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Matt Garza

Cubs, Garza Avoid Arbitration

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The Cubs avoided this morning's scheduled arbitration hearing with Matt Garza, agreeing to a one-year, $9.5MM contract for 2012. Garza's agency, CAA, tweeted the news and noted that the deal includes performance bonuses.

The Cubs had offered $7.95MM and Garza had asked for $12.5MM for a midpoint of $10.225MM. As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, the Cubs have agreed to terms on 2012 contracts with all of their arbitration eligible players.

Garza, 28, posted a 3.32 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 198 innings for the Cubs last year. He's a super two player who will be arbitration eligible for a fourth and final time next offseason. I examined the possibility of an extension between Garza and the Cubs earlier this offseason.

NL Central Notes: Garza, McGehee, Greinke, Cordero

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Cardinals legend Red Schoendienst was born on this day in 1923.  Schoendienst spent 15 seasons in St. Louis as a player and 14 more as a manager, winning a World Series in both positions (as well as another Series win as a member of the Milwaukee Braves in 1957).  Schoendienst's career was capped off when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989.

Here's some news from both St. Louis and elsewhere in the NL Central…

  • The Cubs' arbitration hearing with Matt Garza is scheduled to take place tomorrow, reports Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago.  There is a sizable gap between the two sides; Garza is asking for a salary of $12.5MM, while the Cubs are offering $7.95MM.  The result of this hearing could have an impact well beyond Chicago, as if the Cubs win the hearing, Garza's lower price tag could re-ignite trade interest in the right-hander.  
  • The Cubs unveiled plans today for a new baseball academy in the Dominican Republic.  MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez has the details.
  • The Pirates' arbitration hearing with Casey McGehee is set for February 16, reports Bill Brink of the PIttsburgh Post-Gazette.  Brink's source says the two sides are still negotiating to see if the hearing can be avoided.  MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith recently looked at the arb cases for both McGehee and the other side of the Bucs' first base platoon, Garrett Jones.  
  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick looks at Zack Greinke's decision to act as his own agent and the history of other players who have handled their own contract negotiations.  The Brewers right-hander is entering the last year of his four-year, $38MM contract but is open to the idea of signing an extension with Milwaukee.
  • The Reds "had an offer on the table" for Francisco Cordero since the end of the 2011 season, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon but the team wouldn't give Cordero more than a one-year contract with an option.  Cordero was holding out for a multiyear deal so the Reds signed Ryan Madson instead.  Cordero settled for a one-year, $4.5MM deal with the Blue Jays and Shelton opines that Cordero "can’t be thrilled with how his offseason turned out."
  • Beyond losing Albert Pujols, Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan, the Cardinals' quest to defend their World Series crown could be complicated by their reliance on several players with checkered injury histories, writes FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.

Quick Hits: Rizzo, Rangers, Garza, Johnson

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It was one year ago today that the Angels and Blue Jays pulled off the huge trade that sent Vernon Wells to Anaheim in exchange for Juan Rivera and Mike Napoli.  The Jays were considered immediate winners for getting Wells' huge contract off their payroll and the swap looks even better for Toronto given Wells' .218/.248/.412 season in 2011.

Some news from around the majors…

  • New Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo holds the top spot on this list of baseball's top 10 first base prospects from MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo.
  • Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine acknowledged that there are "active discussions internally" about improving the team when speaking with Todd Hollandsworth and Jim Memolo on MLB Network Radio (mp3 link), but it's unlikely the Rangers will make another significant move. "It won't be from a lack of creativity," he said.
  • Matt Garza told Hollandsworth and Memolo that he's "definitely open" to signing an extension with the Cubs (mp3 link).
  • Josh Johnson tells Glenn Geffner of the Marlins Insider 790 AM radio show (and passed on by Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post) that he will begin throwing off a mound next week, the first time the Marlins ace has done so since September.  Johnson was limited to nine starts last season due to shoulder injuries.
  • Yoenis Cespedes is still not an established resident of the Dominican Republic, which is holding up his free agency, reports MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez.
  • Kyle Blanks may only realize his potential if he leaves the Padres, opines Fangraphs' Paul Swydan.
  • Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune is back with his weekly online chat about the Padres.
  • The Tigers, Indians and the "sleeper choice" Brewers are all possible fits for Derrek Lee, writes Tony Andracki of CSNChicago.com.

