Roster Move: Bye Bye Gotay

The Mets put Ruben Gotay on waivers yesterday, a decision that’s drawing a predictable level of condemnation in some circles. I don’t like the decision either, though, and I think it’s indicative of Omar Minaya’s short-sightedness in the area of roster construction.

Gotay’s being squeezed out of a position because of Minaya’s foolish decisions to bring back Damion Easley and Marlon Anderson, even though neither one is a good fit for the 2008 roster. Easley is 38, coming off a broken ankle and although he appeared at five positions last season (mostly at second base), he didn’t play the field particularly well at any of them. Anderson is only 34 and, like Easley, can’t play a lick of defense. He’s turning into a latter-day Manny Mota, which is nice, but National League managers can no longer afford to allow a pinch-hitting specialist to take up a roster space. You have the 12-man bullpen to thank for that – a topic which I’ll be tackling down the road.

The Anderson deal is especially galling, because Minaya actually gave him the Julio Franco treatment and locked him up for 2009 as well. At least Easley can – and probably will – be released by the time August rolls around. Marlon will be gumming up the works next year as well.

Now all that said, let’s not kid ourselves about Gotay’s future. He showed some signs of being a productive MLB second baseman last season, but I don’t think he’ll ever be anything more than a lower-echelon starter or a solid-hitting backup. He’s not a great fielder and although he can hit a little, nothing about his track record makes me think that Ruben has the ability to hit .300 or smack 20 home runs over a full season. I’d still much rather have the guy we traded for Gotay in the first place, who may finally be getting a chance to play with the Reds this season. I am convinced that Keppinger simply needs to get 450 at-bats this year and he will put up a .315/.360/.430 line.

Still, I was struck by Gotay’s energy level last season and liked the fact that it looked like he was having fun playing the game. Maybe it’s naive of me to still value that in a ballplayer, but it’s one of the few “intangibles” I actually believe in. I think most baseball fans have a natural affinity for guys with a certain style and flair – unless they happen to be black, in which case they’ll simply be chastised by the holier-than-thou white guys in media circles about “playing the game right.”

If Minaya had played his cards right, his position players could’ve stacked up like this:

CATCHERS
Schneider
Castro - DL
backup catcher who will be sent to AAA when Castro returns

INFIELDERS
Delgado
Castillo
Reyes
Wright
Gotay
Tatis

OUTFIELDERS
Alou - DL
Beltran
Church
Chavez
Pagan/Clark/generic right-handed fifth outfielder

I know a lot of people aren’t too happy about Tatis, and the chances of him being an abject failure and earning his release by June 1 is nearly 100 percent, but I actually don’t mind this move coming out of Spring Training. He’ll back up Wright at third base and can platoon with Delgado at first against some left-handers. He’s fits the exact profile of what this roster needs right now – although Minaya needs to begin scouting the league to find a similar player to replace Tatis with if and when he proves to be a washout.

Instead, the Mets will likely break camp with a roster looking something like this:

CATCHERS
Schneider
Castro - DL
backup catcher who will be sent to AAA when Castro returns

INFIELDERS
Delgado
Castillo
Reyes
Wright
Easley
Tatis

OUTFIELDERS
Alou - DL
Beltran
Church
Anderson
Chavez
Pagan/Clark/generic right-handed sixth outfielder who will be sent down or released once Alou comes off the DL, thereby depriving Ryan Church of a sorely-needed platoon partner.

Easley is a downgrade from Gotay both with the bat and in the field, while Anderson robs the Mets of the chance to platoon in right field while having no actual position to speak of. His new nickname will be “Albatross.”

The set-up probably costs the Mets a game or two in the standings when all is said and done, the kind of thing that sometimes comes into play over a 162-game season. The real concern is 2009 and beyond, especially if Gotay goes on to have a few cheap and reasonably productive years before his 30^th birthday.

Minaya can minimize his latest roster folly if he can find a way to trade Gotay for Matt Murton, who is inexplicably about to be sent to AAA by the Cubs. The Cubs might be interested, since they've been chasing a second baseman all winter with no luck. Murton would be the perfect fit for the Mets – he can start in left until Alou comes back and then shift into a platoon with Church in right field while waiting for Moises’s next injury. He’s a good young hitter who had success as a regular in 2006, with a minor-league record that suggests he has the potential to take the left field job from Alou in 2009.

Minaya, of course, will completely miss the boat on this one as well.