Matt Garza interests the Yankees more than other potentially available starters, so GM Brian Cashman could pursue the right-hander this summer, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. The Red Sox could also pursue Garza, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com notes (on Twitter).
The Yankees appear to have little interest in Brewers right-handers Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum, Heyman writes. The team has concerns about how Greinke would pitch in New York and members of the New York front office aren’t sure about Marcum as an American Leaguer.
The Yankees also have concerns about Ryan Dempster’s ability to transition to the American League. While the Brewers have a buyer’s mindset, the Cubs appear willing to listen on most of their players. Wandy Rodriguez of the Astros could be another option for the Yankees, Heyman notes.
Bobby A 2
Go get Gary Sanchez or Mason Williams, Theo!
MB923
I really hope the Yankees keep Mason Williams. But they probably would have to give him or Sanchez + others of course, to get Garza.
Chris
Garza will not be a yankee for that reason. but also this being Garza’s last season before FA, Theo will prob take what he can get. nothing to lopsided but i can see betances or banuelos going with prob cervelli or Romine and maybe hughes. Cashman will not give up Sanchez and Williams and risk losing Garza in FA. they will settle not making the playoffs before that happens.
coachofall
This isn’t Garza’s walk year…he is under team control for one more season after this one
captainjeter
Banuelos will never be in the deal, Betances yes.
jammin502
Hopefully Cano can learn to play the cut off on throws from Garza to Texeira :). That is comic relief there and you can’t put a price tag on that!
captainjeter
not happening. Sanchez is viewed as the future catcher by the Front office, Cashman, Levine and ownership. He is why Montero got traded. Sanchez is Montero and Romine combined. Strong defense and offense. Cash would hang up the phone.
Theo knows the Yankee farm system very well. My guess he would demand , Banuelos , Sanchez and Williams.
Cashman would be certifiable if he did that deal. Garza is proven in the AL East, but he is a #3 or 4 starter.
In other words , he is a nice pitcher , but he is not Verlander, King Felix, Jered Weaver, Roy Halliday, Cliff Lee, Tim Lincecum , Matt Cain, James Shields, David Price , get the picture ???
Bobby A 2
I “get the picture” of what your opinion is, yes.
CandyMaldonadoLand
Why did the Cubs get Garza in the first place?
vtadave
To improve their pitching staff?
Josh Janssens
they trded away the farm for him, but that was when hendry was here.
cubs223425
Well, Archer’s been mediocre, Lee’s not hitting in AA, Fuld’s a 4th/5th outfielder, and Guyer’s a 26-year-old prospect. While I hated the trade at the time, the guys they gave up have proven to not be that big of a deal thus far.
laffingrass
I was disappointed mostly because they gave up Lee, and I was very excited about Castro/Lee up the middle and towards the top of the order. If they can get a few teams bidding for Garza they should be able to get a pretty good haul.
baseball52
< liked the trade 😀
scott brecht
that’s the thing, prospects rarely pan out. there are a lot more felix pies than mike trouts
Tommy Meyers
If they get Betances/Banuelos, Williams, and one or two lower level guys I’m ok with it
MB923
Garza is a free agent after this year. I doubt the Yankees are giving up their 3 of their top 5 prospects for what could be a half a year player. Certainly it will take at least 1 maybe even 2
And if you want my honest opitnion, of the 3 you mentioned, I’d rather them keep Mason Williams.
Leftover_stew
Garza has another full year of control.
MB923
Ahh, I didn’t know that. Thanks.
Tommy Meyers
Sorry I meant Betances or Banuelos and Williams. It all depends on how desperate a team is. Also, Garza is a free agent after next year, not this year. Plus, if Boston is in on Garza, it will only drive the price up. If the Indians could get Pomeranz and White for Ubaldo Jimenez it is definitely conceivable the Cubs could get 2 of those 3 for Garza
MB923
Yes now I see that they can definitely get 2 of 3 if the Yankees had him for another year. Leftover corected me on my mistake. I thought he was a FA after this year.