MLBTR's Mike Axisa also contributed to this post

Quick Hits: Garza, Braun, Tigers, Jackson

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The Rangers are set to introduce the recently signed Yu Darvish at a press conference tomorrow night, reports Jeff Wilson of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter). Here's the latest from around the league…

  • Some MLB executives say Matt Garza’s filing number of $12.5MM “greatly complicates” interest in him as a trade target, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweets. The right-hander filed for $12.5MM and the Cubs countered at $7.95MM as our Arbitration Tracker shows.
  • Ryan Braun's appeal hearing for his failed drug test was today, reports Bill Madden, Andy Martino, and Teri Thompson of The New York Daily News. The three-person panel consists of union head Michael Wiener, MLB executive Rob Manfred, and independent arbitrator Shyam Dos. A decision is not expected this weekend, and no player has ever successfully appealed a positive test.
  • "Of course we'd consider Prince Fielder," said Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski to Angela Wittrock of MLive.com in the wake of Victor Martinez's torn ACL. "But realistically, it's probably not a good fit … I would just say that the fit is really not there at this point."
  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick wrote about the abundance of aging hitters still available on the free agent market. "Some of these guys have made so much money in their careers, the $2 million-and-less contracts don't sound very appealing,'' said an AL exec. "It's a supply and demand issue. When you have a lot of guys out there, the prices are going to get driven down.''
  • Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com checks in with top Cubs prospect Brett Jackson and hears that the 2009 first rounder doesn’t get rattled by the possibility of a trade. “All players are tradable at any time,” Jackson said. “That doesn’t put me on edge." People in the Cubs organization have lots of good things to say about Jackson and the Cubs made him untouchable in compensation talks regarding president Theo Epstein, Mooney writes.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Arbitration Filing Numbers

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Many players avoided arbitration today, but dozens of others exchanged figures with their teams in anticipation of hearings. Most cases won't go to arbitration hearings, but teams such as the Rays, Nationals, Marlins, White Sox, Blue Jays and Braves have stuck to 'file and trial' policies in the past. 

MLBTR's arbitration tracker will keep you up to date on every one of the filing numbers from around the game, but here are the highlights — players who filed for $4MM or more. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com had most of the info with MLBTR and others also contributing:

Tigers Say Reported Interest In Garza Is Overstated

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The Tigers say that their interest in Matt Garza is grossly exaggerated, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today.  Furthermore, the club won't part with its prized prospects to land the Cubs hurler.

Earlier this week, it was reported that the Cubs and Tigers were discussing a trade involving the right-hander.  The Tigers, according to the report, were open to dealing top prospects and it has been said that the club would part with pitcher Jacob Turner in the right trade.

Yesterday, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark wrote that rival teams don't believe the Cubs will trade Garza until July, when there are fewer alternatives on the open market.  Meanwhile, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein contends that he thinks "very highly" of the 28-year-old.

Stark On Yankees, Red Sox, Reds, Garza

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The new collective bargaining agreement has created millions of dollars in incentives for teams to be below the luxury tax when it reaches $189MM in 2014, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. The upcoming changes have contributed to the relatively restrained spending on the part of the Yankees and Red Sox this offseason, Stark writes. Here are the rest of his rumors…

  • The Yankees won’t be under the luxury tax threshold in 2012 or 2013, but they hope to spend less than $189MM in 2014, Stark writes. However, the CBA isn’t the only reason the Yankees are spending more cautiously. "I think this is what the Yankees were going to do, regardless," one of Stark’s sources said.
  • Hiroki Kuroda is sending signals to the Yankees and Red Sox that he’d like to sign with one of those teams, Stark reports. The Red Sox are “nowhere near close” on Kuroda while the Yankees are mostly “kicking tires,” Stark hears. Stark's colleague Buster Olney reported today that Kuroda's asking price has dropped to the $10-11MM range.
  • Though rival teams were surprised to see the Reds agree to terms with Ryan Madson, the move will help the team stockpile draft picks. They’ll obtain a compensatory pick when Francisco Cordero signs elsewhere and could obtain two more picks if they tender Madson a contract next offseason and he leaves as a free agent.
  • The Reds are going to attempt to turn Aroldis Chapman into a starter this Spring Training, though there’s some skepticism he’ll thrive in the rotation.
  • Chad Qualls’ name is on the Phillies’ shopping list, Stark reports.
  • Rival teams predict the Cubs won’t trade Matt Garza until July, when there are fewer alternatives available in free agency.
  • Stark hears that the Astros would pay half of the $18.5MM remaining on Carlos Lee’s contract and at least $7MM of the $11MM that Brett Myers will earn in 2012. Wandy Rodriguez is also available, though the Astros don’t appear to be nearing a deal involving the left-hander.

