Lunch with Gary Matthews Jr.

by Rev Halofan on Nov 22, 2006 12:27 AM PST in Angels News

According to the L.A. Times, Mike Scioscia and Bill Stoneman had lunch with Gary Matthews, Jr. yesterday. No word on Scioscia's choice of appetizer or whether Stoneman prefers Sauvignon Blanc with his trout.

Looks like it is a match ... I pray some other team swoops in with an irresistible offer as GMJ2 gives the Angels almost NO upgrade - save a slightly better outfield defense easily matched by a young Reggie Wilits.

If GMJ2 signs (and it is reported to be $11 million a year, for 4 or 5 years) look for Chone Figgins to be shipped out in a trade at the Winter meetings... but for what?

As I have written in posts and comments here recently - the best thing about the new owners'-players' CBA is that it ends a player's rights to opt out of a contract when traded in the middle of a multi-year deal. If we sign GMJ2, let us hope he is a budding trade chip and not the return of Steve Finley...

In other news, the Times interviewed new Angel Justin Speier who waxed nostalgiac for his days of throwing grenades as a Marine Reserve. Now there is someone you want pitching to Jason Kendall...

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Comments

Well

if Erstad is on his way out, and he's the one that teammates always wanted to go to war with, I guess the guy who actually seems to want to...go to war...would be a good replacement.

by Caseys Kiss of Death on Nov 22, 2006 12:53 AM PST reply actions

Trade for Miggy?

What about a Figgy / OC / Shields trade for Miguel Tejada?

Figgins is not a solution at 3b and if we are not going to be able to resign Shields, we can trade them for a big bat to play 3b or ss.

by akathelorax @ Halos Heaven on Nov 22, 2006 1:24 AM PST reply actions

Then Let's Get Miggy With IT !

by Rev Halofan on Nov 22, 2006 1:33 AM PST up reply actions

oh yeah...

Figgy for Miggy, get's me Jiggy!

jeff

Help me out, and help raise money for the MS Society of OC http://www.ms150baytobay.com/sipperphoto

by sipperphoto on Nov 22, 2006 11:17 AM PST up reply actions

Tejada seems like one of the only...

options left to trade for. Outfield crowded now. I've never been oppossed to Tejada - but I don't think you need to trade OC in the deal. I would think a Shields coupled with a Figgins and Aybar would be able to get it done.

Please do something good this offseason...

by gorams77 on Nov 22, 2006 10:23 AM PST up reply actions

Cabrera

I'd rather trade Cabrera now and let DMac and Izturis battle it out for 3b.

by akathelorax @ Halos Heaven on Nov 22, 2006 12:11 PM PST up reply actions

ugh.

i know i'm not the only who's not following the logic behind $11 mil per, at a 32 year-old who's only had one semi legitimate season.

it just seems like a lateral move.

it would be like paying for sex from a girl that looks exactly like your girlfriend/wife.

or something.

SPORTS UNFILTERED

by pedro guerrero on Nov 22, 2006 7:04 AM PST reply actions

NO MATTHEWS!!!!!!

If the Angels sign Matthews to some big contract, you're right, it's no upgrade whatsoever over what they already have available. It would be an unbelievably stupid move, one done for the sake of being able to say they did something. The "really big move" will now likely have to occur via trade. The Angels should focus THAT instead. But NO MATTHEWS!!!!!!

by beercub @ Halos Heaven on Nov 22, 2006 7:07 AM PST reply actions

I guess Stoneman wasn't listening...

"My second favorite team for today: Tigers
A's will be elminated in 4 games
That's right... sweep"
-I called it.

by thrill000 on Nov 22, 2006 12:14 PM PST up reply actions

I'd probably rather have Willits in center

Even if we were talking about the same amount of money. This would be a terrible move for the Angels.

by LA Seitz on Nov 22, 2006 7:18 AM PST reply actions

UGH!

Has Stoneman never heard of "career year"? This dude has one GOOD (not even great) season and we're about to throw him $50 mill?!