And as I said, I’d rather them keep Mason Williams. The Yankees have plenty of young pitchers, they don’t have many good young hitters in their farm, and Mason is their best one.
I’d definitely be willing to do Betances AND Banuelos
Tommy Meyers
Definitely understandable. I do like Betances and Banuelos, but they are both far from sure things. One thing is for sure, as arguably the best starter available at the deadline (and the fact that extending him is also an option), it will definitely take an overpayment by someone to get him
David Brunner
As a Cub fan or Yankee fan? Yankee fans should be ecstatic about that kind of deal.
MB923
Not really.
Chris
actually not really. yeah Garza was good against the AL East, but not worth 3 of the top 5 prospects. maybe for Hughes,Cervellie and betances or banuelos but Williams and Sanchez im sure is untouchable especially Sanchez since they already gave up montero for a pitcher who is out until april next year (and even that is pushing it) <<< i say that because not many pitchers come back from labrum surgery and pitch the way they did before it happened. i rather see a rotation next year of Sabathia,Nova,Hughes,PIneda and phelps,betances,or banuelos before i see the yankees trading their farm for a guy who is going to prob demand 75 to 80 million when he becomes a FA and will be in his early 30's.
Zachary Shapiro
Yea that might be one of the craziest posts ive ever seen on here… if you think more than one better than average prospect for a 4 month lease of MATT GARZA then you need to reevaluate your opinions of playesr
Tommy Meyers
Explain your argument here please. It is a year and a half of control of Matt Garza as he is under contract through the end of next year. Matt Garza is a borderline ace, definite number 2 starter. Not to mention Garza has a track record of success in the AL East and there will be a ton of teams in on Garza as he will be arguably the best starting pitcher available at the deadline (including the Red Sox)
captainjeter
don’t hold your breath.
...
Personally, I hope they get Wandy.
sportsnut969
I would love to see the Yankees get Garza and Wandy this would go along way to getting their rotation locked back down IMHO.
Also I believe Betances + a couple lower level prospects should net the Yankees Garza. Cubs are wanting to turn this thing around as fast as possible so getting a guy they could throw in the mix now and a couple of guys with promise that is a year or 2 away should get the job done.
Then they could deal Banuelos and others for Wandy. Same goes with the Astros they would neeed apiece they could plug in now + 2 guys that have a shot to make the majors over the next 18 to 24 months and I believe they would pull the trigger on a deal.
Ben Fox
I agree in the sense that the Cubs want to turn things around sooner rather than later. But your reasoning is specious to say the least.
If the Cubs wanted “a guy they could throw in the mix now,” then in all likelihood they’d be better off keeping Garza. A season and a half of Garza >>> “a guy.” And if the Cubs aren’t happy with the offers they get for Garza in July, they can just as easily defer on trading him until the offseason; the number of interested teams would likely increase and, per the law of supply and demand, the price tag would go up, too.
Now, if one of those lower level prospects were a player of Mason Williams’ caliber, it changes the equation a little bit. But with the way your post reads, it sounds like you don’t think the Yankees would have to give up much to obtain arguably the best SP that is going to be shopped around this summer.
Trades – especially ones for top-flight starters – don’t operate in a vacuum. Other contenders are looking to upgrade their rotations. At least one of those teams will likely offer more than a few lower level prospects. If the Yankees are willing to offer Williams or Sanchez, then the game changes a little.
sportsnut969
IMHO I like the Reds Prospect better than the Yankees and if the Cubs could get a package centered around a young controlable pitcher and Todd Frazier ( Future 20/20 ) and a couple lower level pieces like Ryan LaMarre
( I like him as much as Mason Williams ) that would be a much better deal.
But the best deal of all would be to lock down Garza and Dempster until they can work a couple of guys through their system and decide on which 1st baseman is the future and deal the other for a piece of need that is ready and along the same quality I personally do not believe that the Cubs are in as bad a shape as most.
