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Matt Garza

Tigers Join Pursuit Of Matt Garza

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The Tigers have emerged as a suitor for Cubs starter Matt Garza, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.  The increased interest in Garza from multiple teams seems to indicate that the right-hander will be dealt before the start of Spring Training.

The Yankees are also known to be interested in Garza but according to one source, they are not currently engaged due to the Cubs’ asking price.  Garza’s rising salary could also be an issue for the Bombers as they approach the luxury-tax barrier.  The hurler projects to earn $8.7MM in 2012 with another year of arbitration afterwards.

Boston and Toronto have also been connected to Garza but sources say that there hasn't been much momentum towards a deal for either team.  It’s also unclear if the Red Sox have the prospects to land Garza after dealing minor league depth to acquire Andrew Bailey and Mark Melancon.

Cubs GM Theo Epstein recently said that Garza is the type of pitcher that he would like to build around, but as the club looks to rebuild he'll listen on everyone.

Matt Garza Talks Heating Up

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5:12pm: The Cubs and Blue Jays continue to discuss a Garza deal, Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio and ESPN.com tweets.  The Cubs seem to be prioritizing young starting pitching in talks about Garza, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. One executive told Heyman that the Yankees and Blue Jays have what it takes to acquire Garza.

12:53pm: Trade talks for Cubs starter Matt Garza are heating up, writes David Kaplan of Comcast Sportsnet Chicago.  Kaplan says the Blue Jays, Yankees, and Red Sox are involved, but the Cubs' asking price is "incredibly high."

Yesterday, MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith took an in-depth look at Garza's contract situation; he's under team control through 2013.  Cubs president Theo Epstein said on Friday that Garza is "exactly type of pitcher we want to build around," but he'll listen on everybody.  So far this winter trade values have been established for Gio Gonzalez, Mat Latos, and Trevor Cahill, but all of them came with at least four years of team control.

What The Danks Extension Means For Garza

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John Danks and Matt Garza have a lot in common. Both are above-average MLB starters in their late-twenties who were traded early in their careers. They’re arguably the best starting pitchers on Chicago’s two teams, and Baseball-Reference suggests they’re about as statistically analogous as two players can be. 

Matt Garza

As this table shows, Danks and Garza have had remarkably similar careers to date. Their rate stats are comparable and their career win-loss records and innings totals are nearly indistinguishable (Garza has recorded 17 more outs than Danks over the course of their careers). Not surprisingly, the two CAA clients have been linked to one another for years through arbitration.

Danks just signed a five-year $65MM extension, and Garza's agent Nez Balelo no doubt took note, since his client doesn't yet have a long-term deal. Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein says he considers Garza a potential building block, so it's possible the Cubs will discuss an extension if they don't trade Garza this offseason.

Danks has 23 more days of service time than Garza and those three weeks matter a great deal from a contractual standpoint. Unlike Danks, Garza is a super two player. This means the Cubs control his rights for one extra year (through 2013) and means there’s less urgency to extend Garza.

Should the Cubs look to extend Garza, they’ll have more leverage than their cross-town rivals did, since the extra year of control buys Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer time. Garza projects to earn a total of $20MM or more in the next two years and the Cubs may look to buy out an additional two seasons for $14-15MM apiece if they explore a deal. Perhaps a four-year, $52MM deal would work for both sides.

Photo courtesy Icon SMI.

Epstein On Pitching, Sean Marshall, Matt Garza

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The Cubs completed the Sean Marshall trade today, sending the lefty to the Reds for three young players. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein spoke to reporters after the deal was finalized, discussing a few different topics. Let's recap…

  • "I don't think we are done," said Epstein according to Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago. "I do think we still need to build more depth on the starting pitching front, both in the big leagues and minor leagues."
  • "[The Marshall trade] fits our general direction," said Epstein while citing the new collective bargaining agreement as one reason behind the deal, according to Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). The Cubs could have lost Marshall to free agency after next season without getting draft pick compensation under the new agreement.
  • "[Matt Garza is] exactly type of pitcher we want to build around" said Epstein according to Gordon Wittenmyer of The Chicago Sun-Times (on Twitter). He added that his current mode is "to listen on everybody."
  • "We're not rushing into anything with [Garza]," added Epstein according to Wittenmyer (on Twitter). They're still weighing the right-hander's trade value against a possible contract extension.
  • Yesterday we heard that the Cubs were planning a "complete and total rebuild" and will attempt to trade "most of their valuable assets" before Spring Training.

Garza, Marshall Continue Drawing Trade Interest

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The Rangers and Blue Jays like Matt Garza and he’s not the only Cubs pitcher about whom other teams are inquiring, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. Left-hander Sean Marshall is also drawing heavy interest.

