M’s Sign Garko
Well, we finally know who was the long rumored right-handed 1B/DH type the Mariners were after – Ryan Garko, who they have now signed. He gets a 1 year, $550,000 deal, which is quite frankly a massive bargain. To get a quality platoon player in his prime for barely more than the league minimum… for comparison, he’s basically the equal of Garrett Atkins, who signed for $4.5 million earlier this winter.
So, on the cost to acquire relative to talent scale, he obviously makes a lot of sense. The question, though, is how the team will fit him onto the roster.
Garko is a lefty masher, a guy who has consistently hit LHP well but been just okay against RHP. Given the current roster, there aren’t going to be too many DH at-bats open against LHP, with Byrnes slotted in as the left fielder and Bradley shifting to DH against southpaws. So, to get Garko in the line-up vs lefties, he’ll have to play first base, which means he’ll be Kotchman’s platoon partner. That downgrades the defense quite a bit (Garko isn’t much with the glove), and it will be interesting to see how often Wak is willing to make that offense-for-defense swap, especially if Kotchman is hitting RHPs well.
The other issue, and one that we’ve discussed quite a bit lately, is how this kind of move will affect the composition of the bench. Here’s the roster, as it stands – we’ll use vs RHP as the example for now.
Starters: Johnson/Moore-Kotchman-Lopez-Wilson-Figgins-Bradley-Gutierrez-Ichiro-Griffey
Bench: Bard-Hannahan-Garko-Byrnes
This is the bench if the M’s continue to carry 12 pitchers, limiting themselves to just four reserve position players. You have a backup catcher, a backup first baseman, a reserve utility infielder, and a reserve outfielder. That should be enough, right?
Nope. Because here’s what it now looks like against LHP.
Starters: Johnson/Moore-Garko-Lopez-Wilson-Figgins-Byrnes-Gutierrez-Ichiro-Bradley
Bench: Bard-Hannahan-Kotchman-Griffey
Note the problem that will occur in any game where the team faces an LHP and one of the outfielders has to leave, whether via injury/ejection/whatever. If Gutierrez runs into a wall, you move Byrnes to center and stick Griffey in left, and that’s your outfield for the day. Assuming, of course, Griffey’s knees are up to playing the outfield that day, and that Wak is willing to sacrifice the team’s biggest strength (OF defense) and turn it into a glaring weakness. If Junior can’t play the field, or Wak doesn’t want him to, then you’re doing something like putting Garko out there and sticking Kotchman at first, which isn’t much better, honestly.
This isn’t some outlandish scenario where two guys crash into each other and have to leave the game. This will be an issue every single time the M’s face an LHP. They’ll just be playing without a fourth outfielder, which will get really old, really fast.
Given this, I think the M’s have to carry another outfielder. Bradley and Byrnes just aren’t reliable enough to count on them being able to cover all the innings in the outfield between them, especially if Byrnes is also the only backup to Gutierrez and Ichiro. And if you’re going to carry another outfielder, that means a five man bench, which means an 11 man pitching staff.
That they signed Garko, and they know all of the stuff I just wrote above, I have to believe that is a real consideration. Jack even mentioned that an 11 man staff would be “ideal” at our USSM gathering in January, but also mentioned that a decision like that would have to be made during spring training, after they look at how the pitching staff shakes out.
Perhaps I’m reading too much into this signing, but I’d bet that Garko’s addition makes it far more likely that the team breaks camp with only six relievers.
Wow. I would not have called this. Could be that the price was just too good, and Jack just had to take it, and deal with the lineup issues later.
Any word on who was moved or designated to make room on the 40 man? I haven’t seen that anywhere online yet.
Almost makes me wish we weren’t saddled with Griffey’s lack of versatility. (GASP) As an old school M’s fan, that makes me feel guilty.
Yeah this was a surprise to me as well.
One thing to remember though is the versatility of Figgins… IF they do end up going with a 4 man bench, they’ll most likely just view Figgins as their 4th OF against LHP. If Gutierrez went down, they’d shift Byrnes or Ichiro to CF, move Figgins to LF and throw Hannahan in at 3B. Definitely not ideal, but workable.
That said, I certainly hope you’re right and they break camp with an 11 man pitching staff. Any way you slice it, that bench is thin, and I’d rather have the extra body there than in the bullpen.
Ahhhhh, JerBear, you beat me to it. Yeah, Figgins is the missing link here. Last year the reason the M’s did so well was the fact that they were extremely versatile when injuries came a runnin. With players like Figgins, Hannahan, and the fact Jack Z. is bringing on “athletes”, it gives him the ability to slot players all over the place. Smart move in my opinion. Gives another player with plenty of experience in his prime to fill in if Kotchman’s bat just isn’t cutting it.
It’s the price you pay for either:
a) Making the average fan who says “OMG IT’S GRIFFEY AND HE WAS THE BEST THING EVER FOR US IN 1995 AND HE DESERVES A LIFETIME SPOT… etc.” happy, or
b) Keeping the team tickler on board because his implied value to the rest of the team makes it worth it. (I can’t defend this option because it implies that that Griffey could possibly add to other players WAR’s by keeping the mood light. While I break from the authors here and believe that it the idea is plausible, but not definitive like the dissenters, there’s no real way to measure this at all and I wish we didn’t have to burn a roster spot to do so).
Last year’s 12 man staff included the likes of Batista and Silva. Did we really have a 12 man staff or was it more like 10? Wouldn’t this year’s 11 man staff be better than last year’s 12?
Maybe Griffey can break camp with the team, then come down with a mysterious ailment during the second week and spend the rest of the year tickling from the 60 day DL. This roster would be so much more awesome if we weren’t wasting a spot on Griffey.
Of course in an extreme emergency on the days when a lefty is on the hill they could always move Bradley from DH to left and punt on the whole designated hitter thing. You wouldn’t want to do it often but it’s one more option…
What are the odds that Garko and Byrnes both make the team out of Spring training?
nope. Figgins won’t be utility. It’s been stated by (I believe) Wak and quoted here frequently.
Have to believe this will be followed up by another starting pitcher, presumably Washburn. This really dictates an 11-man staff, and that requires another starter more likely to eat innings.
Shouldn’t be surprising after what they said over the weekend, but I’m sure most of saw it as an either/or with Byrnes and Garko. Definitely feeling a little more secure in the offensive side at least.
Have to believe this will be followed up by another starting pitcher, presumably Washburn. This really dictates an 11-man staff, and that requires another starter more likely to eat innings.
Shouldn’t be surprising after what they said over the weekend, but I’m sure most of us saw it as an “either/or” between Byrnes and Garko. Definitely feeling a little more secure in the offensive side at least.