If they could trade Soriano w/ eating much of the contract & one of the 1st base basemen ( LaHair or Rizzo ) for sure 2 – 3 ready pieces of need then things would look much brighter and they would still have Garza & Dempster.
captainjeter
again forget it . Cashman is not dealing Banuelos, Sanchez or Williams. They are considered untouhable by the organiztion, unless a major star becomes available. Not a 3-4th starter
MB923
Montero was considered untoucable too at one point except for King Felix
baseball52
Betances plus some trash isn’t getting you Garza.
captainjeter
wandy , are you kidding? Yuck
captainjeter
nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
KingofBing71
Probably any move for a starter would move Hughes back to the bullpen and Freddy Garcia off the team all-together.
MB923
They’d probably send down David Phelps before Garcia solely due to Garcia’s contract, but yes Hughes would go to the bullpen.
KingofBing71
Phelps has a 2.70 ERA while Garcia has an ERA over 8. It’s the Yankees, they don’t care about contracts.
MB923
They care about keeping the big buck players in the spots they want them in despite them doing terrible. Texeira was awful in the 4-5 spot yet they kept them there. AJ Burnett was still in their rotation throughout the whole year despite almost every other pitcher on the team doing better than him. Girardi eventually dropped Texeira 7th for a game or 2. Something Terry did to Carl Crawford just 3 games into last season and something he did to Ortiz about a month in.
As far as I can remember, the only time a big $ player did not get regular playing time was Joe Torre’s last year there in 2007 when he benched Jason Giambi many times. He played 83 games. In 2008 he played 145 games and batthed 5th in 98 games.
I really hope they’d demote Garcia and keep Phelps, but I just can’t see that happening. Phelps would get sent down sooner or later.
Dodgersarelife
Gary Sanchez, Betances, Banuloes, Williams for Garza and reed johnson!!!
MB923
4 of their top 5 prospects? Sorry, no.
baseball52
It’d be a no deal without Sanchez and Williams.
I’d think it’d be more like Sanchez, Williams and another piece.
MB923
Well that makes more sense. Could also be both Betances and Banuelos and another piece.
Stll, it’s not like they are acquiring a top tier ace. I’m not saying Garza isn’t good. I think he’s very good.
baseball52
I’m doubting either of them would be involved with Garza. Rather a Hughes and Banuelos deal for Dempster would suffice.
MB923
Yankees would not trade their top pitching prospect for Dempster. Not that I’m saying he’s going to be great, but if they have concerns about Dempster, they won’t trade their top pitching prospect.
captainjeter
they don’t even like Dempster
MB923
Plus Dempster, like Wandy Rodriguez has pretty bad interleague stats himself
214 innings – 4.95 ERA, SO/BB ratio of 1.97. A 1.51 WHIP. 30 HR allowed.
baseball52
If you’re primarily evaluating your players on interleague stats, you’re not going to find many attractive options available.
MB923
Nothing wrong with doing that for lifetime NL pitchers who are aging. Are you suggesting I should ignore them? AL East is the hardest division to pitch in in baseball.
baseball52
I’m saying you should stop ignoring all his other stats.
Basically, you’re suggesting that a career 4.17 ERA pitcher would inflate to a career 4.95 ERA pitcher in the AL East? Even if this were true, Dempster’s current ERA is only 2.90. Adding the difference from his career ERA would still result in a respectable statistic.
I know that this is not exactly a valid thought process either, just trying to prove a point.
captainjeter
he is not worth a major haul.
baseball52
Hughes and Banuelos is a major haul? HAH!
captainjeter
not happening
baseball52
Fine, we’ll trade him to the Blue Jays or Red Sox.
TheHitman23
Sanchez, Betances, Banuelos, and Williams? Talk about an overpay.
Dodgersarelife
Sarcasm guys. Anyway I think the dodgers can offer more upside with a Martin/ Reed or a Tolleson/ Rodriquez/Lee
Spit Ball
Well maybe that foursome is extreme but Garza is gonna get a haul and I could see three of those players going to the Windy City for Garza. If nothing else Theo will use Boston to drive up the yankees price. By the way Banuelos and Betances are far from sure things and even Williams and Sanchez gain higher recognition for being Yankee farmhands. The idea of centering one deal around Betances for Garza and one around Banuelos for Wandy Rodriguez as noted above is silly. Whoever gets Garza is gonna have to give up something like the package the Reds gave up for Latos. It may even cost more because it’s in season and Garza is more battle tested then Latos.
