Nothing's Perfect For Galarraga
Armando Galarraga was a great story, but the Tigers decided he wasn't a good enough pitcher.
A few hours after announcing that Galarraga had agreed to terms on a 2011 contract, the Tigers designated the right-hander for assignment on Tuesday, making room on the roster for newly-signed free agent Brad Penny.
Galarraga was the guy who became instantly known last June 2, the night of his "28-out perfect game," the one where umpire Jim Joyce missed a call at first base for what should have been the final out of a more normal perfect game.
As Tigers manager Jim Leyland said a couple of weeks later, Galarraga "became an instant, temporary rock star."
As Galarraga said, in a column I did last June , "People love the story."
But the Tigers didn't love his pitching, at least not enough to guarantee him a spot in their rotation. Instead, they signed Penny as a free agent, and gave him the job that could have been Galarraga's.
It's hard to argue with their decision.
Despite the 28-out perfect game, Galarraga was just 4-9 with a 4.49 ERA in 25 big-league games last year. He has become one of those pitchers who is just good enough to win a spot in a big-league rotation, but not good enough to hold one.
Penny has had injury issues though his career, but he also has 108 big-league wins.
By designating Galarraga for assignment, the Tigers have 10 days to trade or release him, or to outright him to the minor leagues. If another team sees him as a big-league starter, the $2.3 million contract he agreed to on Tuesday might not be a problem. It's less likely that the Tigers (or any other team) would want to pay him that much to pitch out of the bullpen.
So why did the Tigers sign him to a contract Tuesday?
That has a lot more to do with baseball rules than with their desire to keep him. By tendering Galarraga a contract last month, the Tigers had already committed to sign him for 2011. The amount would either be negotiated (as it was) or would have been determined in arbitration. These deals are not guaranteed, so if the Tigers end up releasing Galarraga, they would owe him only a fraction of the $2.3 million.