NO MATTHEWS!

by NPCody on Nov 22, 2006 8:08 AM PST reply actions

Andruw Jones

by cupie on Nov 22, 2006 8:31 AM PST reply actions

This is typical Stoneman

We all knew this would happen...Dude makes a flashy play on D and has one good year.

by Barry on Nov 22, 2006 8:52 AM PST reply actions

He is trying to make up for .....

other boneheaded Angel moves in the past.

Edmonds gets injured too much. He's thru....

Glaus is hurt too much and is washed up......

Seems like these two have been more than productive so far.

"With a Brain and a Sack of Nuts"

by Rex DaKine Budler on Nov 22, 2006 12:23 PM PST up reply actions

Matthews big splash

is the turd hitting the toilet bowl.

Smoke screen no way Stoneman does this.

Stoneman I am really curious what you have up your sleeve considering your job is on the line. PS GMJ is not an option

by hauldog on Nov 22, 2006 9:31 AM PST reply actions

Done Deal?

According to Fox it's a done deal.

by RichA on Nov 22, 2006 9:41 AM PST reply actions

fuck.

GMJ is seriously Devon White with worse wheels.

i'm praying he fails his physical at this point.

SPORTS UNFILTERED

by pedro guerrero on Nov 22, 2006 9:45 AM PST up reply actions

GMJ

I think that play only looked so impressive because his route was so bad. He corrected it, spun around and made the save. A better CF may have made the play too, and it may have looked easier. I say again his D numbers are pretty average.

Anyway, I thought I would look up his Dad's best seasons by age, and here they are:

Age OPS+
30 138
28+33 128
25 125
35 123

At least his dad had a couple of good seasons in his 30's. Hopefully 3 years max length or 4 years but lower $$$. Then maybe we can teach him to play CF correctly.

What I really hope is they are just making this public show to lower the cost for Wells or Andruw.

by elricsi on Nov 22, 2006 9:41 AM PST reply actions

I was laughing

at the Dodgers for spending $45 million for five years of Juan Pierre, but this move is far worse. If the idea is to improve the offense, why sign someone whose both worse than Figgins, not to mention older, for FIVE FUCKING YEARS?

by jjackflash on Nov 22, 2006 10:06 AM PST reply actions

FIRE STONEMAN

Now before it's too late!

Light Up That Halo!

by Clutch on Nov 22, 2006 10:21 AM PST reply actions

He is a type A free agent

that should give the Rangers our first round pick and the Blue Jays our second round pick. Awesome.

by riktermiller on Nov 22, 2006 10:22 AM PST reply actions

great.....

three world class centerfielders becoming freeagents in year and they do this....my god reggie could've hung for a year probably would've been very impressive, stop gap man, stop gap. this is stupid. He better fuckin come through...

by AlohaHalofan on Nov 22, 2006 10:26 AM PST reply actions

Fuck Stoneman

This is stupid. GMJ is a pile a crap.

Stoneman I am really curious what you have up your sleeve considering your job is on the line. PS GMJ is not an option

by hauldog on Nov 22, 2006 10:27 AM PST reply actions

Indefensible

There's no way this move can be defended. Worst Angels transaction since Damion Easley for Greg Gohr.

I've been a Stoneman fan for a long time, but man, what a pathetic pile of crap. Fuck this team.

by LA Seitz on Nov 22, 2006 10:38 AM PST reply actions

Phil Nevin for Andy Sheets?

by mattwelch on Nov 22, 2006 8:12 PM PST up reply actions

So Rev

I am not talking shit just asking a question. How does the trade GMJ in a year idea work?

It seems to me we would have to eat at least half of his contract. So we'd be paying him $35 mil for one year basically.

