Sarge Jr. wants out of L.A.

[Little Slide Rooter]

[

Gary Matthews Jr. Wants Out

By Mike Axisa [October 27 at 5:40pm CST]

When the Angels handed Gary Matthews Jr. a five-year, $50MM contract prior to the 2007 season, the team figured it was getting an elite centerfielder that played Gold Glove defense and hit .300+ like he did in his final season in Texas. Instead, the Angels brought Torii Hunter on board just one season later, and Matthews has been a part-time player ever since.

 

With two years and $23MM left on his deal, Matthews wants out of Anaheim, according to Mike DiGiovanna of The LA Times.

 

"I don't expect to be back; it's time to move on," Matthews said as he packed his belongings in the team's Angel Stadium clubhouse today. "I'm ready to play for an organization that wants me to play every day. This organization has other plans, and that's OK."

 

As for the money, Sarge Jr. doesn't think it'll be much of a hurdle.

 

"It's definitely not as big as it was a year ago," Matthews said. "Obviously, there are some teams that can't afford it, but when I'm playing every day, I feel I can be a top-line center fielder, and that, I would think, is what a lot of teams want."

 

In three years with the Halos, the 35-year-old Matthews has hit .248/.325/.383, and he's gotten fewer and fewer plate appearances each year. The free agent pool is a little light on true centerfielders, but it's hard to imagine anyone giving up anything of value for Matthews without the Angels eating a huge chunk of his contract.

 

Hmm, his contract is similar to the remainder of Bradleys. To quote Han Solo, I got a baaaad feeling about this.

[Banedon]

Probably worth it's own thread, but there's discussion of this in the Bradley thread.

[17 Seconds]

Like someone else mentioned, I don't think Scioscia would want Bradley.

[shnsajax]

I would rather have Bradley.

[Schwarber Fan]

no

[Blizzau]

Sarge Jr. is delusional:

 

1) He can be top-line?! At 35?

2) The money won't be an issue?

 

If Hendry goes for this (he won't), get your pitchforks ready...

[Little Slide Rooter]

I would rather have Bradley.

 

Id rather have Bradley than the majority of the other options out there, but from what weve heard, thats not going to happen.

[Halman]

I would rather have Bradley.

 

Id rather have Bradley than the majority of the other options out there, but from what weve heard, thats not going to happen.

 

Stop playing Xbox. Bradley sucks.

[biittner77]

GM Jr could probably go to St. Louis and return to the form that got him the big contract.

 

What's particularly troubling about GM Jr is that he is the kind of good citizen that Hendry likes. But I believe Hendry passes on him because of the HGH implications.

[Little Slide Rooter]

I would rather have Bradley.

 

Id rather have Bradley than the majority of the other options out there, but from what weve heard, thats not going to happen.

 

Stop playing Xbox. Bradley sucks.

 

If we were loking at Bay, Holliday, or hawpe as a replacement, then Id be all for it, but were not. Were looking at a downgrade or a break even at best unless Hendry can work the same magic he did when he landed Ramirez.

[Jehrico]

Am I the only one that has a hard time believing that he's 35?

[BigbadB1679666149]

I would rather have Bradley.

 

Id rather have Bradley than the majority of the other options out there, but from what weve heard, thats not going to happen.

 

Stop playing Xbox. Bradley sucks.

 

If we were loking at Bay, Holliday, or hawpe as a replacement, then Id be all for it, but were not. Were looking at a downgrade or a break even at best unless Hendry can work the same magic he did when he landed Ramirez.

 

You equate the Pirates basically forcing the Cubs to take Ramirez in order to get Lofton as Hendry working some sort of magic?

[MSG T]

Am I the only one that has a hard time believing that he's 35?

 

No. I was thinking he was around 30-31 until I read that. I can't believe he's that old. That would have made him 10 when his dad played LF for the Cubs 84 team. That's just not right.

[17 Seconds]

Sarge should probably stop whining and thank god that some idiot GM gave him about 5 times what he was worth.

 

He keeps whining about wanting to play, but if he was given the option to void his contract and become a free agent (and get a chance to potentially start somewhere for way less), would he do it? I highly doubt it.

[Rob]

That'd be about right.

 

Trade a productive malcontent for an awful player who is also a malcontent as well as a steroid user.

[Little Slide Rooter]

I would rather have Bradley.

 

Id rather have Bradley than the majority of the other options out there, but from what weve heard, thats not going to happen.

 

Stop playing Xbox. Bradley sucks.

 

If we were loking at Bay, Holliday, or hawpe as a replacement, then Id be all for it, but were not. Were looking at a downgrade or a break even at best unless Hendry can work the same magic he did when he landed Ramirez.

 

You equate the Pirates basically forcing the Cubs to take Ramirez in order to get Lofton as Hendry working some sort of magic?

 

I didnt even know thats how it weant down. Well Im glad they forced him on us, considering hes our best players and everyone else involved in the trade is long out of baseball.

[RedFlash]

Bruce Miles has indicated that the Cubs should and will stay away from Sarge, Jr. So I think we can put this nightmare scenerio to bed.

[Bote McBoteface]

 

You equate the Pirates basically forcing the Cubs to take Ramirez in order to get Lofton as Hendry working some sort of magic?

 

I didnt even know thats how it weant down. Well Im glad they forced him on us, considering hes our best players and everyone else involved in the trade is long out of baseball.

 

That's because it didn't go down like that. We were after Ramirez, Lofton was a 1/2 year rental that we got thrown in.