Have to believe this will be followed up by another starting pitcher, presumably Washburn. This really dictates an 11-man staff, and that requires another starter more likely to eat innings.
Shouldn’t be surprising after what they said over the weekend, but I’m sure most of us saw it as an “either/or” between Byrnes and Garko. Definitely feeling a little more secure in the offensive side at least.
The thing is that while you may consider Batista and Silva no pitchers at all, the fact was that they ate innings (no pun intended, really) that other pitchers didn’t have to. Especially Batista. He wasn’t completely fail like Silva, and was able to do mop up work, etc. Without them, you have to give those innings to other people. That’s the problem with going to a shorter bullpen.
The hope is that Felix-Lee will give everyone but League-Aardsma a break 2 days out of 5.
This strikes me as a too-good-a-deal-to-pass-up signing, with the details to sort themselves out in Arizona. Dave’s assessment of an 11-man staff looks to be the likeliest outcome.
Also, props to Leroy Stanton, who called this.
Oh, and RRS giving the bullpen a break every other start or so.
Is there any concern about the same lack of depth at SS? Outside of Wilson the roster now has a total of 161.2 innings of experience at shortstop (11 with Hannahan, and 150.2 with Figgins). Figgins hasn’t played there since 2006, and Hannahan just cut his teeth there last year.
Wilson played 106 games in 2009, 87 in 2008, and 135 in 2007. So even on a good year there should be at least 20 to 30 games where they will need to start someone other than Wilson at short.
I assume that Hannahan will be the guy (pending some other roster move), and he will be busy taking balls at short and second a good portion of Spring Training.
This still leaves the rest of the infield with just one bench player in Hannahans: What if one of Figgins, Wilson, and the second baseman are listed as day to day, so Hannahans is playing, and then something happens to one of the other three?
It would seem odd to me that the team would have 14 non-pitchers on the roster but only one backup for three positions.
This has to be the end of handing out Major League contracts to position players. They have options and decisions to make for sure, but at least they have better options than we’ve seen recently. (Will Vidro spend more time at 2B, DH, or 1B? How much will Willie B. play in the outfield, or is he just an infielder?)
So now we just need SP #3 and then let the kids play it out in ST to see who makes the team and who doesn’t.
I’ve been hoping for a five-man bench for years…this might be a good sign for that.
Couldn’t you pull a double switch and move Bradley from DH to LF and put Griffey in the DH spot? Or is that against major league rules?
(I really need to watch more National League games)
Can’t do it. I believe once you put the DH on the field, the P has to hit. You immediately forfeit your DH when you do that. We did that once last year if I remember correctly.
To add insult to injury, we’re also paying him $2.35M+
He does have 5 separate promotions this year, but that’s still one expensive mascot.
Gonnie Garko!
Ahh, okay, wasn’t aware of that.
As for the 4th outfielder, I think Figgins would be okay with being an emergency outfielder in this case but it’s still not a great situation.
For those concerned about our infield backup depth, factor in Josh Wilson and Tui as ready to come up in a pinch.
Random thought: Wonder if Garko and Cliff Lee are buddies?
If we go with an 11 man pitching staff who is our lefty specialist? I know this doesn’t have to be a lefty pitcher, but looking at things now we have a lot of righty arms in there:
Aardsma
Kelley
League
Lowe
Texeira
Are any of these guys particularly good at getting opposite handed hitters out?
I don’t think having Figgins be a backup outfielder, in case of injury during the game, really qualifies as converting him to a “utility” player.
For those concerned about our infield backup depth, factor in Josh Wilson and Tui as ready to come up in a pinch.
Chris Woodward will also be in camp again.
I didn’t say he’d be a utility man – he’s their starting third-baseman. I just pointed out that if an outfielder got injured while Bradley was DHing, they would probably move figgins to the OF before they would stick Griffey out there.
The Mariners started the season last year without a left handed relief pitcher. We weren’t necessarily going to have one with a 12 man pitching staff and I don’t think you can afford such a luxury with 11.
One thing to keep in mind is that the team may start the year with an 11-man staff because the fifth starter can probably be skipped a few times in April (but not the first week). Starting the year with 11 pitchers does not mean that number will not increase during the season. Griffey’s inevitable trip to the DL will create some flexibility down the road (maybe even by the end of spring training).
The other thing is that an 11-man pitching staff does not mean that the team has to use the same 11 pitchers. The M’s have decent depth at the back end of the staff, and could probably use the Tacoma Shuttle to rotate two or three pitchers through the last spot to circumvent the rule that optioned players must spend 10 days in the minors before being recalled.
They have to be expecting (or at least, planning for, but I have to think expecting) at least one of the players to come out of spring training on the DL.
The Jack Z method is to have belt, suspenders, and a backup emergency belt in the briefcase, and a pair of coveralls in the car. There’s multiple candidates all over the roster now. Once again, he’s demonstrated ability to acquire and stockpile cheap talent.
It will be fun in Peoria, we’ll all get to second guess Wak on who should make the team and who shouldn’t!
If someone comes up lame, or someone looks like he’s lost, or even if someone really puts on a show (even though SSS and Arizona and all that), then I think Wak will change his roster plan on the fly. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see any of these moves (I’m not predicting any of them, just saying these are the sorts of things that could happen in March, and wouldn’t surprise me at all):
Garko or Byrnes or Kotchman get released
Langerhans be DFA’d
Griffey retire
Bradley or Griffey or Garko go on the DL
Tui make the team instead of Hannahan
Saunders or Tui make the team, or both start in Tacoma
In discussing the possibility of carrying just 11 pitchers, I’m not sure why you would bother including Texeira. If they do decide to shorten the bullpen, I can pretty much guarantee the Rule 5 pick isn’t going to be on the roster.
I’m surprised and disappointed that posts rooting for a specific player to go on the DL are allowed here.
Olson, French, or Vargas are left-handed relievers (if they don’t earn a starting spot).
And Garko is the emergency catcher if he makes the team.
Paul, I think you’ve got it right. The last two moves provide some extra flexibility and depth. During the season, the roster is in flux and you never know exactly where that depth is needed. I don’t think they’re locked into anything right now, they’ve just created some more options for themselves.
Remember that Jack Wilson has been put on the 15-day DL exactly twice in his career. All of the rest have been day-to-day. We’re not talking about a pinch here. We’re talking about sending our starting shortstop away for 15 days every time his hammie starts tweaking lest we be left with zero infield depth. Wilson cannot go day-to-day in this lineup, nor can any of the guys playing on either side of him. That’s a problem.
