When Matt Garza left his last start after three innings this weekend, it quickly became apparent that, if the Cubs were hoping at least have the option of trading Garza before the Trade Deadline, he was going to have to make his next scheduled start – and look very, very healthy in doing so.
Unfortunately, he won’t be making that scheduled start on Friday.
Dale Sveum says, for now, he expects Travis Wood to take Garza’s turn on Friday. Because of the off-day on Thursday, Wood would be pitching on normal rest. The hope, right now, is that the extra rest could give Garza a chance to come back strong in one final start before the Trade Deadline (Tuesday), perhaps on Saturday or Sunday.
Sveum isn’t committing, though.
“Garza is better today and there’s some improvement,” Sveum said earlier, according to Carrie Muskat. “[His arm is] not quite extendable but he doesn’t seem to be concerned about it. I think [Tuesday] will be the big day to do the evaluation. That’s when we’ll have to make some decisions and line up stuff.”
If Garza comes out guns blazing on Saturday, maybe this all blows over. Maybe delaying a guy’s start by a day or two after he suffered a “triceps cramp,” won’t be seen as a big deal. But, the truth is, I can’t imagine that interested teams will view this move kindly.
Fortunately, if the Cubs work to line up a trade on Garza, I really don’t believe they’re going to accept anything less than full asking price, based on this injury. If teams are scared off, so be it, and the Cubs will re-evaluate the wisdom of dealing Garza in the offseason. No, they probably won’t get quite as much in return then, but that’s no reason to take pennies on the dollar right now.
Further, it’s not as if Garza’s full medical reports won’t be on the table for any team that wants to see them. Maybe they’ll be able to satisfy themselves that this really is a flukey cramp situation, and believe that Garza will come back strong.
If today’s trade activity is any indication, here’s hoping Garza does come back – the trade market looks awfully strong for sellers right now.
The way they’ve been holding out for the right deal, I don’t see any kind of “discount” just to move him. He’ll be traded or not on the FO’s terms.
Well maybe this will allow Garza and his people that they may want to sign an affordable extension. And hopefully he realizes he’s no Justin Verlander. I think that would be best case scenario.
Or, you know, they could extend him.
That’s a part of the decision in the offseason.
Yeah. Just seems like no one ever brings that up. But I guess that’s to be expected at the end of July. Trades on the brain for everyone and all that jazz. But it’s not as if the Cubs are SOL if they don’t trade him like lots of folks make it out to be.
No, definitely not SOL. But – and I keep checking myself to make sure I phrase it this way – you want to at least have the OPTION to trade him this week.
Hypothetically, if Garza stays for the season and gets extended in the offseason, doesn’t that make him even more valuable at next year’s trade deadline?
Yeah, but you don’t trade guys a few months after extending them – makes sense on the baseball side, but not the business side. Suddenly, guys don’t want to sign extensions with you, and free agents don’t want to sign with you.
Not to mention he would be way more expensive after extending.
good point, I guess I wasn’t thinking about the big picture. I hope he’s drinking his pickle juice for that cramp… always works for me.
I think Garza is sticking it to the Cubs right now. I not saying he’s faking, but I cant help but to think the timing is more than just a coincidence. Maybe he doesn’t want to be traded, so hes “get” injured doing his second to last start and is now forced to miss his last start. Just seems fishy.
Seems like with Lewis going down for the season all Garza would have to do is show up and throw an inning for the Rangers to be satisfied
Neftali Feliz is set to come back soon. While perhaps a risky move (he hasn’t proven to be a healthy pitcher yet), they could throw him back into the rotation.
This Garza situation just seems like typical Cubs bullshit. It’s completely apropos.
What do you mean?
Sorry, not spewing conspiracies. Talking more in terms of luck.
Gotcha.
Anther name that is now out there is Josh Johnson in Miami Texas and boston both are scouting him along with im sure a number of other teams
Yeah the Rangers are definitely going to acquire a pitcher. just a question of who. Marlins appear to be blowing their team up too (I think they’ve done that once or twice before). I could see Johnson or Buehrle going to Texas.
Question: with Garzas start being pushed back, If he’s not healthy enough for teams to be satisfied by the 31st, couldn’t the Cubs put him through waivers and then trade him in August? If a team claims him don’t they have to trade for him or the waiver can be revoked? If that is the case then does that hurt his value at all?
I think many teams would claim him and yes the Cubs can revoke any claims, but I think that once you put him on waivers and then revoke the claim you can’t put him back on the wavier wire. Otherwise teams could just keep placing a player on waivers until they find a match and I don’t think that is what the Commish would want or allow. Can someone confirm/deny this?
If a player is claimed from waivers, the original team has three options:
(1) It can allow the claiming team to assume the player’s entire contract, who then places him on its 25-man roster; or
(2) It can trade the player to the claiming team within two business days of the claim; or
(3) It can cancel the waiver by pulling the player back.