[BigbadB1679666149]

 

You equate the Pirates basically forcing the Cubs to take Ramirez in order to get Lofton as Hendry working some sort of magic?

 

I didnt even know thats how it weant down. Well Im glad they forced him on us, considering hes our best players and everyone else involved in the trade is long out of baseball.

 

That's because it didn't go down like that. We were after Ramirez, Lofton was a 1/2 year rental that we got thrown in.

 

You certainly botched the quotes on that response. But, the trade happened basically on the same day Tom Goodwin got hurt, which was less than 3 weeks after Patterson went down for the year.

 

To me, Aramis was a throw in by Pittsburgh just to be rid of his salary. It certainly helped that the Cubs had Jose Hernandez playing 3rd base. But, it cost the Cubs Jose Freaking Hernandez, Matt Bruback and Bobby Hill to get both Lofton AND Ramirez.

 

Any team in the league basically could have beaten that offer, Hendry was just lucky enough to be in desperate need for someone who could field the CF position for half a season when the deal was consumated.

 

The Cubs were in need of a 3b long before July 22nd, 2003. It's when they no longer had a viable CFer that the trade actually happened. If Patterson never gets hurt, I'm not so sure Aramis ever gets traded to the Cubs.

 

If you want to call it working some sort of magic, go for it. But, to me it's just dumb luck.

[Sammy Sofa]

Part of me is so sick of the idiots who think that Bradley needs to be gone no matter what and that any alternative to him will be acceptable that I want his replacement to be someone as useless as Sarge Junior. Just out of spite.

[biittner77]

Sarge should probably stop whining and thank god that some idiot GM gave him about 5 times what he was worth.

 

 

"I'm ready to play for an organization that wants me to play every day. This organization has other plans, and that's OK."

 

That doesn't sound like being a malcontent so much as a competitor who sees that he has outlived his usefullness with his current team. It would be a lot more selfish and malcontenty to just sit back and be the highest paid 5th OF in baseball history.

[jersey cubs fan]

The Cubs were in need of a 3b long before July 22nd, 2003. It's when they no longer had a viable CFer that the trade actually happened. If Patterson never gets hurt, I'm not so sure Aramis ever gets traded to the Cubs.

 

If you want to call it working some sort of magic, go for it. But, to me it's just dumb luck.

 

Pittsburgh extended Ramirez kind of early, and then ran into a boatload of financial trouble to the point that there was legit concern that they would not be able to meet payroll obligations within a couple weeks.. They were trying to dump salary, and had to deal somebody who was making money. Ramirez was owed $6m the following year and at the time nowhere near a $6m man. He was considered a fat lazy player who let the money get the best of him. They originally were going to trade Kris Benson, but he got hurt in the middle of July and became untradable, so they pushed out the fat lazy overpaid kid whose bounceback year from a god awful 2002 wasn't particularly good.

 

It was a straight up salary dump.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Part of me is so sick of the idiots who think that Bradley needs to be gone no matter what and that any alternative to him will be acceptable that I want his replacement to be someone as useless as Sarge Junior. Just out of spite.

 

While I agree, I dont think its us(the fans) who feel that way, its more that weve pretty much accepted than management feels that way and they want him out no matter what so we just want the best return possible, and Gary Jr. is far, far from that.

[CubColtPacer]

 

You equate the Pirates basically forcing the Cubs to take Ramirez in order to get Lofton as Hendry working some sort of magic?

 

I didnt even know thats how it weant down. Well Im glad they forced him on us, considering hes our best players and everyone else involved in the trade is long out of baseball.

 

That's because it didn't go down like that. We were after Ramirez, Lofton was a 1/2 year rental that we got thrown in.

 

You certainly botched the quotes on that response. But, the trade happened basically on the same day Tom Goodwin got hurt, which was less than 3 weeks after Patterson went down for the year.

 

To me, Aramis was a throw in by Pittsburgh just to be rid of his salary. It certainly helped that the Cubs had Jose Hernandez playing 3rd base. But, it cost the Cubs Jose Freaking Hernandez, Matt Bruback and Bobby Hill to get both Lofton AND Ramirez.

 

Any team in the league basically could have beaten that offer, Hendry was just lucky enough to be in desperate need for someone who could field the CF position for half a season when the deal was consumated.

 

The Cubs were in need of a 3b long before July 22nd, 2003. It's when they no longer had a viable CFer that the trade actually happened. If Patterson never gets hurt, I'm not so sure Aramis ever gets traded to the Cubs.

 

If you want to call it working some sort of magic, go for it. But, to me it's just dumb luck.

 

The Cubs had been trying to trade for a 3rd baseman for the previous 2 months. They were chasing after Lowell and then the Marlins suddenly didn't want to trade him. When the Patterson injury then happened, the chance to get Ramirez and Lofton together was a big opening. But I think the Cubs would have very likely gone after Ramirez even if Lofton wasn't in the picture. He wasn't their first choice, but he would have been the fallback plan at a position that the Cubs were desperate to try to upgrade.

 

I do agree with Jersey that in Pittsburgh's mind it was a salary dump though.

[BigbadB1679666149]

It was totally a salary dump. I don't disagree. But that Hendry valued Mike Lowell over someone like Ramirez is further proof that Hendry did not work any magic. It was laid in his lap and he only had to give up Jose Hernandez, Matt Bruback and a PTBNL to make it happen. Pittsburgh even added cash to the deal.