Stoneman I am really curious what you have up your sleeve considering your job is on the line. PS GMJ is not an option

by hauldog on Nov 22, 2006 10:45 AM PST reply actions

$30 million, but yeah

And I'm curious to see what your signature becomes now...?

by Caseys Kiss of Death on Nov 22, 2006 11:21 AM PST up reply actions

Bad math sorry

I was thinking about it on a cross country plane flight and came up with nothing

Stoneman I am really curious what you have up your sleeve considering your job is on the line. PS GMJ is not an option

by hauldog on Nov 22, 2006 11:03 PM PST up reply actions

i believe in Stonehenge -- err, Stoneman

this deal looks horrible almost any way you look at it. but what if, as my buddy Charlata says, Stonehenge sees something that we all don't? this certainly looks like one of his wackier signings, but what's the catch?

just like the druids who created the mysterious, maybe sacred rocks in rural england, and just like the dwarves who almost crushed them, we'll never know who they were or what they were doing -- just like stoneman's acquisition of GMJ. but their legacy remains (as does stoneman's) -- hewn into the solid rock of Stonehenge.

by yeswecan on Nov 22, 2006 11:05 AM PST reply actions

Maybe he read the plans wrong

and he thought all of those doubles were home runs.

by LA Seitz on Nov 22, 2006 11:13 AM PST up reply actions

that's possible

all i know is that when Spinal Tap sings "No one knows who they were / Or / What they were doing..." i know EXACTLY what they mean.

by yeswecan on Nov 22, 2006 3:25 PM PST up reply actions

Partial No-trade claus!!!

it gets better...

Matthews agreed to a five-year, $50 million deal that includes a partial no-trade clause, according to an industry source.

by Barry on Nov 22, 2006 11:07 AM PST reply actions

Four Words

Angels' Worst Signing Ever.

by jjackflash on Nov 22, 2006 11:20 AM PST reply actions

I'd rather

they signed Soriano to an A-Rod contract of 10 years, 250 million, because Soriano will probably be a good player for at least a year or two. GMJjr. will never again hit so high as .260 for a regular season. He will never again hit as many as 10 HR. He will be below-average defensively. He will probalby never post an OBP that exceeds .350, nor an SLG that exceeds .425 (numbers that both exceed his career figures in those respective categories).

The horror, the horror.

So, what are they going to do with their $50 million man when he turns into a pumpkin in April 2007? Does this career 4th/5th outfielder get the "veteran respect" from Scioscia and stay in the lineup indefinitely, or will they have the good sense to bench him when he can't produce? Seriously. I'd rather have Reggie Willits, and nobody has convinced me that Willits can even hit .240. But at least he can steal a base if he gets on. GMJjr. can't even do that.

The thing is, I think he'll be so bad that they'll dump him after one season, even if they have to eat the rest of the contract. Basically, that's what Angels fans have to hope for: that he'll be SO bad, Finleyesque, that they'll have no choice but to cut him after 2007. The worst-case scenario is that he does just enough not to get benched.

by jjackflash on Nov 22, 2006 11:34 AM PST up reply actions

So Arte's promise...

...will not be fulfilled in centre field, so you have to wonder where the impact bat is going to go?

Maybe they trade for Manny and use him as a full time DH?

by The Limey on Nov 22, 2006 11:43 AM PST reply actions

I would think

Tejada is one of the only limited options left...to play 3B.

Please do something good this offseason...

by gorams77 on Nov 22, 2006 11:47 AM PST up reply actions

Stoneman has once again proved

That he has no business trying to put together a major league offense. Unbelievable.

I was for the Finley signing and that didn't work out. Hopefully I'm wrong again and GMJ proves himself to be worth it.

At this point, hope is all I've got...

by LosAngel on Nov 22, 2006 11:54 AM PST reply actions

Cross your fingers

I hope for 2 good seasons. Maybe the stars align and we get 3.

I believe he will have at least one good one, it might not be next year tho.

by elricsi on Nov 22, 2006 12:07 PM PST reply actions

One IF they're lucky

To put some positive spin on this, if they get even ONE better-than-average season out of GMJjr., I guess we could call it a "good" deal because even the one good season isn't likely, considering that he's really only had ONE such season, last year. He'd have to way outperform his career averages just to get one good season out of him.

by jjackflash on Nov 22, 2006 12:12 PM PST up reply actions

Maybe

He'll fail the physical. Someone needs to go Tonya Harding/Jeff Gilooly on this guy. Crowbar to the knee or something so he can't pass the physical and the deal is voided.

by jjackflash on Nov 22, 2006 12:15 PM PST reply actions