Nice pickup if true. He should feast in the NL.

 

Bruce Miles of the Arlington Heights Daily Herald reports that the Cubs are nearing a trade for Rays right-hander Matt Garza.

Miles says that the Cubs will send prospects Chris Archer, Hak-Ju Lee, Brandon Guyer and Robinson Chirinos to the Rays in return if the deal is completed. An announcement is not imminent just yet because physicals still need to be taken and negotiations may still be taking place, but "that is the package," according to the Daily Herald. Garza, 27, finished with a 15-10 record, 3.91 ERA and 1.25 WHIP over 204 2/3 innings this year in the American League East. He would do quite well with a move to the NL Central.

Matt Garza's pretty overrated if you ask me. He hasn't been worth more than ~3 WAR in his career yet. A lot of potential, not great results. He's a nice 2 or 3 option, but he's nothing great.

Edited January 7, 201115 yr by chw42

Garza's a nice piece for that Cubs rotation. Zambrano, Garza, Dempster are a great top 3 in the NL, add in two of Silva/Wells/Gorzelanny and that's a pretty good starting 5 to go with a solid bullpen after the addition of Kerry Wood.

 

Their position players are so young and so hit-or-miss, but if they make this deal and put it all together they could definitely be in the mix to lose to the Phillies in the playoffs.

Is that Hak Ju-Lee guy the SS that is so good defensively that he was supposed to move Castro to 2b?

Is that Hak Ju-Lee guy the SS that is so good defensively that he was supposed to move Castro to 2b?

 

Yup.

Garza should do great in the NL, but that's a lot to give up for him. Gives the Cubs maybe the most unlikeable 1-2 starters in MLB history.

Garza turned in 3 straight years in the AL East with ERA's under 4.00. He could do really well in the NL.

Garza turned in 3 straight years in the AL East with ERA's under 4.00. He could do really well in the NL.

 

If he can pull a Ted Lilly, then yeah.

 

Cubs gave up their first and fourth best prospects for Garza. Rays did well IMO.

Edited January 7, 201115 yr by chw42

A lot to give up when you're probably not going to compete in your division.

 

A lot to give up when you're probably not going to compete in your division.

 

I wouldn't say that. There is a lot of competition in that division, but I could easily see any of 4 teams winning it.

 

Cubs rotation is decent, back of the bullpen is great. Their lineup has holes, but if some of the older guys can turn it around, they have some pop too.

Guyer and Chirinos realistically seem pretty old to be considered prospects - though Guyer raked in AA last year.

 

Archer walks a ton of guys.

 

I don't know, maybe the prospects they're giving up really aren't that great. Still think the Cubs probably won't contend this year... but Garza's wrapped up for a few and will

likely tear it up in the NL.

 

Still seems like a strange deal for them to make at this time. I guess they don't have the choice of trading their vets to load up on prospects because nobody wants

their vets/contracts. Rock and a hard place - tough call on what direction for that club to go.

 

 

Guyer and Chirinos realistically seem pretty old to be considered prospects - though Guyer raked in AA last year.

 

Archer walks a ton of guys.

 

I don't know, maybe the prospects they're giving up really aren't that great. Still think the Cubs probably won't contend this year... but Garza's wrapped up for a few and will

likely tear it up in the NL.

 

Still seems like a strange deal for them to make at this time. I guess they don't have the choice of trading their vets to load up on prospects because nobody wants

their vets/contracts. Rock and a hard place - tough call on what direction for that club to go.

Many Cubs fans are calling it a better package that what we used to get Peavy. So you can bet if it was us trading those spects for Garza it would be a s***-show on here.

Garza should do great in the NL, but that's a lot to give up for him. Gives the Cubs maybe the most unlikeable 1-2 starters in MLB history.

 

You're talking in the same rotation, right? I've spent the last five minutes trying to find the biggest dbag to ever pitch behind Clemens and haven't come up with anything so far.

Many Cubs fans are calling it a better package that what we used to get Peavy. So you can bet if it was us trading those spects for Garza it would be a s***-show on here.

 

Peavy's also a much better pitcher than Matt Garza when healthy.

 

The Cubs gave up their future SS and their number one ranked prospect for a 2 or 3 starter, I wouldn't call that a good deal for them.

Peavy's also a much better pitcher than Matt Garza when healthy.

Sadly, he's rarely been healthy for us.

Sadly, he's rarely been healthy for us.

 

This is true.

You're talking in the same rotation, right? I've spent the last five minutes trying to find the biggest dbag to ever pitch behind Clemens and haven't come up with anything so far.

 

Did Wells pitch with Clemens in Toronto? That would do it.

 

Did Wells pitch with Clemens in Toronto? That would do it.

 

I thought that initially, but they were traded for each other in 1999.

 

They both pitched for the Yankees in the 2002 and 2003 seasons, but Wells wasn't the 2 in either of those rotations.

Edited January 7, 201115 yr by IamtheHBOMB

I thought that initially, but they were traded for each other in 1999.

 

They both pitched for the Yankees in the 2002 and 2003 seasons, but Wells wasn't the 2 in either of those rotations.

 

The worst would probably be Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson while in Arizona.

Cubs gave up their first and fourth best prospects for Garza. Rays did well IMO.

Can I ask which prospect is the #1 and which is their #4?

I thought that initially, but they were traded for each other in 1999.

 

They both pitched for the Yankees in the 2002 and 2003 seasons, but Wells wasn't the 2 in either of those rotations.

 

Good move by the Cubs.

Can I ask which prospect is the #1 and which is their #4?

 

Archer and Lee I think, in that order.

Archer and Lee I think, in that order.

 

What he said.

The worst would probably be Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson while in Arizona.

 

I also thought about that pairing, but Clemens' brand of asshattery far surpasses anything those two have done. Johnson does seem like a dick, but Schilling just suffers from diarrhea of the mouth.

 

In any case, Zambrano has a new cooler punching buddy.

Good move by the Cubs.

 

I would have loved for Lee to stay with the Cubs. I would have had a blast teasing the Cubs fans about their SS named Ju-Lee.

 

Only the Cubs would play a girl at SS in the MLB!