Right-hander Jon Garland, 37, hasn’t pitched professionally since the Rockies released him in June 2013. Four years later, Garland is mulling a comeback, according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com. Garland threw Sunday for White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper, as Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com was first to report (via Twitter). Before that, Garland told Levine that his arm feels the best it has in three years. However, he also informed Merkin that he’s unsure if he’s committed to returning because it would mean spending less time with his family. Garland pitched to a 4.37 ERA over 2,100-plus innings with six teams (mostly the White Sox) from 2000-13. He exceeded the 200-inning plateau in six seasons during that span, including a career-high 221 as a member of the World Series-winning White Sox in 2005.
More from around baseball:
- At 33-40, the Cardinals are already 12 games out of a wild-card spot in the National League. Consequently, their only realistic avenue to the playoffs is to erase a 5.5-game deficit in the NL Central. They’re going to have to start making up ground by next month’s trade deadline, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak admitted to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. “This team has a chance to do good things, but we have to get it going,” said Mozeliak. “Urgency has to be on the forefront of our thinking. There is no clock in baseball, but time is moving.” Mozeliak revealed that the Cardinals are “open-minded” to buying or selling, but Crasnick argues that taking the latter path could be difficult because they’re not exactly chock-full of trade chips. They already sold one veteran last month, sending first baseman Matt Adams to the Braves for minor league infielder Juan Yepez. While Adams has caught fire since the trade, Mozeliak doesn’t regret shipping him out. “Sometimes a change of scenery for players is what they need,” he noted. “Matt’s killed it, but that’s not to say he didn’t get opportunities a year ago. Sometimes when you make decisions, you know there might be more upside in a player. But unless you can create that availability [for playing time], it’s pretty tough.”
- The Yankees, mired in their worst stretch of the season, are likely to place outfielder Aaron Hicks on the DL, manager Joe Girardi announced Sunday (Twitter links via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). Hicks left the Yankees’ loss to the Rangers on Sunday with right oblique tightness and will undergo an MRI on Monday, relays Hoch, but the player indicated that he’ll miss three to four weeks. Hicks has surprisingly been among the majors’ most valuable players this year, with a .290/.398/.515 batting line and a 2.7 fWAR. Fortunately for the Yankees, they have a quality replacement in Jacoby Ellsbury, who could come off the DL on Monday. Ellsbury has been out since late May with a concussion. Meanwhile, another of the Yankees’ top performers, second baseman Starlin Castro, has been dealing with a wrist issue for six weeks, tweets Hoch, who adds that he received a cortisone shot Sunday.
- In better news for the Yankees, left-hander C.C. Sabathia is “progressing very, very well” as he works back from a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, Girardi said (via Matthew Martell of MLB.com). Sabathia threw 35 pitches Sunday in his first bullpen session since hitting the DL on June 15, relays Martell, who writes that the former ace could be back in New York’s rotation by month’s end. Sabathia has been one of the Yankees’ steadiest starters this year, having logged a 3.46 ERA, 7.41 K/9, 2.87 BB/9 and a 49.8 percent ground-ball rate over 75 1/3 innings.
- The goal is for Orioles closer Zach Britton to return by July 5, manager Buck Showalter told Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com and other reporters on Sunday. Forearm problems have forced Britton to the disabled list twice this year, limiting the two-time All-Star to just nine innings (he last pitched on May 4). While Brad Brach has filled in with aplomb as Baltimore’s closer, the team’s Britton-less bullpen hasn’t been great overall. Orioles relievers entered Sunday ranked 13th in the majors in ERA and 23rd in fWAR.
How much would it take for a team to acquire Brach from the Orioles, assuming they fall out and decide to sell?
There’s still another year of arbitration after this season still probably a teams second or third best prospect plus some low ball kids
Thats what i was thinking to hes by far there best trade chip not named jones or machado or britton
Jones won’t bring back much though at this point in his career he’s a league average bat and below average center fielder
He currently leads the majors in batting average with runners in scoring position
It would be cool to see Garland get back to the show, that 2005 White Sox rotation was one of the best in recent memory, a true 5 headed monster with Buehrle, Floyd, Garcia, Garland and Contreras.
Garland also had a really nice season with that surprise Padres team in 2010 in which he and Mat Latos were the de-facto Aces of that club. Took the Giants until game 162 to eliminate them from playoff contention, the Giants eventually went on to win the WS but it would have been interesting to see what the Pads would have done if they had entered the playoff’s that year.