If the player is not claimed by any team within three business days of being placed on waivers, the player is said to have “cleared waivers.” That player is then free to be traded to any team, released, or assigned to a minor league team (subject to various collectively-bargained-for rights about refusing assignments).
PLAGIARIZED.
but can a team place a player on waivers then revoke the claim and then put him back on waivers
no. if claimed, it has to do one of those things. can put them back on again for that season.
wow. that was some terrible grammar. if a guy is claimed, the original team has to do one of those things listed above. The team can cancel the claim, but if they do that, then that team cannot put them back on again for that season. please ignore my first response. it’s totally wrong lol
thanks, and I was just getting ready to call you out for that writing.
The problem with this is…
the lowest team in the standings gets first dibs, and a team can, and very possibly would make the claim with no intentions of ever working out a deal just so he couldn’t go to a team slightly above them who may really want him.
Since we’re sort of on the topic, if you hold down the “shift” key while striking any letter key, it will capitalize that letter.
thanks.
Garza can’t realistically be traded in August. There’s your short answer.
What he said, and that’s why the only people that are traded in August are the Turk Wendells of the world.
Or dudes with absurdly big contracts.
You think the cubs through Soriano on the wavier wire to see if any team is crazy enough to take his full contract?
They put him on waivers last year if i remember correctly and no one claimed him. most teams put pretty much everyone on waivers.
Yes. Teams put almost everyone on waivers in August – might as well, as it’s the only way you’re permitted to trade them. We’ll get into this in August.
trying to think of a player with a huge contract that another team picked up, I’m sure the Cubs have placed Soriano on waivers but obviously no team wanted that contract.
Remember, a guy doesn’t have to be claimed for you to trade him – guys like Soriano can be traded because they DON’T get claimed (“clearing waivers”).
Right, but then the claiming team doesn’t auto claim his entire salary, either.
Gotcha, thought you were talking about teams claiming big contract players and taking their contract. With everything go on today its amazing we can have any conversations without plenty of misunderstanding.
White Sox picked up Armando Rios a few seasons back.
I think SanDiego put in a claim years ago for a stud pitcher they didn’t need, and took on his entire salary just to block another team. If I remember, it kind of backfired on them.
I believe you are talking about Randy Myers.
This is a blow to our trade hopes! Especially that the rangers are scouting josh johnson. Well so are the red sox but I don’t like them so they can suck it. Rangers have a few good pieces I would love to see in cubbie blue!
Josh Johnson comes out of his start tonight with a blister. Bad news for the Marlins, good news for the Cubs!
I still think garza gets traded by the deadline. There are to many teams in need of pitching and not enough top of the rotation guys available. As long as Garza can prove he is healthy, he’ll be gone and if not by the deadline he’ll be traded in the off season. I don’t think the FO is high on Garza, maybe because he can’t bunt or throw to 1st. He should be in the AL. I also think if the Pirates are smart and they really want Maholm, they should put their best offer on the table now and avoid facing him twice between now and the all-star break…. Just because they would probably get to tee off Casey Coleman those games instead.
So Jacob Turner got traded, so much for being untouchable
Turner was never untouchable, Castellanos is.
Turner is definitely not unhitable, did you see his last start…lol???
The Cubs dodged a serious bullet by not getting sucked into a Turner trade.
I would not sign Garza to 80 mil for 5 years and a no-trade clause.
Source: Dempster now asleep in hotel room. No word yet if Cub or Braves to use ‘INCEPTION’ methods to enter dreams.
As much as Garza and other ballplayers make, currently his is not a situation I’d like to be in. His wife is having a baby like within the next few weeks and he could be about to be traded at that same time. Not a time of year I would want to have to move to who knows where. Not that I’d like to see the cubs take advantage of a guy but it would seem the cubs could have some leverage in a team friendly extension.
A lot of “experts” are saying the Marlins are likely to keep Josh Johnson. If Cole Hamels and Zach Grienke stay put(Seems Likely) Matt Garza is without a doubt the most valuable pitcher available at the deadline… Rangers Colby Lewis is done for the year. Oswalt is getting cortazone shots. I think a big Rangers, Cubs trade could be brewing. We all have to pray Garza is 100% healthy because if he is he could possibly fetch Olt, Buckel, and maybe 1 or 2 low a prospects. You’ve got to imagine the Rangers are extremely desperate to win a world series. They have the pieces to go all in and still have good, young, top prospects(Profar, and Perez) after a big trade. COME ON RANGERS, YOU CAN DO IT!!!
The Cubs are now in a rather precarious situation. They cannot ask for less regarding Garza because other teams disbelief in his health would come into play. However, if they ask for a little less from say, TEXAS, a deal could most certainly get done! I believe, in order to ask for less, Garza would need another start as a Cub to show his injury was flukey and not something that will hinder him in the second half.
Hey Brett, let us know when the Rangers come calling…I feel for Colby but the market for a top of the rotation SP is expanding.