I’ve resisted all temptation to post my cynicism and sarcasm for awhile.  This post started as a thread in Rev’s post regarding what to do with GA.  I decided that it is so long that I would make a fanpost of it and leave it only to those willing to digest all of this…

The dust has finally settled enough for me to participate.  I’ve been roaming the streets with John Lackey for the last two days, trying to find someone to “throw through a wall.”  

But I’m calmer now and beginning to examine, with a slightly more objective perspective, what happened .  Now, below you can find a very long diatribe about what to do with GA and about your favorite team.  If you don’t like lots of words about your favorite team, please hit the ‘back’ button on your browser now.  Or even now.

Okay then…

One of my earliest thoughts, believe it or not, was that it is time for Garret to go.  He’s got a few years left in him, but certainly not at a level to match the expectations that he built for himself with an extended stretch of phenomenal play.  As much as I’ve enjoyed GA, and as defensive as I’ve been of him and his recent play, I figured that the time had finally come.

And the first postseason HH post asked what to do with Garret.  My response has become this post instead.  I was ready to post with the rest of the lot, “can his ass,” and move on.  Seriously, to the extent that I realized that it would be great to be a GA fan if you didn’t worry about the results of his at-bats.  The fact that his already magnified at-bats are for the team that I love is sometimes too much.  If he just batted fifth for the Rays, as Rev predicted, I could treat Garret’s AB’s, well, more the way he treats them…like they’re just one of many. 

I couldn’t help but wonder, though, whether my feeling and realization were based more on the freshness of his last three games (two, really, his 0-5 in game 2 consisted of two lasers and the most casual (lazy?) home-run robbery ever witnessed in the playoffs) or whether it really was best for fans and the team if GA moved on or, gasp, retired. 

So, using CKOD’s link (http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2007/12/2009-mlb-free-a.html) regarding free agents, I examined all available free agents outfielders (including those who, like GA, have club options for next season) to see how GA stacks up and to determine what his value could or should be as a free agent. 

It’s often mentioned at HH that GA is an “average” hitter.  Well, that’s relative, of course, to the entire Major Leagues, most of whom are not currently available as free agents.  Where GA stands in comparison to AVAILABLE players is most germane to this discussion.

The essential list condenses to this:

Now, a cursory look at this list makes it apparent that some of these clowns could NEVER replace GA, really at any price.  GA may be above “average” relative to this list.  Those on the list that I think most Angel/baseball fans would be willing to consider (giving all benefit of doubt) in GA’s stead, I believe, condenses further to:

Moises Alou

Milton Bradley

Pat Burrell

Carl Crawford

Adam Dunn

Cliff Floyd

Luis Gonzales

Raul Ibanez

Manny Ramirez

Juan Rivera

Mike Cameron

Jim Edmonds

Mark Kotsay

Bobby Abreu

Casey Blake

Brian Giles

Ken Griffey, Jr.

Of course, this list includes CF, RF, and LF, so some guys might be averse to changing positions, but let’s assume for a moment that all 21 players above are amenable to what the Angels need. 

To me, Moises Alou is out.  I’ll take GA over a 42 year-old Alou.  Milton Bradley is a tremendous talent, though I’m not sure he fits well in the clubhouse.  Still, he’d be hard to ignore as he’s so much of what the Angels are missing (OBP, power, etc.)   But what will he be asking?  Scary, given his volatility and unpredictability. 

Pat Burrell is a big-time improvement over GA but will also be big-time expensive.  Carl Crawford is debatable because 1) his career numbers aren’t what you’d expect, 2) he’s one leg injury from seriously reducing his value as a speed player, and 3) the Rays hold the option. 

Adam Dunn is going to sign for more money than the Angels are willing to spend (provided they re-sign Tex). Before you start talking about Adam Dunn, go take another look at his offensive numbers.  PERFECT DH for the Angels.  It doesn’t matter how many times he strikes out if he gets on base more than 40% of the time he comes to the plate (and he hits 40 HR).  And don’t worry about his defense, he can DH.  It’s a no-brainer.  If the opportunity to sign Dunn is there, the Angels should do it, regardless of price.  Go ahead, put Tex and Dunn in the same lineup with Vlad.  Seriously.  Whew.  We know it won’t happen, I know, but a man can dream for just one second, right?

Cliff Floyd?  Hmmm.  Not so sure he’s enough of an improvement over GA to make it worthwhile, especially given that he’s, ahem, Cliff Floyd. 

Luis Gonzales now sucks, forget about him.  Raul Ibanez is, theoretically, a better player than GA but is slightly older.  If he were to put another season or two like he’s had for the Mariners, then maybe he’s worth scuttling GA for.  I’m not sure he can do that…still, he’s appealing to some degree.  Tough to ditch a guy like GA for an aging journeyman like Ibanez, who happened to have two very nice seasons before what will be his final contract.  Ibanez would be under a lot of pressure to match his last two seasons but he could very easily match GA’s steady (though now diminished) numbers or, worse, flop and leave everyone asking, “we cut ties with GA for this?”

Manny.  Well, I’d love to see the Halos sign both Manny and Tex, and don’t care if they break Moreno’s bank to do it.  I somehow doubt it happens.  The fan in me says sign Dunn, Teixeira, and Manny.  The long-time Angel fan in me says the team will settle for none of those three. But if it can, count me as on board (I know, Reagins was worried).  I’d prefer Manny in left to GA.  Again, though, I’ll believe it when I see it.

