Matt Garza won’t start before Tuesday’s non-waiver trade deadline, so the chances of a midseason deal involving the right-hander are remote, Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com reports (on Twitter). Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio notes that Garza might not be traded until the offseason (on Twitter).
An MRI revealed a slight fluid buildup in Garza's triceps area, manager Dale Sveum told reporters, including Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com. The Dodgers and Red Sox are among the teams with reported interest in Garza.
The 28-year-old earns $9.5MM this year and will be arbitration eligible one last time in 2013. His contract wouldn't clear waivers, so the Cubs will have to wait until the offseason to consider trades for him, assuming they don't complete a deal before the 31st. Garza has a 3.91 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 103 2/3 innings so far in 2012.
Will the Cubs make any trades at all?
I believe the Cubs will trade before September 1st.
They had what seemed to be a good one with Atlanta ready to go, but it fell apart due to no fault of their own. If they’re not being offered anything decent for Dempster, then might as well keep him and give him a qualifying offer for 2013. If he refuses it, then the Cubs get a supplemental draft pick, which will probably be better than any prospect they are offered now. If he accepts, then the Cubs will have a good pitcher to start 2013 and we’ll most likely go through the same song and dance at this time next year.
As for Garza, he’s under team control beyond this season, so they don’t have to trade him now if they aren’t happy with the offers. A team that thinks they are one pitcher away from contention could probably put together a better package in the off-season than they can right now anyway.
I would imagine the Cubs are being offered at least supplemental-equivalent prospects for Dempster right now. JA Happ was traded for 2 supplemental draftees (Wojciechowski and Musgrove), so I have a hard time imagining that a) the offer for Dempster is meaningfully less and b) the Cubs are better off with only one 2013 supplemental as compensation vs. a package of prospects offered in a trade (and this assumes Dempster actually turns down a 1-year $12 million qualifying offer).
One less starter. The price for Greinke just went up.
If the Cubs put him on waivers in August I could see Boston or Toronto being interested.
Plenty of teams will be interested, in fact probably one of bad teams will claim him, Cubs lose leverage tho because they will only be able to negotiate with one team.
Yep, teams will pick him up simply to block him being traded to competition
Good. Stay out of the AL East because the O’s sure as heck weren’t going to get him.
Oh well if Garza stays, so be it. It’s not like the Cubs were going anywhere this year. Hopefully they don’t trade Dempster and just make him a qualifying offer at the end of the season and pick up a draft pick when he signs with another team. His days with the Cubs are OVA!
Man, I was hoping to see a big package of prospects leave the AL East.
I could deal with this if Dempster hadn’t jammed it in and broke it off.
After what Dempster did, I would stick him in mop-up middle relief and watch his value as a pitcher drop like a rock. That was pretty short-sighted of him to veto the deal to Atlanta.
Wow, talk about curse of the billy goat.
Can he not be traded from the DL?
Looks like the dodgers won’t be adding (a good) starting pitcher. Great.
Looks like th dodgers won’t be adding (a good) starting pitcher.
Worst trade deadline ever… Sigh
Cubs attempting to regain a little leverage for the Dempster deal? 🙂
Breaking Garza’s arm was a little desperate.
😉
Steam must be coming out of Theo’s ears
Sort of risky move. We’ve already seen Dempster for Delgado almost go down. But losing the rest of this year in his value could decrease the haul in the future.
Maybe the packages they are seeing aren’t what they expected? They must think they can get more value with 30 teams in the hunt…
Who are the other 2 MLB teams?
Mental cramp. It’s Friday.