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Gary Matthews Jr.

Gary Matthews Jr. Wants Playing Time

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Angels outfielder Gary Matthews Jr. spoke to reporters yesterday, resulting in articles in the L.A. Times, MLB.com, and the O.C. Register.  Matthews wants to play every day, and admitted to having "candid conversations" with Angels brass.  It's not known whether Matthews would waive his no-trade clause, which is full for 2009 and limited to four teams for 2010-11.  He's owed $33.5MM for 2009-11, plus another $500K assignment bonus if traded.

Matthews is hitting .412/.500/.941 this spring in 20 plate appearances, which doesn't do much to change the fact that his contract is burden.

Rosenthal On White Sox, Pedro, Baker

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The latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…

  • The White Sox are still trying to figure out their center field situation, but they are not involved on pricey veterans such as Juan Pierre and Gary Matthews Jr.
  • Fantasy alert: Rosenthal names David Aardsma as the likely leader for the Mariners closer job, with Chad Cordero and Brandon Morrow lingering.
  • The Dodgers "continue to balk at Pedro Martinez's $5MM asking price."
  • Rockies utility man Jeff Baker, who is out of options, is drawing interest from the Phillies, Astros, and Pirates.  Rosenthal suggests recently-demoted Kyle Kendrick as a possible target for Colorado, assuming the Phils can move Geoff Jenkins or Matt Stairs to clear a spot.  Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post says the Yankees are unlikely to acquire Baker.
  • The Blue Jays have been scouting shortstops Chin-Lung Hu, Juan Castro, and others in hopes of finding someone they can stash at Triple A for insurance.
  • Was Willy Taveras a bad move for the Reds?  Rosenthal says rival executives think so.

Gammons On Matthews, Teahen, Harang, Peavy

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12:07pm: John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer asked Reds GM Walt Jocketty about Gammons' Harang note.  Jocketty said, "I'm not going to comment on something when he doesn't know what he's talking about."

9:19am: ESPN's Peter Gammons had a new blog post yesterday discussing available players.

  • Gammons names Geoff Jenkins ($8MM remaining, limited no-trade), Brian Giles ($9MM remaining, full no-trade), Gary Matthews Jr. ($33.5MM remaining, full no-trade), Marcus Thames ($2.275MM salary), Nick Johnson ($5.5MM salary), Jason Repko, and Jeff Baker as players being dangled.  Gammons links Matthews to the Yankees but admits his contract will be an issue.
  • Mark Teahen has drawn interest from the Astros, Red Sox, and Yankees.
  • Gammons says the Reds "have let teams know that they will wait and see whether they need to move Aaron Harang during the season."  It'd be a shame to see the Reds break up that rotation.  Harang has about $36MM coming to him over the next three seasons if his 2011 option is exercised.
  • Brewers third baseman Bill Hall expects his team to pursue Padres ace Jake Peavy if available this summer.  Unlike C.C. Sabathia, Peavy is more than a rental.

Angels Looking to Deal Gary Matthews Jr.?

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John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that the Angels "probably would love to move" outfielder Gary Matthews Jr.  Entering the third year of of a 5-year $50MM contract, Matthews is currently no more than an "expensive fifth outfielder," according to Shea.

It's a safe bet that Matthews would relish an opportunity to play elsewhere. Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reported on March 16 that Matthews wants more playing time this year. "I don't intend to sit around and play a couple of days a week like last year," Matthews said.

Matthews was expected to miss all of spring training while he recovered from postseason knee surgery. He returned ahead of schedule and is performing well so far, according to Lyle Spencer of MLB.com.

Angels Standing Pat With Current Outfield

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Angels GM Tony Reagins told Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times Wednesday that his club is "not likely" to retain outfielder Garret Anderson.  Reagins also mentioned that the organization has no plans to pursue free agent outfielders Adam Dunn, Bobby Abreu or Pat Burrell.  Reagins, of course, had already written off the idea of the Halos inking Manny Ramirez.

The Angels already have a fine outfield built around Vladimir Guerrero, Juan Rivera and Torii Hunter, with Reggie Willits providing depth off the bench.  Gary Matthews Jr. probably won’t be ready for Opening Day after undergoing knee surgery in October, but he’ll also be a major contributor.

