The Mets announced Monday that they’ve claimed infielder Robel Garcia off waivers from the Reds. Outfielder Ryan Cordell was designated for assignment to create space on the Mets’ roster.
Garcia, 27, made his MLB debut with the Cubs in 2019 after after a highly unusual path to The Show. The former Indians farmhand was out of affiliated ball from 2014-18 before the Cubs caught a look at him playing for a professional team in Italy. They brought him in on a minor league pact, and Garcia showed off light-tower power at Triple-A in 2019 — 21 homers in 296 plate appearances — before being called up.
The Cubs gave Garcia 80 plate appearances in 2019, and he responded with a tepid .208 average and .275 on-base percentage, but he still slugged .500 thanks to five homers, two doubles and two triples in that short time. Garcia also punched out in 35 of those 80 plate appearances, so while the raw power he possesses is plain to see, there’s some obvious work to be done on his approach at the plate.
Defensively, Garcia saw time at all four infield positions and both outfield corners during his stint with the Cubs organization, although he was primarily a second baseman and third baseman in the minors. He didn’t appear in the Majors this past season and would seem like a long shot to open next year on the Mets’ roster, if he survives the winter on their 40-man roster. He’s only been optioned in two different seasons, though, so he should have one minor league option remaining next year.
Cordell, 28, joined the Mets as a minor league free agent last offseason and tallied just eight plate appearances in five games with them this year. He was once a well-regarded prospect but has turned in a lackluster .202/.263/.328 batting line through 295 career trips to the plate with the White Sox and Mets. He’s capable of playing all three outfield positions and has a lifetime .266/.323/.451 batting line in Triple-A.
Whoa.
Cohen isn’t the owner yet but the Mets are already flashing their financial might.
So witty
I got a kick out of it at least
I bet you get all the ladies with such an amazing sense of humor.
I’ve noticed that the type of fella who makes comments like this one is typically the one suffering from a dearth of female companionship.
Uh?
@iamhector?
Uh?
Nailed it, didn’t I?
;)
I always thought Cordell would carve out career as a useful MLB player. Maybe not a starter, but more like a strong multi-positional guy. Starting to look like that’s not gonna happen for him
Mets should bring in Pete O’BRIAN he has light Tower power
He doesn’t get rave reviews though….
O’Brien has impressive power, and I thought we had a diamond in the rough when the Marlins had him, but he is the definition of an “all or nothing” guy. We let him go after he was getting nearly absolutely nothing for a long stretch.
It has become my favorite time of the year. The time when Quad-A players start being unloaded off rosters. I love it when I heard that Arismendy Alcantara has been designated for assignment (probably not too fun for Arismendy though) and he’s looking for a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Traininhg.
People going to hate on the Mets bc this wasn’t anything splashy but looking at his minor league numbers and how some cubs fans are mad they lost him. This a type of depth move the smart teams make. Hopefully Cohen keeps it up
It not a bad move, people like to joke about waiver claims (myself included) but you never know when you are gonna get a max muncy or austin nola
Excalty, I doubt he ever becomes anything but smart teams do moves with guys with some upside all the time.
And those teams end up surprising people and making the playoffs when some people felt that, even in 60 games, they would finish 15 games out of fourth place; 25 out of first, and would be in last place very soon. Even fans of a last place team thought that.
Are you insinuating that Cohen made the move?
He is.
Which is so awesome.
He’s really excited about the new ownership. But, Mets fan. So self evident.
His posts make it sound like he pictures Cohen as this 20 foot tall dude, with a heart of gold, wearing Mets footie pajamas, & loafing around Scrooge McDuck’s pool.
Maybe you should do research… moves now are being controlled by Cohen team… wilpons team doesn’t care about the Mets anymore. In 7-10 days Cohen will be Owner. He is already pull in strings behind the scenes (his people are)
The Mets should trade DeGrom.
(Very) loose apology, @metsfan22.
You make it so easy that I just can’t help myself.
But, you’re a good sport about it. I actually hope Cohen turns out to be a good owner.
I’d recommend tempering your expectations but – honestly – I enjoy how stoked you are. Good to see some positivity in the world.
:)
Any move being made is by his staff now….
Plenty of people are going to be making comments like this when they know that he hasn’t taken over yet and they can’t sign free agents yet. They lead sad and pathetic lives.
Wow Garcia has certainly had a very strange path to the majors. He hit just 15 HRs in 900 or so minor league at-bats. Then was out of affiliate baseball for years, came back and rocked 27 HRs in the minors (+5 more in the majors) in 2019. Definitely an interesting and impressive improvement. Obviously he’s hot an uphill battle ahead of him to make a ML roster to start next season, but given how impressive his 2019 was power wise — he’s definitely an interesting guy to keep an eye on going forward and someone who could be fun to watch given his obvious massive power ability.
This outta please all those Mets fans that want the Mets to spend like a big market team.
Yup.
Your move, MLB.
I’m just happy we will never be the marlins… what’s your payroll next year 80 mil…. 5th place??? Sad
Ik it’s probably more lol. I’m just making fun of the team.