Too Many Idiots
Garza won’t bring a package like Latos because Latos was still cost controlled and hadn’t hit arbitration. Garza is already at $9.5M. Teams give more talent in a package for young cost controlled players than for 7 figure players with only a year and half of control.
captainjeter
dream on
Dodgersarelife
Tolleson, Martin, Pederson, SVS, and sands for garza
cubs223425
They wouldn’t give all four, and Betances has been crap, so take him out. That MIGHT be decent, though I’m not crazy about any of those guys myself.
monty4aloha
I want the yankees to obtain Wandy!!!… to me he would be perfect there with his curve and with the deep left field. I mean left handers have allways done well there because of the short distance in right field. I think another small lefty named Whitey Ford had simular stuff… I know he is not Whitey Ford but I can see Wandy having major success there..
MB923
Career interleague stats for Wandy
5.22 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, SO/BB ratio of only 1.65, 21 HR allowed in 135 innings
No thanks.
1980CHAMPS
135 innings is a very small sample size for someone who has thrown nearly 1300 innings in his career.
MB923
So if his stats were reversed (say 135 innings, ERA in the mid 2’s, very few HR allowed, and great SO/BB ratio), would you be saying the same thing?
As it says, they prefer a proven American League pitcher. Which is why they don’t have much interest in Dempster. Not only is Wandy not a proven American League pitcher, but what has been proven is that he has pitched poorly against the American League.
135 innings may seem like a small sample but it’s still 10% of his innings pitched. And if he has bad numbers, it will probably get just as bad if not worse.
User 4245925809
Wandy is a NL pitcher. His value in the AL and especially the AL East is almost nil. The Yankees would welcome Javy Vazquez back 1st (joking) before giving up any decent pieces for Wandy.
Not that Wandy couldn’t get something from a NL team, but even his bloated contract makes him hard to move there.. 13m next season.. remaining portion of 10m this year and 2.5m buyout for 2014.. Yikes..
captainjeter
remember, Hal is cutting the payroll down to 189 by 2014. He will cutting , not adding.
He has to deal with Swisher this year and decide whether to let him walk . Cano and Grandersen next year. And in 2014, it is Joba, Hughes, Gardner and Robertson.
Spit Ball
No 135 innings is a pretty good sample size for most things including facing “the real” major league lineups.
captainjeter
yeah, no thanks
asovermann
If I were the Cubs I wouldn’t touch either of the Big B’s, but then again maybe Theo hasn’t seen how horrible they’ve both been this year. Those walk rates…yikes!
laffingrass
Betances’ BB/9 is atrocious, but Banuelos is at 3.75. While that isn’t good, it isn’t THAT bad, and is actually an improvement over years for him. His FIP is solid, as well.
asovermann
He’s only 21 so I suppose he does have plenty of time to improve, but Betances shouldn’t be touched imo haha
Since_77
Garza would be great if he could hit with RISP. That’s their biggest problem.
MB923
Exactly.
reedux
I’d be happy to let Betances go. Dude couldn’t locate a pitch if the ball had gps. I never quite understood his high prospect ranking.
MB923
So much for the Killer B’s!!!!
mozelpuffski
answer: he is a yankee
NYPOTENCE
Why don’t we wait it out before we trade the farm for a #2. Honestly, the Yankees stand at 27-23 and they have suffered through a vast amount of injuries. From here on out they’ll only get better since Nova and Hughes can’t be much more inconsistent than they have been and Pettitte has taken over Garcia’s spot.
MB923
I would be 100% satisfied if the Yankees got Garza and kept Mason Williams.
Dylan B.
“and members of the New York front office aren’t sure about Marcum as an American Leaguer.”