I like this; it’s another good low risk, low cost option. As mentioned before, Figgins could cover LF in the event of an emergency and 12 pitchers proving themselves in the spring, otherwise, you break with an 11 man staff. It kinda opens up competition for the 25th roster slot across all players instead of going into camp with it set at 12 and 13.
Worse case you could run Ichiro out to the mound in the late innings of blowout losses
. I just love watching position players pitch!
On the problem of not having a second backup infielder…
Garko solves this problem. First, it’s not a situation that is likely to occur very often. Second, Garko would play 3B (in a pinch only, he won’t be good there) and that would allow Figgins or Lopez to play SS or 2B.
Of course, Garko has never played 3B. However, if you can play 1B, you are RH, and you can throw, then you can play 3B. Not necessarily very well, but you can play there. Garko was also a catcher in the minors, so I assume he can make the throw. Garko is not the ideal player for this role, but he is better than the alternatives of Moore or Johnson.
@Joe Simpson: Thanks!
As much as I think Ichiro would enjoy pitching and we would enjoy seeing it, I don’t see any manager allowing a star position player to pitch.
I’d also expect to see a lot of experiments in Peoria with the bench and platoon candidates — trying them at different positions.
I think the way to look at this is that they’re giving themselves as many options as they can given their budget constraints (I expect they’re still beating the bushes for another SP) and — 40 man issues aside — they’re not going to worry about the exact makeup of the roster right now. That should work itself out in Spring Training. As I said in the “playing time” thread:
Maybe Byrnes shows up looking lost at the plate and unable to run in the field, and they cut him. Maybe all of them look good, and the team comes out of Spring Training confident enough in their starters and bullpen that they decide to go with an 11 man pitching staff at least for the early part of the season. Maybe they tell Figgins he’s the emergency left fielder — presumably he assumes that anyway, promises about a “full time” position or not (heck, Ibanez thought he might be the emergency catcher)
At the end of the day (
) the key word with Zduriencik is “options†— whether it’s the positions guys can play, the side of the plate they stand on, or the flexibility they give Wakamatsu filling out the lineup card or in the late innings, Zduriencik does not want a roster that traps the team into having nothing but bad choices. And clearly that applies to figuring out last couple of guys on the 25 man roster in spring training, too. Signing a few players to relatively cheap contracts and seeing how they look in Arizona is insurance against injuries and suckiness and whatever. They’re giving Wak as much flexibility as they can and seeing what shakes out.
Fielders who pitch
Just saying, it’s been done before, Wade Boggs and Roid Canseco jump out at me from this list. To your point though, there are probably lower cost and risk choices on the roster.
Actually, Canseco was one example I was thinking of. He hurt his arm, and his manager took the blame (IIRC). Managers learn to avoid unnecessary risk.
Two years ago yesterday, Bavasi was giving Brad Wilkerson $3 million to be our starting right fielder. We’ve got better players signed to the minimum (or close to it) to fight it out for back-up jobs this year. Sorry to bring up the B word, but you gotta love Jack. Hurry up spring!
I have to think this means we have a deal in place for a true horse at #3. Kingston said we could have a deal for another pitcher soon. Snell and Fister won’t likely fill a ton of innings thus burdening the bullpen (making a 6 man bullpen difficult). I think one of the hard throwers (Lowe, Kelley, etc.) may get dealt in the deal also making it more likely we add two guys to the bullpen with long-relief stuff (Hill, Vargas, French, someone else RH perhaps). This is my conspiracy theory at least.
I doubt they’ll carry 3 catchers. Drop Bard and add Langerhans.
You’re counting Johnson and Moore as one player (as the starting catcher), and including Bard as a reserve — giving you 14 position players. Does this mean that only one of Johnson & Moore make the 25 man roster? Or will Bard be the odd man out.
We DFA’d Tommy Everidge, a right-handed 1B/DH type, to clear room for Byrnes. Then we signed Garko. It’ll be interesting to see who they DFA for Garko’s spot. I wonder if that might be a precursor to the next signing.
We are now about as far from Mike Hargrove and his preference for a “set lineup” as we can get. And a good thing. I always thought that was a passive approach to using the roster and that it put a premium on keeping veteran feathers smoothed. Then again, a lot of those guys were getting paid five to ten times as much as Garko.
I think Dave was indicating that one (Johnson or Moore) would start the season on the team, and that the other would start in AAA or on the DL. And that rather than predict which, he just named them both.
(duplicate)
Bard is insurance if Johnson’s not ready to start the season or if they feel Moore needs more seasoning in Tacoma.
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You can think of them just as placeholders. There’s going to be two catchers on the team, no matter who eventually makes it out of Spring Training or who plays the most during the season.
Or maybe we have Jose Lopez and unless he’s dealt there’s no chance we sign Hudson.
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Almost makes me think that the Ms might actually decide to play russian roulette with the outfielders and hope that they don’t get dinged up, even with their injury proneness. And if they do, hope for for an extended DL, not DTD, so that they can call someone up to the roster.
I wonder if this sort of roster construction is indicative of modern analysis, or if our front office is doing this out of necessity.
It will be interesting how much real value they can get out of the potential WAR that they’ve assembled, certainly plenty of food for thought no matter how it turns out.
Hi! I know it’s tempting, but can we maybe please not throw every random rumor or what-happened-to-that-rumor question in here? I don’t have time to track them all back at this point, but there’s a difference between discussing this move and its roster implications (and even what it might mean for a next move, if any) and asking whatever happened to getting Danks (or whatever your particular dull axe-requiring-grinding is)
Dave –
Addressing the problem you pointed out against LHP if an outfielder is unable to complete the game – wouldn’t an easier, better solution be to put Figgins into one of the corner outfield spots, with Hannahan taking over at 3rd? This seems preferable than either Griffey or Garko trying to play the OF.
I know that they promised Figgins a position, but everything I have read about the guy is that he will do what he can to help the team, and we aren’t talking about a long-term situation, but are just trying to get through the game with a reasonable lineup.
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Pretty please?
Chemistry may be coming to Spring training.
Anyone know how many teams have started the season with 11 pitchers over the past few seasons?
Prediction: in 2019 Ichiro announces he’ll be retiring at the end of the season (having passed Pete Rose for the last record worth chasing) and the manager at the time says he’ll let Ichiro pitch an inning in relief in the last game of the season.
He then has to rethink that when that last game turns out to be Game Seven of the World Series.
Looks like it’s Bard
Roster
It was Gaby Hernandez. Josh Bard is on a minor league deal on not on the 40-man roster.
Bard was never on the roster…Dave Tweeted that it was Gaby Hernandez.
