Sounds as if they are only going to make one more move, and see if you can guess what Z has in mind:
"We're still looking for a right-handed bat. We'd like to add a right-handed bat, to be somewhere, whether it's at first base, DH, outfield. . . . What we're going to have to end up with is someone that fits our club, someone that has a degree of versatility, someone that offers an element that is an element of need right now. It is a bat. We're open to where it can be. . . . I'd say it would probably be a versatile position. If we end up with that, it would probably be a guy that offers multiple skills. . . . We're playing with a few things right now that we're reasonably comfortable with that might happen."
By process of elimination: 1. Not Johnny Damon. 2. They don't plan on moving folks around the diamond to give those RH at-bats to Tui (score that one for G, I guess). 3. Not a #3 starter.
So, move our fascinations to the side, and zero in on Z's fascination.
Seems to maybe narrow down to Ryan Garko (1b/OF) or Melvin Mora (3b/U, but looks like he hasn't really been used outside of 3b since 03).
Mora is just one year away from a 23-HR, .826 OPS season, but it looks like he went over the proverbial cliff in 09. Does he have value left as a RH utility guy?
Doc already summed up Garko: "Problem is, Garko hits only 300/390/490 against LHP's, and I don't call that a lefty-masher. It's just not enough of a pinball bonus for me. Give the AB's to Tuiasosopo or somebody important." But how does he look through the prism of "Z ain't gonna give those ABs to Tui anyway?"
Or is there somebody else?
better than what we've got against lefties. OK, so Garko might not be a "lefty masher", but he fits the OF/1B/DH mold and can be a positive contributor in that role. Would I prefer LF/1B/DH position players that don't need platoon partners? Sure, but we can compete this year in this scenario without breaking the bank.
Zduriencik wants a legit #3 and a legit #4 as much as any of us, but he keeps reiterating that in the short-term, he has to makeshift.
Am guessing he wants as good a RH bat as possible, but since there probably aren't any around who can SLG .475-.500 (except for Jose Lopez), he'll have to settle for one who gets to 2-3 WAR via defense, speed etc.
We have little doubt that if there were a 25-year-old right hand hitter out there who just had 25 HR and 96 RBI, he'd be a primary target...
Interesting suggestion, but yeah, having fallen off the table at 37, to a 79 OPS+, you probably don't want to *bet* him to beat his age-37 year now that he's 38.
Mora's platoon splits are almost nonexistent for his career and for 2009. So, I might be inclined to move on, but that's just me :- )
Strange. I don't get the obsession with the RH bat. We're already a team that is stronger vs LHP, if anything we need a LH bat.
It completely confuses me when people (many people, some even holding prominent positions in the 'sphere) complain that we're too LH heavy. In my mind, we have three legit plus right-handed hitters in Bradley, Lopez and Guitierrez.
Lefties? Ichiro doesn't count because he's a non-factor at power, and because there's usually no appreciable platoon splite. Bradley is a step worse vs. righties, Griffey isn't exactly projected to torch righties and Figgins falls into the same category as Ichiro, kind of irrelevant to the whole lefty vs. righty discussion due to negligable power (and switch-hitter-ness).
We have pretty much no plus lefty hitter anywhere on the team. I'm not saying it's essential to have multiple lefty sluggers, but once again we are creating a lineup which contradicts our park (in this regard), albeit not as extremely as in recent years.
To me, handedness only matters inasmuch as there are A) drastic platoon splits which create inequality and B) major park factors such as Safeco, Yankee or Fenway. We're probably not as severe as either of those two in positive effects, but you'd better believe Safeco is just as rough on the negatives.
Completely agreed Jonez on all points... We're also actually a bit weaker vs RH GB pitching this season.
Dumping Kotchman for Branyan would solve A LOT of those problems.. If you want to add a Garko to platoon with Branyan in that scenario then fine.. That would make a lot more sense to me (maximizing production, keeping Branyan fresh).
Adding a replacement level 1B at around $4mil is probably Z's worst move as a GM so far IMO.
was the weakest maneuver thus far presented by the Captain Jack administration. The only thing I'll say (neither in defense nor condemnation of it) is Kotchman does seem to fit the mold of Jack's team, and he is totally curb-able if he doesn't pan out.
I'm always skeptical of bat-first position (1b, LF, RF) players not possessing either exTREME speed or potentially thunderous power in their swings. Kotch is slow, possesses almost no power, but is a good fielder. I mean, if we wanted Doug Mientkiewicz, I think he's available and last year he signed for $500k.
I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt to Jack on this one to a point. And given his decisiveness in making important roster moves, I think we can give him a mulligan or two along the way. It's not like he hasn't alREADy earned his keep with the Putz trade, Felix extension and Lee acquisition.
But yeah, I disagree with acquiring Kotchman. At the time there were plenty of better, reasonable options available.
Overall Z has been amazing. No doubt. The Cliff Lee and Milton Bradley deals in particular are genius. I loved the Figgins deal and every other move hes made has improved this team in some way (which makes this deal all the harder to understand for me).
I'd really like to hear a more detailed reason from him on Kotchman though. Maybe they are going to give him a Ben Zobrist-style tweak to his swing? I don't know...it seems like a waste of $3.5mil at a position where we need a bat.