He pitched in the AL East for five years. :S
MB923
It shows in the article that they are concerned more so about his low radar readings:
“Even though Marcum pitched pretty well for the Blue Jays, the Yankees are concerned about his low radar readings in the A.L.”
Colin Christopher
But why are they so concerned about Marcum specifically? His average FB velo for the last 3-4 years is about the same as Freddy Garcia’s, and close to Andy Pettitte’s, and the Yankees didn’t seem to have any qualms about signing those guys.
MB923
Don’t ask me lol
I never said they that they shouldn’t get Marcum. I was just saying what the article said.
Michael
cue the yearly Wandy Rodriguez to Yankees rumors
Avery
Wandy Rodriguez for Dante Bichette Jr. , Mason Williams , and Gary Sanchez
MB923
Good one
Colin Christopher
Shaun Marcum pitched in the AL East from 05-10. Due to an injury in 09, only 07, 08, and 10 can be considered full seasons. His numbers during those three seasons: 34-21, 410 Ks in 505.2 IP, 3.72 ERA, 1.18 WHIP.
Matt Garza pitched three full seasons in the AL East from 08-10. His numbers during those three seasons: 34-31, 467 Ks in 592.1 IP, 3.86 ERA, 1.25 WHIP.
Their statistical differences since they both moved to the NL Central in 2011 seem equally comparable to their AL East years. It seems interesting that “members of the New York front office aren’t sure about Marcum as an American Leaguer,” yet they are willing to explore Garza.
EastEndGerry
A batter throws his bat at the ball and hits a home run. Never before in the history of baseball. The Yankees won’t get Marcum. He’s not an American League pitcher??I wish they’d get rid of the DH and let the pitcher hit in the AL
Lunchbox45
I’m sure this will be followed by a quote from cashman that says that the yankees are NOT eying matt garza
notsureifsrs
which will be followed by matt garza being traded to the yankees
Spit Ball
For a package similiar to the haul the padres got for Latos. Williams =Alonso, Sanchez=Grandal, Betances=Volquez, some throw in=Boxberger. If the Padres deal is indicative Garza is going to fetch a haul.
notsureifsrs
latos came with 4 years of control. garza will come with 1.5
MaineSox
…also, Latos is better …and younger …and cheaper
imachainsaw
i’m sure theo is reading this and thinking “OMG I HAVE A CHANCE TO ACQUIRE SOME OVER HYPED UNDER PERFORMING PROSPECTS NAO!!”
no. unless the yanks are offering something real along with the likes of bentances/romine/all their failed prospects, just keep them. because if YOU don’t like them anymore because you don’t think they’re all special, I’m sure other teams GM’s have figured that out as well.
Chris Hinbest
The Jays have more options to offer Chicago, however Im not sure if AA would like to make a move for him unless they are really close to contention.
Although, I suppose the chances may increase slightly if he could get an extension. But, I really feel that toronto needs a veteran pitcher for 2 years until some of the top prospects come up and prove themselves
baseball52
If the Jays want in, the Yanks are screwed. They don’t have anything near what the Jays can offer in a total package.
Chris Hinbest
exactly.
Chuck_D84
I know the Yankees are trying to cut payroll, but what if they took on Soriano along with Garza. Would they be able to get him much cheaper that way? I like Garza in pinstripes, and would have no problem trading away Betances +some other piece not named Sanchez or Williams.
InvalidUserID 2
How is Mason Williams rated compared to how Austin Jackson was rated? Higher or lower?
MB923
Well currently he’s ranked 85th on BA in his 2nd minor league season at the age of 20
Jackson was ranked 36th in 2009, but went down to 76 in 2010
Miguel Arias
Man I wished the yankees would have just flipped Pineda for Garza in the winter. Oh well, as long as Campos/Williams aren’t in the deal, I’m good.
Too Many Idiots
this got posted completely out of place.
Kenny Tucker
Matt Garza is the best option of the bunch… He’s shown he can pitch in the AL out of the bunch… Grienke has the best make up though…