The Rangers prefer Gio Gonzalez (four remaining years of team control) to Garza (two remaining years of team control), according to Rosenthal. Garza appeals to the Blue Jays, since they’ve seen the right-hander succeed in the AL East as a starter for the Rays. If the Cubs choose to rebuild, they’d be more likely to trade for Anthony Rizzo than sign Prince Fielder.

Lack of minor league depth and restrictions on draft spending could motivate the Cubs to make a deal, Rosenthal writes. MLB executives say the Cubs are frustrated by limitations on amateur spending, according to Yahoo's Jeff Passan.

The Cubs were said to be 'open for business' on Garza last month, but president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said he'd like to build around the 28-year-old. Padres GM Josh Byrnes has interest in Garza.

Padres Interested In Matt Garza

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The Padres have some interest in acquiring Matt Garza from the Cubs in a package that would include Anthony Rizzo, tweets Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio. Based on reports yesterday, it seems both clubs may be interested in working out a trade involving Rizzo.

With Mat Latos now a Cincinnati Red, the Padres' interest in Garza makes some sense, particularly since the team has a crowded picture at first base, between Rizzo and Yonder Alonso. The Cubs' front office tandem of Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer was responsible for the Adrian Gonzalez trade that sent Rizzo from Boston to San Diego a year ago, so both execs are very familiar with the 22-year-old.

However, MLBTR projects Garza, who is under team control for just two more years, to earn well over $8MM through arbitration this season. Additionally, the Cubs' asking price for the right-hander is said to be steep. On the heels of the Latos trade, it's unclear whether the Padres would want to move multiple prospects and take on salary in order to restock their rotation. Peter Gammons of MLB Network finds the possibility of the Friars acquiring Garza unlikely, for now (Twitter link).

Reds Eyeing Gonzalez, Latos, Jurrjens

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Gio Gonzalez, Mat Latos and Jair Jurrjens are among the pitchers on the Reds’ wish list, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Latos may be available in the right deal, Gonzalez could be had, but Oakland's asking price is high and Jurrjens also appears to be available. GM Walt Jocketty recently told Rosenthal that he’s looking aggressively at ways of improving his team’s pitching staff, despite the high asking prices sellers are setting for available arms.

Matt Garza, who could earn a salary approaching $9MM through arbitration, is too expensive for Jocketty’s liking and John Danks is less appealing than some alternatives, as he’s under team control for just one season, Rosenthal writes. James Shields appears to be out of the reach for every team, including the Reds, and Jocketty is aiming to obtain a better pitcher than Wade Davis.

Rangers Focused On Trading For Starting Pitching

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The Rangers are more focused on trading for a starter than signing Prince Fielder or bidding on Yu Darvish, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Here are the details on the Rangers…

Rangers Not Confident They Can Land Garza

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3:27am: FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal (who apparently doesn't sleep) tweets that the Rangers are "not at all" confident that they will be able to pry Garza away from the Cubs. Texas considers Chicago's asking price to be too steep.

10:06pm: The Cubs and Rangers are discussing a possible swap of Matt Garza for prospects, but aren't close to matching up yet, tweets Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago. Danny Knobler of CBS Sports confirms (via Twitter) that the Rangers are trying to acquire the right-hander.

The Cubs are rumored to be seeking an "overwhelming offer" for Garza.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Central Notes: Royals, Tigers, White Sox, Garza

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Here's a look at some items concerning the AL and NL Central..

  • Several Royals officials have told Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter) that any major roster upgrades will come through trades rather than the free agent market.
  • There's nothing serious between the Tigers and Aramis Ramirez at the moment, a source told Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com (via Twitter).
  • In a deal for John Danks, the White Sox told the Yankees that they want Manny Banuelos and Jesus Montero from the Yankees, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.  Heyman writes that the Sox are obviously not serious about dealing Danks just yet.
  • The Tigers looking harder at the market for No. 5 starters than had been anticipated when the offseason began, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  The club is after a reliever as well.
  • The Cubs told at least one team that it would take an overwhelming offer to even consider trading Matt Garza, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.
  • The Brewers are interested in hearing what it'll take to sign Jimmy Rollins, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  • There's lots of skepticism over Albert Pujols' claim that he is 31 years old, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.  Heyman writes that the slugger may not be able to top the Cardinals' nine-year, $200MM offer if he cannot produce a birth certificate.  
  • Jim Riggleman will accept the Reds' offer to manage their Double-A affiliate, writes Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post.  Earlier today, Heyman reported that Riggleman was offered the position and was likely to accept.
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