In this week’s issue of Sports Illustrated, Joe Sheenan argues that the Angels would be wise to release outfielder Gary Matthews Jr.:

“The Angels release Gary Matthews Jr., and the Dodgers release Juan Pierre. Both Southern California clubs need to come to their senses. Two winters ago they each entered into an outlandish five-year deal with a free agent who is now an extra outfielder at best. Rather than waste a roster spot- or, heaven forbid, a lineup spot – on a player who isn’t worth one and who won’t be happy if he’s not starting, the teams need to cut their mistakes and move on. Don’t let the first bad decision lead to more bad decisions.”

While it was a disappointing 2007 campaign for Matthews, who made $9.4 million this past season but batted just .242 for eight homer runs and 46 RBIs, it is unrealistic to simply release him. 

In a perfect world, the Halos would simply cut ties with a player who is underperforming, but in the case of Matthews, that would be too costly. 

In November of 2006, Matthews agreed to a five-year, $50 million deal that includes a partial no-trade clause. In 2007, Matthews made $6.4 million so the Angels still owe him $34.2 million over the next three years (2009-11). With such an expensive deal, it would be tough for the Angels to justify paying a player who is not even on the roster such a high salary. Therefore, with three years left on his deal, the Angels should look to increase his productivity instead of releasing him.

First off, Matthews performed so poorly this past season in large part due to nagging knee problems. By having surgery this past week, look for him to be much more healthy in 2009. One of his most important assets to the team is his speed, and by playing on a bumb knee, it was quite difficult for Mike Scioscia to use him to swipe bases. Now, provided he is healthy, he could be far more productive next season.

But even if he is healthy, Matthews still needs to improve at the plate and revert back to his 2006 form, where he nearly had 100 RBIs and had a batting average over .300. One of the ways in which they can help Matthews regain his swing would be to hire Rudy Jaramillo, the Texas Rangers’ batting instructor. Jaramillo he has been responsible for more Silver Slugger award winners than any other active major league hitting coach, and Texas annually has some of the best offenses in the league. Remember, Matthews’s only good pofessional seasons where under Jaramillo in Texas. It would be far less expensive than releasing him so it certainly deserves a shot.

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