Epstein Talks Matt Garza

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There’s been lots of trade buzz surrounding right-hander Matt Garza this offseason, but Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein says more has happened in the media than has happened in reality, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. However, that doesn’t mean the Cubs are saying Garza’s untouchable in trade talks.

“I think very highly of Matt Garza,” Epstein said. “I think he’s a top-of-the-rotation type of guy and I’m looking forward to him being on the mound for us this season. We’re just being transparent about the fact that, ‘Hey, we’re in this for the long haul,' and sometimes it makes sense to weigh your options and see if you can put yourself in a better position for the long haul.”

In an interview yesterday, GM Jed Hoyer downplayed the idea that Garza will be dealt now that Paul Maholm has been signed. The Cubs are content to enter Spring Training with Garza, Maholm, Travis Wood, Chris Volstad, Randy Wells and Ryan Dempster in their projected rotation, Hoyer said.

Earlier this week the Tigers were said to be pursuing Garza aggressively. However, Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told Lynn Henning of the Detroit News that "nothing has changed" since last week, when he said that he wouldn't part with Jacob Turner in a trade. It's possible that the Tigers continue to talk about Garza with the Cubs, but a deal involving Turner seems unlikely, Henning writes.

NL Central Notes: Maholm, Garza, Phillips

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The Cardinals, Brewers, Reds, Cubs and Astros have all grabbed headlines on MLBTR today. Here's the latest on the NL Central, starting with a longtime Pirates pitcher…

  • Left-hander Paul Maholm told Kevin Kennedy and Jim Duquette on MLB Network Radio that he wanted to sign with an NL Central team. The Pirates expressed some interest in the left-hander, but the Cubs ultimately signed him.
  • Cubs GM Jed Hoyer told Casey Stern and Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio that he wanted to sign Maholm because of his youth, sinker and competitiveness. 
  • Hoyer says the Cubs are happy to have obtained some starting pitching depth and downplayed the idea that Matt Garza will be dealt now that Maholm's aboard. "Because we have six starters doesn't mean we're going to pare down to five by any means," he said. 
  • Cincinnati second baseman Brandon Phillips told told Stern and Bowden he was happy to see the Reds pick his option up earlier in the offseason. He says he’s now focused on the upcoming season and doesn’t sound optimistic that an extension will be finalized any time soon. Phillips expressed his desire for an extension earlier in the offseason, explaining that he’s not going to give the Reds a hometown discount. "There’s no homeboy hookup. That ain’t going to work," Phillips said.

Cubs, Tigers Talking Matt Garza

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7:41pm: On Twitter, Kaplan clarifies that "down the road" means trade talks between the two teams have progressed "far beyond" the initial stages. Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus hears that the Tigers are willing to talk about Turner, but they are far more reticent when it comes to third base prospect Nick Castellanos (Twitter link).

5:52pm: The Cubs and Tigers are “down the road” in talks about a deal that would sent Matt Garza to Detroit for a package of prospects, according to David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com. The Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays have also expressed serious interest in Garza, Kaplan writes. However, the Yankees aren’t comfortable with the Cubs’ asking price despite their “tremendous” interest in the right-hander. 

The Tigers appear to be willing to meet the Cubs’ asking price of multiple highly-regarded prospects, according to Kaplan. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported last week that the Tigers could move right-handed pitching prospect Jacob Turner in the right deal.

The Cubs are nearing a deal with free agent left-hander Paul Maholm. Ryan Dempster, Chris Volstad, Travis Wood and Randy Wells could fill the team’s rotation out and make Garza available. He’s under team control through 2013 and figures to earn $9MM or so in 2012 through arbitration.

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