He’ll probably pass through waivers and go to Tacoma.
Bard is a non-roster invitee…he’d have to be added when (I assume) he makes the team…they will have to drop someone else then.
If Jack goes with an 11-man pitching staff, it is obvious that Felix and Lee are going to be leaned on heavily to get deep into games. What about going with a 4 man STARTING rotation? That would play to the strength of the team and still gives Don the extra arm in the PEN.
Is that even consider anymore? I know the Braves team’s of the 90′s use to do this with that awesome Starting Rotation. I for one would be all for it. What do you guys think?
The most recent USSM depth chart (January 7) had a relief corps of Aardsma, League, Lowe, Kelley, French, Vargas, Olson and a “blob” of White and Kanekoa Texeira (Fister was in the rotation).
The first 4 are locks, barring a trade or injury. The rest are either starters or mop up guys. If you’re carrying 2 starters among your relievers (say, Vargas and Fister), do you really need a 5th 1- or 2-inning reliever?
Vargas can double as the bullpen lefty. If you’ve used both Fister and Vargas in a game before extra innings, chances are you’re screwed anyway. And if Fister has to toss 6 innings, you can always send him down to Tacoma the next day and call up Olson or French or Nick Hill to fill in the spot.
If we have 4 starters with minor league options to fill 2 bullpen spots, it doesn’t seem too difficult to have an 11-man staff if the club is willing to interchange them. I think it’s brilliant. Maybe I’m wrong.
Does anyone else here think that Jack Z is stocking up on talent so he can make a move for Adrian Gonzalez during the deadline? That is what I have been thinking all along.. cheap deals that he can putt with some other players into a package for someone huge.. what do you guys think?
Or a Gonzalez like talent. Let’s not fall in love with names; as long as we get a function, we should be good.
And…gathering cheap, productive talent is generally a pretty good idea anyway….
Dave,
I don’t think they’ll platoon Kotchman. Garko would be the DH in that scenario. In that case, you’d still have Byrnes (or Langerhans) on the bench. True, at times they’d have Byrnes in the lineup and your point would be correct. But, as others have said, we still have Figgins, not to mention Griffey and Garko.
However, if Byrnes really does bounce back and he starts hitting, then I think the calculations change. At that point, they may want another outfielder, and that could mean 11 pitchers, trading Garko, Griffey retiring, or any number of other possibilities. But, that’s a problem they’d love to have.
I think the lineup will be fine as is. Really any team that has a player get injured in the middle of the game is gonna be pressed a little. You cant be overly worried about that happening. But we have enough options to get through it and deal with it if it were to happen. Do you really think Figgins would throw a fit if Wak asked him to go to left due to an injury for the remainder of one game? I just dont see that happening. And im still in the belief that these guys have been facing all types of pitches their whole lives, so if you have to put in a lefty bat against a lefty pitcher while someone is day to day, they will be able to deal with that too.
Your theory is that they signed Eric Byrnes but they’re not going to play him against LHPs?
Okay…
Count me in with the folks expecting at least one significant injury to play a major part in sorting out this roster — and figuring the same is true of the FO.
My theory is that they’re not sure he can hit yet. They will rest Kotchman, Gutierrez, and Bradley at times too, giving Byrnes a chance to play. If Byrnes is hitting, then – as I said – the calculation changes. I just don’t think they’re counting on Byrnes.
Then you don’t think Byrnes will be on the team. If he’s on the team, he’s in the line-up vs LHPs. There is no scenario where he makes the team out of spring training and then sits on the bench when a southpaw starts.
Dave–
He could be a utility guy/pinch hitter/platoon guy which, given Z’s love of guys with versatility, means he fits right in. And I’m sure he pencils in as a pretty useful insurance policy for DH and 1B.
Also, Garko was College Catcher of the Year at one point, even though he hasn’t played the position at the majors. I think he could fill in as more than just an emergency guy at that position (even if just for Spring training). Stranger things have happened.
For the peanuts they’re paying him maybe he should just be considered a massive upgrade as a bench guy/late innings pinch hitter versus left handers? And an extra layer of insurance at DH/1B?
Plus, as much as Z likes competition on the roster, I could see some of our bargain pickups being unloaded for some prospects if they show anything useful in Spring. And this move also means we have some surplus, in the event another team loses a key player to injury and they’re propensity to trade good talent for glaring needs goes way up all of a sudden.
Makes sense considering Z seems to always have 3 or 4 irons in the fire. The Mariners have never been very astute at having quality major league level replacements on hand to cover injuries, but it seems as if Z enjoys this GM stuff so much he wants to cover absolutely every single scenario imaginable. I’m okay with that.
And if it’s true, it means Z truly thinks we’re gonna compete this year and might have something special here. I’m okay with that too.
The advantage of no lefty in the pen is that they don’t waste pitchers on one-out guys. Wak really did a great job last year of basically telling pitchers they were in there for whole innings, don’t look for help and assume you’re going to have to bail yourself out of trouble. It sure makes games go quicker, too. But I think it will also allow for an 11-man staff, at least during a majority of the season.
Wow i hate this deal. Why couldn’t we have got someone else and let Kotchman have full time 1st playing time. If he doesn’t get full time playing time he’s never going to live up to his potential. Plus, Garko didn’t exactly “mash” the ball the last couple years.
It’s becoming quite apparent that the front office doesn’t want Dave Cameron to post a LH/DH playing time article that’s valid for more than a few days at a time.
I’d be happier with this if Garko had any skillset outside of beating up LHPs. The length and the money are nice and all, but I just kinda wish the roster spot were being used for someone with a glove that beats up LHPs or something.
Garko was just on the radio and said he played with Milton Bradley in A ball and Bradley was “a good guy and a good teammate.” I was glad to hear him say that — even if it was a long time ago — since I think MB getting back to near his peak would make a huge difference.
As for the suggestion that some of these “bargain pickups” could become trade chips, on the surface that doesn’t seem reasonable, since they have already been sitting there for months waiting for calls.
They seem to really be setting up another very competitive Spring Training where a lot of guys compete. Or, is it possible they see Garko as the #2 catcher while either Moore or Johnson is packaged to be sent somewhere else via trade in the coming days? Garko would represent the veteran catcher as well as utility in other areas??
Very few teams ever open the year with 11-man pitching staffs. But almost every team thinks carrying 11 pitchers is “ideal”. Its just not practical.
Bradley isn’t going to DH EVERY game vs. LHP. He does need regular days off. Figure he’ll get 30 starts at DH and maybe another 100 in LF under the current roster construction. In those 30 games he DH’s, how many times will the M’s need a 4th OF? Once or twice maybe? So, sacrifice the DH. Big Deal. You’ve got Griffey and Kotchman to pinch hit for the pitchers (and you have a 7 man pen). Its not a huge disadvantage.
