Ryan Garko Signs With Mariners for $550,000

I may be making a mountain out of a molehill here, but this particular transaction just drives me crazy. Garko is not going to make a huge difference in the standings. He's not an elite - or even very good - player. He was, however, a perfect fit for the Mets at this moment in time and instead signed for another team for absolutely dirt cheap.*

*Which reminds me, I need to get around to that "Biggest Man Crush Ever: Jack Zduriencik Edition" blog I have been meaning to write. I know it's been pointed out before what a great job he has been doing, but this is just getting ridiculous. But that is for another time.

Many people like to criticize Minaya in general: "Oh he fights the last war" or "He doesn't complement our stars properly" or what-have-you. I try not to do that. I try to be as specific as possible. This (apparent) lack of initiative regarding Garko is one of those things.

Ryan Garko and Roster Construction

We at Fonzie Forever have been in favor of bringing Ryan Garko on board here for a few months now. In early December, we pointed out:

Garko has a career .313 average and 887 OPS against left handed pitching - the perfect compliment to Dan Murphy in a platoon at first base. He's not a world-beater in general, being a 28-year-old first baseman with an average bat and average-to-below-average glove, but he has his uses.

More recently, Anthony DeRosa at Hot Foot pointed out that Mets fans on twitter are "almost unanimous" in their support of that move. But here at Fonzie Forever, we have a habit of challenging conventional wisdom. Going a level deeper - does acquiring Ryan Garko make sense?

DeRosa Not Worth The Cost

Metsblog.com relayed a report by the Boston Globe saying that Mark DeRosa's asking price may have come down to $10 million. They opined:

…i like DeRosa in a platoon situation with Daniel Murphy, and i also can envision him in a part time role in the outfield…i would not look for him to be an everyday solution right now, but his versatility is something i feel the Mets could use, especially with all of the health issues that has plagued this team in recent years…

I respectfully disagree. Daniel Murphy had a rough season last year, hitting only .266/.313/.427. Mark DeRosa, on the other hand, was almost EXACTLY the same hitter, batting .250/.319/.433. They were nearly identical.

However, DeRosa is expensive and older. DeRosa is going to play this season at age 35. His career batting line is .275/.343/.424, although he had a nice little stretch from 2006-2008. The point is, he is old and getting older, and his absolute ceiling is that of a hitter with an 800 OPS.

Metsblog mentions DeRosa's versatility as a plus, but it is common knowledge that baseball players defensive value falls off a cliff in their 30's. Just because a guy PLAYS several positions, does not mean he plays them well. He went from a peak defensive value of +7 in 2006, to 1.7, to -0.9 and then finally down to -2.7 last season. He had a -8.7 UZR at third base last season and he was atrocious at second base the last time he played there - although his stats in the outfield were great in limited action. The stats back up what common sense and personal observation would imply - that DeRosa is a not one of those useful swiss-army-knife players anymore.

Basically, DeRosa would be relegated to the outfield or to first base, and he does not hit NEARLY well enough to justify a contract at either of those spots.

If the Mets want to bring in a platoon partner for Murphy, who struggled against lefties last year, there are other options, including many non-tendered players. Jack Cust has a career 864 OPS against righties and 58 home runs in the last two seasons. Ryan Garko has a .313 career average and 887 OPS against lefties. Another site speculated that Troy Glaus, a career .277/.399/.558 hitter against lefties, could be an option as well. All would be infinitely cheaper and more useful than DeRosa.