Comments on: Gary Matthews is still around?

By: MarkW

MarkW — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 15:15:02 +0000

Baker to the DL?! What the F? I hope "shoulder stiffness" doesn't equal what Bonser/Crain had in their "sore" shoulders...

Looks like Dickey AND Humber will be coming up to start the season...

This is also the reason why I never had any issue with having too many outfielders, someone will get hurt, it's part of the game...

By: sirsean

sirsean — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:10:00 +0000

Well that’s true. Do your talking on the field. Unfortunately for him, it’s not saying anything good about him at the moment.

By: FunBobby

FunBobby — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:01:53 +0000

I only reference steroids because he was linked to a shipment of HGH. So it wasn't just blind speculation.

Taking a paycut is probably drastic. He should try to work his way back into the rotation. He needs to take advantage of every at bat and hope he impresses someone. Whether its someone in LA or elsewhere.

By: sirsean

sirsean — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:54:55 +0000

I don't think his career year was steroid induced. I think it was just luck. His BABIP was .343 and his LD% was only 18.8%. That's why his offensive numbers look so tremendous.

Couple that with a reputation as a great center fielder based on a few highlight reel Torii-esque robberies above the fence (he actually never had great range), and it's pretty easy to see how the Angels were hoodwinked into thinking they were getting an elite player. Unfortunately for them, he promptly turned right back into a pumpkin in 2007.

So much of a pumpkin, in fact, that FanGraphs has him as one of the three least productive players in the majors last year. Talk about a bad contract.

I don't think he should take a pay cut. It's the team's fault they signed him to the deal; if there were a market for him, teams would be asking about him and demanding the Angels pay a bunch of his salary (common practice). That does not appear to be happening. In this case, taking a pay cut just hurts the player, without opening up more opportunities for playing time.

Instead, he should just shut up and cash his paychecks. When this contract is over, he probably won't get another one, even at league minimum. So enjoy the money while you can, Gary, and don't spend too much of it.