One day after signing arbitration-eligible pitcher Armando Galarraga to a one-year, $2.3 million deal, the Tigers announced the signing of SP Brad Penny and therefore have designated Galarraga (he of the infamous "near perfect-game" fame) for assignment. If the Mets were to claim him, they'd only be responsible for paying him the major league minimum, with the Tigers on the hook for the balance of his deal. Galarraga has truly been a "Jekyll & Hyde" type pitcher, but when he's been good, he looks like an SP2- and when he's not, well, shades of Ollie Perez. He's certainly worth a gamble, especially at that price!! Could someone worthwhile finally be falling into our laps??Special thanks to the great folks at MLB Trade Rumors for breaking this news- they are consistently the best at what they do!!
6 comments:
I'm always intrigued by AL pitchers going to the NL.
But good pitchers find a way to be consistent no matter what and the Mets can't afford to experiment with the rotation.
Jose- I, too, am intrigued by the AL - to - NL transition for pitchers, and have to think that with a mid-4 ERA w/ Tigers, he'd be at least a half-run or more below that in the NL, particularly in Citi-Field and he can eat innings. Worth at LEAST a grab at that price, no?
I thought if they RELEASE him, he's a FA and be signed for the ML min.
If he;s put on waivers & the Mets claim him, they are on the hook for his contract. No?
Hobie- you are correct. If we were to indeed claim him, we are on the hook for the entire contract. Should he make it thru waivers, the Tigers are responsible for everything except the minimum salary amount. I believe, from what I've been hearing, that they are comfortable that they have a potential deal to trade him, which would probably freeze out the Mets- but, you never know!!!!
Aren't there other teams in both leagues that have a shot at waiver claims ahead of the Mets? Why wouldn't any/every team snatch this guy up?
@Nickel7168 - Good question- there will be an opportunity for about 14 other teams to grab him before the Mets- however, not everyone wants to pay the $$ for a starter right now as many teams are already set in that area, hard as it is to believe. I think, though, that the Tigers made this move because they are about to pull the plug on a deal for Galarraga and this basically makes the potential teams play to the Tigers time-line, as they risk losing him to another claiming team unless the Tigers deal him first. I am betting that the Yankees, Rangers and Twins are paying close attention to this situation and it would NOT surprise me if he ends up with the Yankees...
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