Of course the easier solution is to ask Figgins to play LF for a few innings in those situations. He’d have no problem with that at all.
Really? The only year they were both in the Indians organization was 2003, the year Garko was drafted, and Bradley was already in Cleveland by that point. As far as I can tell, Bradley spent the entire year in the majors. Unless he went out on a rehab assignment where he didn’t actually play?
I’m thinking back to the post that said the M’s couldn’t platoon… and now all of a sudden we’re platooning 2 positions (or 3?).
I know part of the difference is really no difference (hence all the discussion about 12 vs 11 pitchers).
But, which trade/action was it that made the other platoon possible? Can someone help me out?
You can hate the player all you want, but you can’t hate the cost. The guy destroys lefties, and he’s on a minimum deal. $500k is peanuts when compared to $100m.
Kotchman has demonstrated a small platoon split — he has put up .287/.339/.404 against LHP over 327 AB in the past three seasons, compared with .276/.348/.426 against RHP in 1026 AB over the same period. Garko has put up .311/.391/.491 against LHP in 383 AB over the past three seasons, though … sign me up for that, please.
I’m not against this singular move, I’m against the reasoning behind it. Bradley should be the everyday DH, except on needed days off. He’s a switch hitter, so he has no need for a platoon. His defense is “okay”.
I would have rather them done almost anything (Saunders, Damon, Byrnes/Langerhans platoon) to keep Griffey as the 25th man and Bradley the DH.
I think Garko is a fine role-player, but I’m a little down on the current plan.
I’m thinking back to the post that said the M’s couldn’t platoon… and now all of a sudden we’re platooning 2 positions (or 3?).
Are you mixing up platooning with pinch-hitting? Wakamatsu will platoon based on who the starting pitcher is, that’s what he did with Sweeney and Griffey for a good part of last year. He’s just reluctant to substitute the other half of the platoon once the other manager goes to his bullpen. Considering the performance of pinch-hitters in general, that’s understandable.
Also, Bradley’s “okay” defense will hurt us in Safeco’s spacious LF. Add the fact that he will be running around a ton out there, and he will be on the DL sooner than later. Having him as the full-time DH is less injury risk.
You may be right. But, I can envision the scenario where he makes the team as the 4th outfielder, is not considered enough of a superior hitter against (certain) left-handers compared to Kotchman to make up the difference between Garko’s and Kotchman’s defense. The real is question, in my mind, is whether or not he’s a better hitter than Langerhans. He has more power and speed than Langerhans and is fairly close defensively.
“Really? The only year they were both in the Indians organization was 2003, the year Garko was drafted, and Bradley was already in Cleveland by that point. As far as I can tell, Bradley spent the entire year in the majors. Unless he went out on a rehab assignment where he didn’t actually play?”
It’s possible. Bradley was on the disabled list from August 10th, to September 29th of 2003.
If Byrnes’ hammy is healthy than he should be way better defensivly than Langerhans. Though the real question is how many at bats is Garko going to get? I wouldn’t want him to take a lot from either Bradley or Kotchman.
“way better” ?
How much way better?
If Byrnes is ‘way better’ than Langerhans defensively, then Byrnes is pretty amazing. Langerhans is no slouch with the glovework in the corners.
I am so pumped about this move. Garko was one of my favorites to watch at Sunken Diamond, back when he was a catcher for Stanford. I still remember him smashing a monster home run in extra innings.
The 5-man bench seems to be a no-brainer at this point, particularly with Silva cleared from the bullpen. Perhaps this explains the thinking behind Z’s acquisition of League. He wanted to maximize the quality/reliability of each remaining RP spot, knowing that he’d need more room on the bench to cushion the inevitable injuries.
Langerhans seems to be the most logical inclusion if they go with a five-man bench, but of course we will learn more in Spring Training. So excited.
Garko said Bradley probably wouldn’t remember him, since it was only A ball. That surprised me, but it makes sense if they were only teammates for a month, and Bradley was already a major-leaguer.
Garko has the ability to catch. He won the 2003 Johnny Bench Award at Stanford. He has not caught in the Major Leagues. Jack Z has stated that it is a possible option, however it seems unlikely. Thoughts on that?
I noticed Langerhans was left out of the discussion of outfield depth and injury contingency (It was stated that Byrnes would back up DTFT and Ichiro). Is the implication that he will be DFA’d?
Also, I know Wak didn’t pinch pinch hit last year, but now the bench bats are a lot better, so might he reconsider?
I don’t think this debate about to keep Langerhans or not will mean much come late March. One of our three headed injury monster (Griffey, Bradley, Byrnes) will be on the DL.
Honestly, when I’m looking at a bench of Kenji Johjima, Chris Woodward, and Josh Wilson, I’m not pinch hitting either.
Looking at some of the quotes from Jack Z and Garko… Catching is definitely going to be on Ryan’s plate this season. 1B/DH AND C.
Garko is possibly pushing Bard down to AAA? That would keep our options open for more bench flexibility or another pitcher in the bullpen.
If Garko has still “got it” behind the plate, this is a tremendous $550k spent.
I was looking up something about Langerhans and came across this article by Dave from 2007. It’s short and worth reading, or at least skimming to the final two paragraphs at the end.
It’s less than three years ago, but it feels like an entirely different era.
Read. Ruminate. Remember. And be thankful. May we never be there again.
The problem is, pinch hit for whom? The weakest hitters are the catcher and Wilson, and Wilson has no meaningful backup. If they’re only carrying two catchers, pinch hitting for the catcher leaves you at risk of injury afterward. If Bradley is the DH, you’re not going to pinch hit for him. You might pinch hit for Kotchman, but he doesn’t have an obvious backup either.
On this whole OF deficiency thing, Figgins plays pretty well out in LF. WIth the rest of the OFs versatility I think they’d manage. Of coarse that means Hannahan would have to move to third in that case leaving him unavailable to cover WIlson when he bumps his head or sprains a toe.
Aside from this I really think the problem is IF depth. You have 1 guy that can sub for 3B, SS or 2B. I don’t think we even have an emergency 3B glove. This will become an issue when one of WIlson/Lopez/Figgins simply isn’t available one day.
Can’t pinch hit for Wilson if you can’t fill SS the next half inning.
I see no problem with pinch-hitting for Wilson in the 7th, then bringing Hannrahan in for the rest of the game. I see no problem with pinch-hitting for the catcher, then playing the C off the bench, especially if Garko can step in in a pinch.