Cafardo’s Latest: Contract Swap Meet

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The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo wonders:

"I never really understood why there aren’t more "swap meet" type deals in baseball. As in, ’You take what I can’t use and I’ll take what you can’t use.’"

It’s a valid question if you believe a change of scenery can help a player and yet these deals rarely happen. Cafardo then goes on to list all of the players he considers "overpriced, underperforming, too old, or not useful to their present teams." Here’s the list:

Table 1, starting pitchers: Barry Zito (Giants); Dontrelle Willis and Nate Robertson (Tigers); Adam Eaton (Phillies); Carlos Silva, Miguel Batista, and Jarrod Washburn (Mariners); Daniel Cabrera (Orioles); Jeff Suppan (Brewers); Ian Kennedy and Kei Igawa (Yankees); Scott Olsen (Marlins).

Table 2, relief pitchers: Mike MacDougal (White Sox); Aaron Heilman and Scott Schoenweis (Mets); Jason Frasor (Blue Jays); Luis Vizcaino (Rockies); Kevin Gregg (Marlins); Justin Speier (Angels); Brandon Backe (Astros).

Table 3, infielders: Julio Lugo (Red Sox); Jack Wilson and Freddie Sanchez (Pirates); Scott Rolen (Blue Jays); Miguel Tejada (Astros); Melvin Mora (Orioles); Rickie Weeks and Bill Hall (Brewers); Mark Teahen and Ross Gload (Royals); Nick Johnson and Dmitri Young (Nationals); Luis Castillo (Mets).

Table 4, catchers: Yorvit Torrealba (Rockies); Ramon Hernandez (Orioles); Bengie Molina (Giants); Kenji Johjima (Mariners).

Table 5, outfielders: David Dellucci (Indians); Eric Byrnes (Diamondbacks); Nick Swisher (White Sox); Dave Roberts and Randy Winn (Giants); Kosuke Fukudome and Alfonso Soriano (Cubs); Gary Sheffield (Tigers); Gary Matthews Jr. (Angels); Austin Kearns and Wily Mo Pena (Nationals); Jeremy Hermida and Josh Willingham (Marlins); Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, and Melky Cabrera (Yankees); Juan Pierre and Andruw Jones (Dodgers); Willy Taveras (Rockies); Jeff Francoeur (Braves).

Cafardo says the reason we don’t see more of these "swaps" is that GMs fear ridicule if these deals don’t pan out for them and that matching salaries can be tricky.

He cites a few examples: Julio Lugo for Nate Robertson or Dontrelle Willis as being a possible – this has been discussed here before as a longshot idea. Or what about Kosuke Fukudome for Gary Matthews?

See anything better?

Rosenthal’s Latest: Dempster, Mora, Cameron

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Ken Rosenthal has a new column up; let’s take a look.

  • Rosenthal agrees with those who considered C.C. Sabathia pitching the ninth inning Monday a needless risk.  Sabathia already had thrown 112 pitches and the Brewers had a seven run lead, but he pitched the ninth to bring the total to 130.  The innings shouldn’t affect Sabathia’s payday, but hopefully he remains healthy.
  • Rosenthal sees a minimal chance of Ryan Dempster signing elsewhere, given his strong relationship with Cubs GM Jim Hendry.  Dempster will be the Cubs’ top offseason priority.  I also consider Kerry Wood unlikely to leave.
  • Add Melvin Mora to the list of players who have cleared waivers.  He, Aubrey Huff, and Ramon Hernandez will be shopped this winter.  Mora has raised his numbers and stock significantly by hitting .378/.421/.652 since the beginning of July.  He has a full no-trade clause and is owed $9MM next year.
  • The Indians are almost certain to sign a closer this winter, with Brandon Lyon and Brian Fuentes perhaps the best available aside from Francisco Rodriguez and Wood.
  • The Rockies will place Fuentes on waivers soon and may also shop Willy Taveras.  Manny Corpas has already hit the wire.
  • Rosenthal figures Mike Cameron’s $10MM option for ’09 will be exercised.  Cameron is hitting .245/.333/.509 in 372 plate appearances while playing strong defense.
  • Gary Matthews Jr.’s knee injury may prevent the Angels from trading him this winter.  That, and the $33MM owed to him through 2011.

