Reds, GM2 close to deal

[A.E]

Matthews likely to get a minor league deal

Free agent outfielder Gary Matthews Jr. and the Cincinnati Reds are close to a deal, a week after the New York Mets released the former All-Star.

Matthews would likely get a minor league contract. He hit .190 with one RBI in 58 at-bats with the Mets.

Cincinnati would be Matthews' eighth team. Reds manager Dusty Baker is close friends with Matthews' father, who also was an All-Star outfielder.

Baker did not address the report following Cincinnati's 6-4 win over the Oakland Athletics on Monday night. A team spokesman said only that Matthews had not yet signed with the club.

The 35-year-old Matthews is a career .257 hitter with 108 home runs and 484 RBIs with San Diego, the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Texas, the Los Angeles Angels and the Mets.

Matthews was an All-Star in 2006 with Texas. The switch-hitting center fielder signed with the Angels before the 2007 season, and was traded to the Mets for pitcher Brian Stokes last season. The Angels agreed to pay $21.5 million of the $23.5 million remaining on his $50 million, five-year contract.

The Mets acquired Matthews while waiting for injured All-Star center fielder Carlos Beltran to return. Matthews started on Opening Day and got two hits for the Mets, but Angel Pagan wound up getting the majority of playing time.

The Reds have been a surprise this season, and went into Monday night's game at Oakland in second place in the NL Central.

LOL, totally forgot about this guy. You know what I love about Met fans; they are just as hard-headed and so far away from reality as Knicks' fans. Of all Met fans polled before the start of the season, it was almost unanimous that Matthews was a "solid addition" for the them and all he needed was a "change in scenery". A much, much cheaper mistake to be made by the Reds...unless Matthews begins playing out his element again.

 

[cruzg24]

I thought he was going to be decent for the Mets, but that obviously didnt happen. The good news was that the Angels paid most of his salary so thats good.

 

[The Guid]

But, why? Regardless of how he might play, the guy is a total head case. Why bring that into the clubhouse when the team is actually winning and playing well?

 

[playmaker7]

lol I was just about to say what Baggs said.

Why would they even want him

 

[Pujolsrules22]

Reds are always looking for new guys. He's shown that he has the capability to play, so why not give him a chance? In the minors, he can get his swing together, get his head together, and maybe get back to that level he was once at.