I was an Orioles fan in the seventies when the great Lenn Sakata, utility guy extraordinaire, had to come in to catch after Earl Weaver pinch hit for his 2nd catcher but didn’t get the winning hit he was banking on. So the relief pitcher picked two or three guys off base just so he wouldn’t have to throw to him. And the Orioles won!
Now that was good baseball.
More seriously, I’m personally thrilled to see yet another example of this team’s flexibility. They’re not obsessed with Defense over offense. They don’t love line drive singles over towering home runs. They’re obsessed with more wins over fewer. That’s what it’s all about.
We can run Garko out there if we have to. We just give him a different glove and tell him not to hold any runners on.
They signed Ryan Garko today.
From Dave’s initial post.
If Garko is effectively the only righty on the bench, with a lefty on the mound, is he going to pinch hit Garko, have the other manager switch to a righthanded pitcher and then have hurt the defense without getting a platoon advantage (since he couldn’t pinch hit for Garko with Griffey and have anyone at all to play first)? I don’t think so.
I don’t think Wak pinch hits ever, which is likely how we can survive with the bench we have put together. Garko is never going to come in and hit for Moore or Wilson. Kotchman or Garko will be on the bench every game unless they Go Gark at DH, Kotch at First, and Bradley in left, which isn’t too attractive of a lineup.
I’m sure we’ll see that some. In fact, I’m sure we’ll see just about every conceivable lineup this year.
I would think they are building low-cost options that will be sorted out in spring training, and that Garko will get a good look at catcher. If he has it, he could be the back-up catcher, also available for 1B and DH. If not, it might be the slag-heap. It seems like both Z and Wak like as many options as they can get, then sift through the options to find the best mix.
I am hoping more and more that Saunders destroys the ball in ST and doesn’t leave any Jack and Wak any choice but to play him. Even if they platoon him with Byrnes he would still get 350-400AB, and would be able to spell Gutierrez and Ichiro as needed.
Are the Mods on vacation? My jaw dropped at this bon mot at the top:
I am glad I wasn’t drinking a glass of milk when I was reading that.
The low cost signing of this move makes me think that Lopez is as good as gone ( or at least I hope so.) The way Fanfest turns out makes me think that attendance won’t be as bad this year so I’m a little bit more comfortable that they probably won’t lower payroll this year, which still leaves us a tone of cash for free agents. I’m thinking meet Orlando Hudson in-between his 9 mil and the 3-4 the nats were willing to offer. Then I’m thinking trade route for the starting pitcher as there is no one I trust on the FA market I trust to be a solid, consistent number 3 to make me feel good about an 11-man pitching staff. Who that is we might be able to get in a trade though i have no idea.
I think we can all agree that this move gives the Mariners tremendous flexibility with the roster both at the big league level and with players stashed in AAA.
Is it really necessary for us to keep doing mental gymnastics to come up with scenarios where we don’t have enough players on the bench? Yes, we have some injury-prone players. So does every MLB team. And, yes if we have five guys get hurt in the same game, then we would have to clear the bench to replace them and then if someone gets ejected we would either have to go with the Moose or one of the coaches or maybe Mark Lowe at SS. Short of that, though, I think we’ll be in great shape.
Amen to that, LongTimeFan. The M’s will have Figgins (2B/3B/OF), Hannahan (SS/2B/3B), Lopie (2B/1B/3B?), three center-fielders, and a 1B who can catch in a pinch, on the roster. I think they’ll be fine…
CCW,
I wonder how SS depth will play out. Do you think Hannahan would get the nod over Figgins and Lopez? He’s only played 3 games there in his career, including the minors. I’d have to think they’d prefer Figgins at SS. Lopez obviously has lots of experience at SS, but it’s hard to say he’d be the choice over Hannahan.
Few things to say about Garko with some qualifications – over the course of his career (and including last year when he was traded and didn’t hit well in the NL), some small samples, etc.
Yes, he mashes lefties. This is something we didn’t have much of.
Interestingly, he mashes Tex (.366 .438 .451 .889) and Oak (.356 .411 .621 1.031) and Ana (.283 .389 .567 .956). These are samples of just under 100 ABs, but STILL!
He’s very good leading off an inning = career .314 .388 .512 .900. This is interesting when you think about where to plug him in the lineup as a starter (more random when you look at subs, later innings, etc.)
He’s better with more ABs. A LOT better.
His lifetime avgs at Safeco? .313 .371 .719 1.090
Only 32 ABs, but STILL! Including 3 homers and 4 2Bs.
I think Garko is the third catcher, period. Not the second. He quit catching a few years ago and doesn’t appear to have caught in the major leagues. He himself said third.
Normally I don’t like absolutes, but in this case, you’re absolutely right.
Hudson is not a significant upgrade over Lopez. He’s a better defender, yes, and his OBP means he’s a better fit on the new look M’s, but he’s a downgrade at the plate. So overall, it’s a wash, and Lopez at $2M is considerably cheaper. The only reason you go get Hudson is because you already traded Lopez for something valuable, which at this point means pitching. That was the essence of the “Lopez for Liriano” idea (before Liriano pumped up his stock by throwing hard in winter ball). You’re not trading Lopez simply to get rid of him. Trading Lopez has to make the team better in itself, because just replacing him with Hudson doesn’t do that.
He’ll start the season in Tacoma no matter what (he has to show he can hit to all fields, and he has very little experience at the AAA level yet). When Bradley inevitably goes on the DL for a few weeks he’ll come up to platoon with Byrnes. I hope he tears it up as well, but with the roster the way it is he’s behind too many guys until an injury or roster move thins things out.
I’ve always thought most managers spent too much time worrying about what to do if there was a midgame injury, so I am not highly concerned about that scenario. OTOH, when you are putting an emphasis on defense, the low-gloviness of some of the irregulars and lack of a true backup SS gives me pause.
The injury risk with some of these guys has multiple consequences. Day to day or within a game, it could put Wak in a crunch, but someone like Griffey or Bradley going on the DL would unjam things a bit.
I agree. But it’s still interesting because of the effect it might have on Wakamatsu. If he knows he has a guy on the bench who can cover catching if necessary, Wak might be more willing to do things like pinch-hit for Johnson in late innings or sit him mid-game if his hips look to be hurting. Managers hate to do that in general because if the backup catcher goes into the game and gets hurt, you’re screwed. But the equation (or at least the comfort level) changes if you know your “emergency” guy isn’t that bad.