Rosenthal: Angels Looking Into Holliday

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The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, residing in Orange County, California, are currently the second-worst run producers in the American League. That they have the second-best win percentage in the junior circuit is a testament to their superb pitching staff, led by John Lackey and his 1.44 ERA, though with about 40 fewer innings than most of the team’s other starters.

They’d like to add a bat before the trading deadline, though there are a few problems with that. Take, for instance, Ken Rosenthal’s report that they are interested in Rockies left fielder Matt Holliday. In order to fit him into the scheme, the Angels would have to somehow unload Gary Matthews Jr, who is owed $33 million from 2009 through 2011. That’s not an easy proposition, considering the 2006 fluke is hitting just .239/.318/.361.

According to Rosenthal, this Matthews situation means that the Angels would have to go even further with their prospects and cash in order to make a deal. This might indicate that the team will stand pat and rely on its pitching going forward. Former GM Bill Stoneman was never one for a mid-season move, and his replacement Tony Reagins has expressed similar sentiments.

The Rays could also look into acquiring Holliday, which would round out a stellar outfield. They have more than enough on the farm to get something done. Both teams could also look into Jason Bay, Xavier Nady, Ken Griffey Jr., or Adam Dunn.

Odds and Ends: Roberts, Gibbons, Matthews

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  • The Cubs and Orioles continue to be linked in trade speculation involving Brian Roberts. The latest from the Chicago Tribune says that an Orioles scout was in attendance for Sean Gallagher’s two hitless innings on Saturday. The amount of time it’s taking for these two clubs to get their acts together on this deal continues to be mind-boggling.
  • The Trib is also reporting that Jon Lieber took a big step towards earning the fifth spot in the Cubs rotation on Saturday, coming through with four shutout innings against the Diamondbacks. Ryan Dempster and Jason Marquis are also in the mix.  It figures that the loser(s) of this battle could be trade candidates.
  • Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun is reporting that Jay Gibbons looks like a natural pick to be the odd man out in Baltimore’s outfield, but the two years and $11.9MM left on his contract– plus the small matter of an appearance in the Mitchell Report and his upcoming 15-day suspension for violating MLB’s drug policy– means he’s not exactly going to be the easiest fourth outfielder in the world to move.
  • Speaking of expensive fourth outfielders named in the Mitchell Report, Gary Matthews Jr. insists to the Orange County Register that he’s perfectly happy with the Angels decision to bring in Torii Hunter. No, seriously.

Posted by Andrew Stoeten of Drunk Jays Fans.

Padres Rumors: Cameron, Jenkins, Colon

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UPDATE, 11-28-07 at 10pm: Krasovic has an update on the Union-Tribune’s sports blog.  Cameron’s agent said tonight that he would decline the Padres’ offer of arbitration.  That doesn’t mean the Padres still can’t sign him, but it seems unlikely.  Krasovic also notes that the Friars are pursuing Japanese reliever Kazuo Fukumori.  As you know, they brought him in for a workout previously.  The Rockies and Red Sox have been linked to him in the past. 

FROM 11-28-07 at 10:40am:

Tim Sullivan and Tom Krasovic make are a productive tandem for Padres rumors.  Sullivan and Krasovic both posted new articles today.

  • Sullivan says the Padres will probably offer arbitration to Mike Cameron.  Cameron will then decide whether to accept by December 7th.  It wouldn’t make sense for the Padres to move on a center fielder until that is resolved.  It’s also possible that the Padres just sign Cameron to a two-year deal – they’re sitting on a counteroffer from Cameron’s camp.
  • The Padres admit to interest in Andruw Jones, but it seems like a longshot.  They probably won’t go past one year, and even if Jones accepts that it’s not a good ballpark to rebuild value.
  • Sullivan names other center field possibilities: Aaron Rowand, Gary Matthews Jr., Reggie Willits, and Coco Crisp.
  • As for left field, Krasovic notes that the Padres met with Geoff Jenkins yesterday.  That might allow Scott Hairston to move to center if all of the above options fail.
  • On the pitchiing front, Buster Olney notes that the Padres have expressed interest in Randy Wolf, Bartolo Colon, and Mark Prior.

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