Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times has some quotes from 28 year-old White Sox starter Jon Garland. Basically, Garland expects to be traded this winter. Cowley also pokes fun at Garland’s laid-back attitude, which seems to be a sore spot in Chicago.
If nothing else, Garland is consistent. He’s never been seriously injured. His strikeout rates are usually around 4.8 per nine each year. He typically has good control. The most random part of his stat line is hits allowed, as you would expect. A hit-lucky year in ’05 had some thinking he could be an ace. That performance helped him snag his three year, $29MM contract.
Garland will make $12MM in ’08 in the last year of the deal. I’m not sure that the White Sox can afford the hit to their staff, but they probably need to take some chances if they are to win next year. Garland can help fill holes while clearing a nice chunk of payroll. Last we heard, Kenny Williams would seek two relievers in return at the least. Among teams with recent interest: the Red Sox, Rockies, Braves, Yankees, Mariners, Dodgers, Mets, and Phillies.