Of course, the “show up with my gear and spend a lot of time getting the rust off in Spring Training” thing may just be Garko’s version of Griffey “getting ripped” or Washburn’s “new pitch” — you say all the right things, especially when somebody has just given you a job late in the offseason. Whether it amounts to anything is something we’ll just have to wait and see — though Garko’s catching pedigree is actually pretty good and Johnson, despite what he’s been saying about his recovery from surgery (yes, more of those offseason “best shape of my life” comments), may be a little slow out of the blocks. So there may actually be some catching opportunities for Garko in split squad games, etc, even with Bard also in camp.
There’s certainly a timing issue, though. I suppose you could sign Hudson and then hang onto Lopez for awhile. They could split time at second and could also be a utility infielder until one was traded, at which point a utility infielder would be called up from AAA.
One could argue that might reduce Lopez’ value. But I don’t think there would be any huge hurry to make the deal, so could wait for fair value in a trade.
Paul B, Hudson obviously wants to start. I’m sure the situation last year with Ronnie Belliard stung. Even if he did sign because Seattle was the last option, it wouldn’t be a happy situation and potential trade partners would know it. Furthermore, this would mean jettisoning Hannahan, who I’d much rather have as a back up infielder, especially for late in close games.
Joser,
I think you’re exactly right on what Garko’s catching ability gives the M’s. A third catcher is a luxury managers love to have, but can seldom afford. I’m also glad to hear you think Garko could even be a decent catcher. That only strengthens the argument.
The other thing I think we’ll see in spring training is Garko getting some time at 3B. If he can be anything better than terrible that is a big plus. That in itself could change the makeup of the roster. Otherwise, I think the M’s might have some concerns with infield depth.
I can’t imagine a more excited fan base in all of MLB this off-season. Z has made the M’s a team worth following all year long – thanks Z!
If he can somehow land Hudson, pitchers are going to be salivating to get back on the mound. I absolutely love great defense – and a Figgins, Wilson, Hudson, and Kotchman infield, with Guti and Ichiro in the outfield…wow!
I’m not sure moving a bad defensive 1B to 3B has anywhere to go defensively besides the horrible you hope Garko wouldn’t be, Leroy.
Other than that, all my thoughts have been expanded and expounded. Nice thorough and interesting conversation everyone.
Certainly, you’re right – you wouldn’t want to “move” him to third. I only meant that it would be nice to find out if he could play 3B acceptably for a very limited amount of time, similar to his role as 3rd catcher.
Also, I’m not sure how you’re defining “bad defensive 1B”. I hope he’s merely below average and not really bad. But, that may be a distinction without a difference.
When I read that they signed Garko for the price that they did I was initially estatic about the signing. After thinking about it a little while I was thinking the same thing about their outfield. Bottom line is this acquisition will be very good for the team, and maybe we will have to run short on the bullpen but I think it is worth it. Garko helps fill a need on this team for a very cheap price; middle of the order hitter with some power.
He did win the Johnny Bench award in 2003, so he definitely has a toolbox behind the plate. How much time he has to spend “getting the rust off” of those tools, as Joser mentioned, is the question. But if he’s third string, I’m not worried.
He has never played leftward of 1b in his entire professional career. That ought to be one heck of a crash course. In fact, after scoping the 40-man at Baseball-Reference, The only player I could find who has ever had experience left of 1st and who does not specialize in one of those positions is Mike Carp at 3b in his early minors days, with a grand total of 3 errors in 20 defensive chances. Eep.
One could argue that might reduce Lopez’ value. But I don’t think there would be any huge hurry to make the deal, so could wait for fair value in a trade.
As Dave (or someone) pointed out (sound of man rummaging for link and not finding it), the market for 2B FAs isn’t very good right now, with Felipe Lopez AND Orlando Hudson available on the FA market without having to trade any talent at all, and Ronnie Belliard having signed for under a million. Lopez doesn’t have much value in this environment, even if his salary’s not bad for 2010, because a 2-3 million dollar premium just doesn’t buy much in 2010 (and remember, he’s under contract for 2011). Arguably, Tui would be more valuable in this sort of trade than Jose Lopez. Tui probably could be a ~1.5-2.0 WAR player at 2B, so a bit worse than Lopez… but much, MUCH cheaper, and if a team is pinching pennies to the point where a free agent that’s ~Lopez is not an option on a one year deal, but you need to trade a pitcher away, why commit yourself to $6 million in salary the next two years instead of having a younger player under control and cheaper for much, much longer?
Thus, I don’t see Lopez going anywhere in 2010 at this point. If (heaven forfend) we’re toast in June and Lopez steps it up a notch from 2009, though, THEN I see him possibly having value on the market and Zduriencik maybe swinging a deal. But at this point I don’t see GM’s giving up signficant talent to save maybe 2-3 million in salary for one year (and being committed to a salary bump in year two).
Also, I’m not sure how you’re defining “bad defensive 1Bâ€. I hope he’s merely below average and not really bad.
Somewhere between Branyan and Sexson.
Garko, Kotchman, Byrnes, and Bradley…at least one of those guys is going to stay healthy and thrive in the competition to play. They all have something to prove. One of them will have a breakout/breakthrough year.
I wouldn’t say “breakout” , and I wouldn’t include Kotchman, but I think there is fair chance of one of the other three delivering a lot more than they are costing the M’s.
Any chance either Moore or Johnson stays behind in AAA while Garko becomes the backup catcher?
Um, wow. Where do you get that? He may be able to be around average with the bat, but I can’t see how he could be anywhere close to adequate defensively. He wasn’t good enough at third in the minors, so why would anyone think he could be any good if he moved to second? It’s considered by most to be the more dificult position.
No.
Sadly one of those two lumps will be catching for us, and the other one will be taking up valuable bench space. Hopefully they can sell peanuts between innings.
my thought on a 11 man bullpen, We didn’t run a LOOGY last year, and probably won’t this year, so essentially we are a typical bullpen-LOOGY. That’s fine with me. Plus couldn’t we make one of the guys who doesn’t crack the rotation the long reliever/mop up guy? Not sure if that’s an officiant use of a 6th and 7th starter or not.
Regardless of what happens with the final 25 man roster, spring should be a hell of a lot of fun.
He wasn’t good enough at third in the minors, so why would anyone think he could be any good if he moved to second?
I don’t know about that; looking at him during September, he looked adequate at 2B. Dave seemed to agree.
That’s too bad. There is no way he could be worse at catcher than King-passed-ball Johnson.
Rationale for claiming they’re the same?
