07/19/2004 3:32 PM ET Orioles acquire Garcia for DeJean By Gary Washburn / MLB.com
BALTIMORE -- The Orioles continued retooling their club and ridding themselves of disappointing players on Monday, trading veteran Mike DeJean to the New York Mets for outfielder/designated hitter Karim Garcia.
DeJean, signed to be the team's set-up man and primary right-handed reliever in December, never panned out in that role and was reduced to mop-up duty after the Orioles acquired Jason Grimsley. DeJean, 33, was 0-5 with a 6.13 ERA in 37 relief appearances for the Orioles this season.
In his last start for Baltimore, on Sunday, he gave up a crushing two-run triple to Carl Crawford, the first batter he faced, in a 7-2 loss to Tampa Bay. DeJean never adjusted to pitching at Camden Yards, compiling a 9.90 ERA at home compared with 2.29 on the road. He also allowed left-handed batters a .387 average.
It will be Garcia's second stint with the Orioles. He played eight games for them in 2000, but was released after the season. Garcia, 28, who hit .234 with seven home runs and 22 RBIs in 62 games, will give the Orioles a dependable bat off the bench and a spot starter in the outfield.
He should also provide some much-needed power. Garcia hit 16 homers in 197 at-bats in 2002 and 11 homers in just 76 games last season.
Gary Washburn is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
So next time we see an Orioles highlight on SportsCenter (don't count on it) and Garcia gets a big hit (don't count on it) we can have the luxury of seeing Steve Bertheume saying "Garcia beats that pitch around like an innocent Fenway groundskeeper."
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#60 Chris Samuels: 6-time 6-time 6-time 6-time 6-time 6-time Pro Bowl left tackle!
Who's Karim Garcia? I have no respect for Karim Garcia. I have no respect for that guy. I don't have anything to prove to that guy. He needs to be forcing himself to come up to where I am, to my level. Guys like Karim Garcia, who are you?
Last edited by Steve Spurrier III on Mon Jul 19, 2004 6:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jake wrote:What a great day for Garcia today. Today he had 2 home runs and 5 RBI against the Royals. I'm shocked as much as everyone else.
Not to mention 16 total hits, 11 of which were multiple base hits. They had 5 singles and 5 HR. Commisioner Selig, can we have the O's play the Royals every day?
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"Nah, I trust the laws of nature to stay constant. I don't pray that the sun will rise tomorrow, and I don't need to pray that someone will beat the Cowboys in the playoffs." - Irn-Bru