Juan Rivera is an option.  But he’s also inconsistent, a terrible fielder and apparently requires a pinch-hitter against tough righties like Justin Masterson (not complaining about Morales’ pinch-hit double obviously, but am still puzzled as to why Rivera was being lifted there).  Plus, the Angels just finished paying him $2M; his price as a free agent will probably rival GA’s.  Ah, so we’re back to the Juan Rivera v. GA argument (GA’s a much better fielder than Rivera, a much better team leader than Rivera, a much more reliable player than Rivera, and, over a full-season, every bit as productive (as Juan Rivera THEORETICALLY)). 

Canning GA entirely in favor of Rivera still seems a dubious choice, though it’s obvious that many HH readers would take Rivera without ever looking back (apparently, they’ve not given much consideration to Rivera’s career first-half numbers).  I’m all for finding a better player as a replacement for GA but only if he’s definitely better.  I’m still not convinced that, over an entire MLB season, Rivera is that player.  Is a marginal talent like Rivera a suitable replacement?  Fans are split, though Mike Scioscia’s opinion seems quite clear. 

Abreu?  At what cost?  He’s not worth the $15M the Yanks were paying him but I’m sure he’s not eager for a reduction in pay, either.  He’s a better option than GA, there can be no denying that, but will he 1) play LF, 2) accept somewhere around $10M, and 3) come west?  Sounds nice, but is it all realistic?

OK, Mike Cameron?  Well, he’s old but still okay.  Is he enough better than GA to warrant the move?  I, for one, do not think so.  Mike Cameron, from a career perspective, is an underachieving Garret Anderson, IMHO.

Jim Edmonds?  Intriguing but, really, inapt.  Going with Jimmy Edmonds over GA, at this point, would be strange and, given Edmond’s age, risky at best.  Mark Kotsay?  No.  The guy’s awful.   

Casey Blake?  Same age, slightly more productive but, in the end, there’s a chance you get from him what you’ve gotten from GA for the last few years (I think Blake might be the better player but I also have to wonder if it’s enough of a gap to jeopardize losing GA’s intangibles).  Blake’s another guy that is only a marginal improvement; it would certainly not take much of a drop off for Blake to not be able to match the .290/15/85 that Garret’s GOING to provide next season (as either leftfielder or benchmark…TBD). 

OK, Brian Giles?  Sure, were he available, I think he’s an improvement over GA.  But the Pads hold the option ($9M) and other teams will likely bid the price up.  The Halos have a geographic advantage with Giles should the Pads opt out of the contract (we learned at the trade deadline that Giles isn’t leaving SoCal), but how much will Giles be asking, even at a local discount?  Too, he provides less power than GA.  I would think we would want to improve over GA’s power numbers, not just his OBP numbers.  And how much of a risk is his age? 

Still, Giles could sure help the Angels.  What kind of DH would Giles make?  To me, Giles seems among the most realistic and productive free agent choices available, but he’ll be (expensive, maybe too expensive) won’t be a defensive improvement necessarily, and will provide the Angels with yet another guy with no threat to go yard.  That would have to be an awfully big local discount to justify driving to a San Clemente (that’s about halfway, right?) Del Taco.  Frankly, Giles is worth more than it’s going to cost to buy GA out of his contract and resign him at the market rate.  Giles would have to sign for a market discount (possible given geography), maintain production in his 38-year old season, and play better defense than he has in about 4 years, for more money than it would likely take to sign GA. Oh, and don’t forget that Giles might just retire after this season, you never know.   And if he doesn’t I would call the Pads stupid NOT to exercise that $9M option.

Lastly, and quickly, Griffey.  Maybe a DH option but this one is unlikely because of geography, age, and salary (you’d probably have to pay him a premium OVER market value to put on the West Coast).   You don’t replace the poor man’s Ken Griffey Jr. (something that GA once was) with an aging Ken Griffey Jr.  You just don’t.

So with what are we left?  Well, there are a few intriguing armchair-type wishful thinking options that should/would appeal to everyone.  There are a few options internally (Morales, Brown and (god please no) Willits).  And there are a couple of realistically-minded possibilities that offer only nominal (tangible) improvement over GA.

In consideration of all of this, my answer is to buy  GA out of the contract ($3M), offer him one year/$7M with a club option for 2010, AND offer Juan Rivera 2 years/$8M.  Ta dah, $14M total for 2009 (including the buyout price of GA’s contract) for both GA and Rivera.  GA has already proven willing to DH and to sit against SOME lefties (he hits others quite well).  Rivera can take the deal or drag his journeyman shit-fielding goldilocks splintered ass to some other team’s bench for $4M, where he won’t make the playoffs and won’t be able to be Vlad’s friend (or, more importantly, borrow his bats) as easily. 

If GA says no, then you ignore Rivera and go sign someone that provides a marked improvement over GA  (Burrell, Dunn, etc.).  Unless you know you’re getting a big-time OPS guy in his stead, it doesn’t make sense to abandon GA entirely.  Again, he may be “average” but the rest of the league isn’t available.

Amazing how many words you all get for my $.02!