As a type B free agent with underwhelming peripherals and an an expiring contract, Jon Garland wasn't going to get much in return. Ideally, you'd want to find a team that's desperate enough like the Astros were last year, when they picked up Jason Jennings for Wily Taveras, Jason Hirsh and Taylor Buchholz.
But then again, there's a reason why Tim Purpura doesn't have a job anymore, so
Orlando Cabrera and cash for Garland is not an awful deal. In this respect,
the Cheat summed it up nicely:
Digging a little deeper, the deal appears to be Jon Garland for Orlando
Cabrera, $4-6MM in added payroll flexibility (I haven't heard a dollar
amount yet), and (as long as Cabrera stays healthy) an extra 2009 draft
pick (between 16-75). That's not a bad little haul in what originally
looks like a 1-for-1 swap.
Plus, you can't rule out the possibility that Garland injured his rotator cuff or labrum while surfing, running from brush fires or however else Californians waste their time [/joecowley], so maybe Tony Reagins was the first one to offer him a deal today and Williams screamed
"Spread it on!" suspiciously fast, loud, and accompanied by shifty eyes.
There's only one issue -- I can't imagine a situation in which the Sox allow Cabrera to leave as a free agent. Three reasons:
No. 1: For better and for worse, Cabrera is Ozzie Guillen's kind of player. Cabrera has speed (averaging 22 steals over the past seven years), a 2007 Gold Glove, doesn't whiff a lot and can lay down the bunt. At the same time, he needs batting average to prop up his on-base percentage and is 33 years old. That's Ozzieball.
No. 2: The "E" word. Can't ignore this line in
Toni Ginnetti's article: "Williams said Cabrera and his wife 'are as excited as any player I’ve
ever talked to about coming to the White Sox,' adding he will bring 'that edge' Williams considered missing among some last season."
No. 3: Williams seems opposed to one-and-done. There have been some exceptions early in Williams' GM career -- David Wells, Bartolo Colon, Carl Everett the first time -- but he normally doesn't make draft picks a priority when acquiring players these days.
That said, I don't envision this trade being Jon Garland for Orlando Cabrera, cash and a draft pick, rather Garland for Cabrera, cash and a one-year exclusive bargaining window.
Should this be the case, the question then becomes "What does Cabrera deserve?"
He's entering the final year of a four-year, $32 million deal given to him when he was a 29-year-old slick-fielding shortstop with 10 or more homers in four of the past five seasons. Three years later, he's still the same offensive player -- homers are down, but his OPS+ has fallen in the same range when he was in his 20s. He's still got the glove and the speed.
I imagine any decrease in his salary would be nullified by inflation, so three years, $24 million would probably be in the ballpark. That's a price the Sox would pay, in my opinion, since Cabrera will make Ozzie's job easier and the Sox are at least three years away from producing a major-league shortstop.
Cabrera doesn't come with injury baggage or conditioning issues, but he's not the most patient player. When he starts slowing down and the infield hits stop coming his way (
he averages 15 or so in a good year), he may have a hard time justifying the final year of that deal. Then again, considering the contracts handed to the Sox's other over-30 players, the tail end seems to be the least of Williams' concerns.