bobby Bonilla money which, I believe, comes back on-line next year ($1.7 mill+ per year for a gazillion years).

[Benjamin Grimm]

Well, that $21 million will be offsetting the Gary Matthews money. They won't be able do do anything else with that dough unless they're able to trade Matthews elsewhere without throwing in any money.

And if they were to do that, they'd likely be getting a similar huge contract in return.

[Ceetar]

Best case is Pagan
(Or Evans or Carter or whatever..I guess those guys aren't really CFers..) is lighting it up, and Matthews is hitting well too. Hopefully Beltran has resumed baseball activity by the start of the season and maybe Omar can flip GMJ for a pitcher or something. Or he's a decent pop-guy off the bench. Hey, Francoeur came here and got better, why not?

[Guest Edgy DC]

It'd be nice if he has one or two more of these in his pocket:

[Guest Edgy DC]

Fingered in the 2007 case of that PED ring broken up by the Albany DA. He denied using HGH, but got named in the Mitchell Report. He has on occasion since been referred to Gary Matthews Juicer.

[Centerfield]

It'd be nice if he has one or two more of these in his pocket:

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Most every metric under the sun-- include my patented I-BLLZ system-- says the only way he's got one of those in his pocket now is via photograph.

And I suspect that may be part of why the Mets got him-- highlight memories. It's been two years since he's been good, or even half-decent.

[Guest Edgy DC]

They do employ scouts. I've seen their names and everything in the media guide. I'm sure they know how he's performed over the last two years.

[ashie62]

I like the pickup...Can fill in and be 4th outfielder

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Those same scouts-- at least according to what their FO leaked-- liked Bay's defense over Holliday's because he'd once played center field.

I hope he can contribute. But I'll say this, and I'll say no more about it until at least ST: the Angels just paid $21 million dollars to make sure he wouldn't be their FIFTH outfielder.

[Guest Edgy DC]

You can look at it that way. But you can look at every trade that way. How good can it be if some other rich and smart organization wanted the exact opposite end of the deal that you wanted?

[Fman99]

For all of the reality of what Matthews isn't, or won't be, the reality is that Stokes has a career ERA/WHIP of 5.02/1.62 and spent much of 2009 serving up pin-straight fastballs to any hitter willing to tee the ball up.

I'm fine with this -- another bat/glove in the OF in Beltran's absence, and a replaceable arm in Stokes.

[ashie62]

The Mets need to offset the Bobby Bonilla money which, I believe, comes back on-line next year ($1.7 mill+ per year for a gazillion years).[/quote:2b7vt4jz]

Bonilla is being paid until 2032 and Mo vaughn similarly

[Guest Edgy DC]

For all of the reality of what Matthews isn't, or won't be, the reality is that Stokes has a career ERA/WHIP of 5.02/1.62 and spent much of 2009 serving up pin-straight fastballs to any hitter willing to tee the ball up.[/quote:4d3c8qpl]
If Stokes had anything, he had movement.

[metirish]

Omar says

"I felt, with Carlos being out, it's an opportunity to get a guy who's versatile and who - in our ballpark - can play all outfield positions," Mets general manager Omar Minaya said in a telephone news conference Friday. "With Carlos or without Carlos, it makes our team better." "He's mostly a change-of-scenery guy," Minaya said of Matthews. "He has an opportunity to come to New York and hopefully get some more playing time. The key for him is going to be playing time. He has had some years of reasonable production and some of lower production."

Minaya said he still is pursuing catchers and starting pitchers, although he sounded more confident about sticking with his current group of catchers - Henry Blanco, Chris Coste, Omir Santos and Josh Thole.


Newsday


You can hear the audio right here.

http://www.metsblog.com/2010/01/22/video-omar-minaya-on-gary-matthews-jr/