The Mets have released Gary Matthews Jr., according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). The Mets designated the outfielder for assignment earlier in the month and requested release waivers for Matthews over the weekend. The 35-year-old now joins the likes of Rocco Baldelli and Jermaine Dye on our list of free agent outfielders.
Unlike Baldelli, Dye and a number of other free agent outfielders, Matthews has been playing in the major leagues this year. However, his numbers are not good. He posted a .190/.266/.241 line in 65 plate appearances for the Mets. It's not much to draw conclusions from, but Matthews has not hit or defended well in recent years.
Now we just have to release Perez. Honestly I’d rather see that than anything short of a brilliant trade for Cliff Lee and an extension.
I’d love to see that myself, but sadly, do not see that one coming any time soon. Any idea what the Cubs would want in the Lilly/Theriot rumor?
Baldelli is one guy that WOULD like to see in Boston as a emergency OF option, only he has already stated that only team he would consider another role for is his old team Tampa, a real shame, since this guy puts his heart and soul into the game.
Please tell me this is not going to be another veteran signing by the Cardinals.
Where you at Mets apologists who tried to justify taking on GMJ
Where you aaaaaat
Not a Mets apologist, but there was really no risk in taking him on. None.
What the f are you talking about bro. The risk was he’d hit .190/.266/.241 while playing awful defense. Which was completely predictable, was probable.
Opportunity cost fail
the NYM committed $2M to the endeavor; or, $1.2M above league minimum. certainly not a good thing to make a habit of doing, especially considering how Matthews’ numbers in the prior two season gave no real glimmer of hope that he’d perform above replacement level.
$1.6M above the league minimum, actually.
I’m a Mets fan and I never even slightly liked or justified the trade. Did the strawman in your argument also kill JFK?
Not only is it already impossible for it to be a strawman, it’s impossible to even think it was a strawman to begin with. “Mets apologists who tried to justify taking on GMJ” is the subject of the freakin’ sentence. It refers specifically and exclusively to people who made such justifications. How you could think it applied to Mets fans generally is beyond me and anyone fluent in English.
So what I’m taking from this then is that you think no Mets fans, even on this very site, defended the GMJ trade? I suggest you find the thread on the post from when the transaction took place. Dozens of weirdos stood up for it. I mean jesus vtadave three comments up from this one just tried to justify it, even now.
You’re a weird guy, Ace. A weird guy.
Fine, you’re not picking a stawman argument, but picking on people who are plainly stupid about how baseball works. Not that I can entirely blame you. I see people saying things like “It only cost them two million dollars to try.” But if you had Gary Matthews under contract for only two million before this season, the smart move would have been to release him and eat that money.
The king of suck is dead. Long live the king.