This story really flew under the radar, but on Tuesday former Phillie flop Freddy Garcia was released by the Mets. Garcia signed a deal with New York in the offseason in an attempt to try to make their starting rotation, but things weren’t going so well for Freddy with the Mets AAA affiliate. He had an 8.18 ERA and his fastest pitch was clocking in at just 85 on the radar gun.
Obviously you have to feel for Freddy: I’m sure if it were up to him he would have stayed healthy during his time in Philly and made us feel at least a little bit better about giving up Gavin Floyd for him. Instead he defects to a division rival only to have to come to grips with the fact that his playing career may be over.
Here’s what Freddy had to say, via Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News:
I want to do the best things I can the next couple days. I want to feel better. Hopefully it will work out for me but I don’t know. I’m working really hard to try to get right but my shoulder doesn’t respond. I’m going to try my best. If not, I guess I’ll go home. I don’t know. That’s it, man.
Freddy Garcia is the ultimate reminder that you can never truly judge who gets the best out of a trade immediately after it happens. At the time of the deal the consensus opinion was that the Phils got a proven winner for two inconsistent prospects. Now Gavin Floyd is coming off a 17 win season for the White Sox (although he has struggled so far this season) and Gio Gonzalez has a 1.54 ERA in the A’s AAA system.