Garko will be the third catcher and nothing more. If he gets in to more then 2 or 3 games this year as catcher I’ll be surprised. The M’s did not sign him to be the 2nd catcher. The fact that he can catch some is an added bonus. Garko is a DH/1B and maybe LF once in awhile. Don’t expect much more then that.
than
That was all of six games. There’s no way you can look at a player for 6 games and have much of a clue if he can handle the position. The best evidence we have is his minor league history, none of which suggests that he would be able to move over to second and play well there. Is it possible that he could do it? Well, yes. Is it very likely? Not at all.
How likely is it that Tui is the next Clement and gets traded because we have Figgins at 3rd and Lopez/Ackley at 2nd for the near future? Is it really right to make Tui wait 3-4 more years to get to the majors when other teams can use him, and the M’s can use what those other teams have? I just don’t see a future for him unless Figgins goes to second, and that is unlikely. I belive there was already a discussion about that not being of an advantage to the team anyways.
Most likely, I see Lopez staying at 2nd this year, Ackley coming up next year, and Lopez and Tui getting traded next off season, or at the deadline to get that 3rd starter we may need if Snell/Olson/Vargas/French/Fister arn’t cutting it.
Thanks IwearMsHats. I should have used the word then in the proper context.
Is it really right to make Tui wait 3-4 more years to get to the majors when other teams can use him, and the M’s can use what those other teams have? I just don’t see a future for him unless Figgins goes to second, and that is unlikely.
Well he could alsways be the backup catcher.
I don’t think we will see Garko behind the plate unless it’s an absolute emergency.
Also, I think Bard will be the back-up catcher unless he is awful in ST.
Moore probably needs more time in Tacoma and Johnson might not even be healthy.
And, they also signed Alfonzo.
So if the two kids aren’t ready yet, we have two guys with a lot of MLB experience invited to camp.
Garko will not be one of the two catchers.
The best evidence we have is his minor league history, none of which suggests that he would be able to move over to second and play well there.
Well, actually, if you read the thread I linked to, that’s not clearly the case. Several people who saw him in Tacoma said “he’s done OK enough during his time at 2B to deserve a shot there”.
With all the changes to the team, did the number of wins for 2010 go up substantially or just end up near what Dave proposed back before the trading started?
Seems like this team has enough young players where their up side has more chance of happening than the opposite especially the pitching staff where Lee is the only one over 30.
Even with Griffey, the expected 25 players would average below 30.
Cant see Tui or Saunders making this team unless a couple people injure themselves during spring training which has a clear possibility.
Is it just me, or would Garko have a lot more MLB catching experience if he wasn’t on a team with Victor Martinez? He might be more than talented enough to be a #2, or catch once a week, etc.
Options are never bad.
I agree on the #2 catcher option for Garko. How much do you need from a backup catcher? One a week? What if Lee decides Garko is his man? As a pitcher I’d want his bat in the lineup vs. other options.
He obviously has the tools. And if he IS some drop off from another backup catcher, I am not certain that the negative outweighs the positive of the extra pitcher or extra position player flexibility. Especially for an offensively tepid and injury prone roster.
\
21 games at AAA. Looking “OK enough” to “deserve a shot there” is hardly good evidence that he’d be able to play the position well in the Majors. If he plays the position a lot down in Tacoma this year and plays it competently, we’d have a lot more confidence that he’d be able to play it well in the Majors. Right now, there’s not much reason to think that he could.
If the M’s are still in the hunt for a 3rd SP, does the idea of going with 11 pitchers change which pitcher we go for?
I’d imagine we’d be placing more premium on innings eaters. And that that might make Bedard less interesting. Dave tweeted about Pedro/Smoltz, but both of those guys can only be counted on for 5 innings a start. I’m not advocating Washburn, but at least he averaged more than 6 per start last year.
Anyone sign Livan Hernandez yet?
[ot]
I wonder how “rusty” Garko is with catching. He did it at the “AAA” level as well. It appears his bat is what brought him to the big club, with Victor Martinez and Co. ahead of him. I hope he gets a good look in ST at the catching position. That would be a real nice fit, if he is competent.
I love all the moves that Jack Z has made, as a whole so far, but the one move that appears to be horrible so far is the trading of Bill Hall for Kotchman. Kotchman is only a defensive player at best. His career OBP is only .337 and his SLG is only .406. For a position that is primarily a power position, I believe the M’s could have used the 3.52 million, that they signed Kotchman for, and given this to Branyan or someone else. The signing of Garko officially signaled the end of a possible Branyan reunion to the M’s. I know this is only for one year, hopefully, and this will lead to the trade for Adrian or Prince, but I just can’t help but feel that the M’s did Branyan and the fans wrong.
Jim Street says “rumblings in blogoland are that the M’s may be bringing back Bedard.”
Just one question, where is blogoland?
Boy, you guys sure are determined to take this thread off topic, aren’t you?
I think most people would agree with this. Note, though, that the M’s shed $1M in Bill Hall’s salary, so Kotchman’s net cost is $2.5M.
It wouldn’t surprise me much if Jack Z actually does regret the Kotchman trade, considering where the market for Branyan and Garko eventually went.
It also wouldn’t surprise me if Jack Z knows more than us about Branyan’s back and Kotchman’s likelihood of breakout.
Moore starting in Tacoma, Bard is the backup catcher, and Langerhans will be in Moore’s bench spot. Garko is your emergency catcher, as he was a catcher at Stanford in college. There is your extra outfielder and you can come out of Peoria with a 12 man pitching staff.
From Jeff Kingston via Pro Ball NW
Here’s an attempt to get back on topic…
Doesn’t this strongly suggest that the Mariners are looking to bolster the DH far more than platooning Kotchman? If that’s the case, doesn’t this mean that Bradley is the left-fielder with nothing more than an occasional appearance at DH?
Also, Garko’s contract was structured heavily based on plate appearances. This leads me to believe that the Mariners laid out a scenario for Garko where he could be reasonably assured of significant playing time. Do you think it’s reasonable to believe that Garko was told he’d be given a chance to outperform Griffey and, if he does that, he will have a good chance of reaching at least some of those plate appearance bonuses?
Dave, does this quote from Jeff Kingston change you playing time calculations at all – or did you already consider this info?
CCW,
I liked the Kotchman move. LaRoche would’ve been better, but not much. And he wasn’t available at the price Arizona paid at the time Jack made the Kotchman deal. I also think Kotchman has the potential for a nice upside surprise. I think he’s one of the key guys to watch this year.
It was the Morrow move that I hated.
I would be very surprised if Garko catches a single game this year. Zduriencik is a defense-oriented GM and he didn’t sign Garko to be a catcher.
I wouldn’t read much into Garko’s plate appearance incentives. Lots of players have goofy incentive clauses for things they’ll never attain.
But these are very attainable and they start at just 325 PAs and move up in increments of 25 or 50.