Someone else’s headache has a chance to be the Mets’ aspirin.
The Angels were so eager to dump Gary Matthews Jr., they agreed yesterday to pay the Mets $21.5 million to take him off their hands. It left the Mets with another option to play center field for at least the first month of the season while Carlos Beltran recovers from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.
In return, the Angels received Brian Stokes, who emerged as a dependable reliever for the Mets last season. The 35-year-old Matthews hit .250 with four homers and 50 RBIs for the Angels in 2009. He has two years at $23.5 million remaining on the $50 million contract he signed before the 2007 season. With the money the Angels are sending, the Mets are on the hook for just $2 million.
“I felt with Carlos being out, it’s an opportunity to get a guy who is versatile and in our ballpark can play all outfield positions,” general manager Omar Minaya said. “To get a guy like him, with Carlos or without Carlos, it just makes our team better.”
Minaya said he already has spoken to manager Jerry Manuel about the trade and expects center field will be an open competition between Matthews and Angel Pagan until Beltran returns.
Matthews was named in the Mitchell Report for allegedly receiving shipments of human growth hormone in 2004, but he denied he used HGH. His best season came for the Rangers in 2006, when he hit .313 with 19 homers and 79 RBIs, leading to the big contract from the Angels.
But after one season as the Angels’ starting center fielder, Matthews was displaced by free agent Torii Hunter. Matthews largely was a backup for the past two seasons.
“This is going to be a change-of-scenery guy,” Minaya said. “It’s an opportunity for him to come to New York and be able to get hopefully more playing time. He might be able to get more playing time here as the year goes on.”
Regardless of how much he plays, Matthews will provide the Mets with badly needed outfield depth. Last season, the team was stretched thin when Beltran and Gary Sheffield were injured, leaving light-hitting Cory Sullivan and Jeremy Reed to play more than the Mets would have liked.
Pagan was among the Mets’ bright spots last season. He hit .306 with 14 stolen bases in 88 games, but also has a history of injuries.
“It’s going to be open competition,” Minaya said. “That’s the same thing I told Gary Matthews Jr. when he asked. Nobody is going to be given the job. Whoever is going to play is going to perform and be given the opportunity.”