Floyd as in Gavin Floyd? No man…
The 2005 White Sox had a rotation of Mark Buerhle Jose Contreras Orlando Hernandez Jon Garland and Freddy Garcia.
Yes. The White Sox also had a healthy Brandon McCarthy giving them some quality starts down the stretch as a 6th starter in his rookie season of 2005.
Sorry to piss in your cheerios but your “recent memory” fails you. Gavin Floyd was not on that 2005 club.
Guys like you urk me on here. Licking your chops to correct people’s posts with a disrespectful tone. The image I have of you in my head is Will Ferrell in wedding crashers. Correcting people who are a starter off on a rotation from 12 years ago, on your ancient desk top computer in your mom’s basement. “Mom, the meatloaf!” Don’t be a D#ck man, it doesn’t get you anywhere in life.
Why do you care so much?? He corrected an inadvertent mistake. Yet here you are correcting someone’s post and being a D*CK as well. Oh the irony. People like you are absolutely hilarious-“Thank you!!!” for the laughs
agreed bleacherbum is ok to point things out but no need to do it in that type of way
I think you mean “irk”, not “urk”.
Mom! Meatloaf!!!
Orlando Hernandez was part of that 2005 rotation not Gavin Floyd. Floyd was acquired by the Sox in 2006 for Freddy Garcia.
Could have sworn he was, thanks for the respectful correction. Unlike sloopjonb, some people just get a hard-on by being a D-bag on here. It’s comedy.
When you factor out some of the weirdly amazing luck the 05 team had between the bullpen and their insane road record… honestly I think the 06 team featuring Floyd was overall a better team. Finished 3rd to the Twins and the Tigers but for most of the year that was an incredible race for the ALC.
05 Sox had probably the flukiest bullpen in history, too.
There’s urgency amongst the Cardinals fan base for Matheny and his Mafia to get fired. It doesn’t make any sense for the Cardinals to be this bad fundamentally and to talent not to be able to produce offensively
Good luck to Garland. He’s probably best suited to coming back at a multi-inning reliever (as is the way the game is going currently) – odds are he’d be torched as a starter. Four years ago he was terrible, that doesn’t bode well for success now.
I actually liked garland when he was with the angels, hopefully he gets a chance to keep pitching
adams never got a chance this year. wong was told he was the starting second baseman and grichuk was given a long leash. adams needed the same vote of confidence. who said the cardinals need to start making up ground by the trade deadline? they better start today, not wait until the trade deadline.
Besides injury, wong is doing great this year. Grichuk needs to be the first down once someone is back.
If you think changing the Coaching staff around and releasing a player that hasn’t contributed in quite some time is the answer to your problems then you shouldn’t be a GM. Gambled on a couple of guys producing and it backfired. Holiday’s presence on the field when healthy and clubhouse was underestimated as well. Nothing was done to fill those gaps and the Cards are paying for that. All the other moves have been eyewash.
also doesn’t help that they used to always count on quality farm hands to get called up and fill gaps. Losing Lunhow was the worst thing for the org.
with each passing year it seems Lunhow was the true genius in STL. The foundation he built with a machine of a farm isn’t sustaining without him. Meanwhile, in Houston…
Nobody in STL wants to hear that, but facts are facts. The guy currently at the helm isn’t the genius Cards fans want to believe he is.
matheny/gm moz inherited a team larussa and jocketty and lunhow built. its been falling apart since then. look what barry switzer did the first year with the cowboy team he inherited
The Phils are better placed than any other team to take the bloated salary of Masahiro Tanaka, for the 3 years remaining past this year. Having Tanaka might have some small impact on the decision by Shohei Otani (seen on last night’s 60 Minutes) to sign in Philly, which has the budget, if he comes to the U.S.
If the Yankees reach a determination to move Tanaka and his contract and ease the 40 man roster crunch they face this off-season, then a deal could look like:
to the Yankees –
1B Tommy Joseph, P Pat Neshek and prospects P Adonis Medina and OF Damek Tomscha (the 2 don’t require Rule 5 protection this year)
to the Phils –
P Tanaka, OF Dustin Fowler, IF Tyler Wade, P Chad Green, P Caleb Smith, and P Ronald Herrera