of upside, rather than the re-iterating the simple WAR paradigm we see way, way, WAY too often in our local scene. I was, however, approaching the discussion from that particular angle for just a moment. The greater point being "Hey, even if this guy doesn't do anything to improve, he's still a valuable piece. And there's the very real possibility that he comes out an .850's from a spot we have literally zero high-upside depth at.
But yeah, his leveraged value would be, theoretically, the kind of piece you can build up against when executing in-game strategy. Knowing he's sitting on the bench when Jr., Kotchman or whoever is scheduled to bat might just belay that middling LOOGY's call, giving the current guys a better chance at it.
Byrnes is the same sans positional flexibility. These are two guys who present ~equal offensive skills in a limited, late-inning role that can absolutely change the complexion of a game, if not the actual outcome.
The thing I really like about Garko is the C flexibility. Even if he's nothing more than a bad catcher, he still allows you to at least threaten him late in the game at the C spot, in addition to 1B and COF. That's huge compared to a guy like Byrnes, who is probably better off as a platoon/4th OF type in the bigger picture if he breaks camp with the club.
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