Yesterday’s 60-day DL move “effectively” ended Matt Garza’s season, and shortly thereafter, Dale Sveum confirmed that the Cubs are “actually” ending it. Garza will not pitch again this season after suffering a stress reaction in his elbow beginning in July, and instead will work toward getting completely healthy for 2013.
As you might expect, knowing what kind of competitor Garza is, he’s not happy about being shut down.
“I’m not fine with it,” Garza told reporters. “I’ll never be fine with it, but I kind of have to [accept it]. I’ve been getting better and working out and I’ll stay ready, and when they say it’s OK to go, I’ll be out there, ready to go.”
Garza still hasn’t been permitted to pick up a baseball by the Cubs, and probably won’t be until after a September 1 re-evaluation.
“I can [throw],” he said. “They don’t want me to. I was throwing before, and they shut me down …. It feels better every day. Until they give me the OK [to throw], that’s when I’ll know how it feels.”
I sense some disconnect there in how Garza feels – how he’d like to proceed – and the Cubs’ plans for him. On the balance, though, I’d rather the Cubs took the overly cautious approach. And Garza knows the Cubs are just doing what’s best for the team and for him, long-term.
“The best move to make is to open up a spot without sacrificing somebody who needs to be up here,” Garza said of being transferred to the 60-day DL. “This is for the better of the club.
“[I’m] disappointed. I wanted to finish it off. I’d like to be the guy who steps out there every five days and be known for that. I’ve had a little hiccup. I’ll come back stronger.”
Garza will undoubtedly work himself into absurdly good shape before the 2013 season, so maybe there’s your silver lining if you want to find it. As for trade or extension talks, it’s hard to see either going much of anywhere until after Garza demonstrates his health and effectiveness next Spring.
And it won’t come any sooner, because Garza doesn’t seem too interested in pitching anywhere this Winter.
“There’s no reason to do that,” Garza said. “Maybe it’s just the Lord’s way of telling me that I need a break …. It’s trying to use it as a blessing and get my body in tip-top shape and get ready for next season. That’s kind of where I’m at right now.”