According to a report from the Sun-Times, sources indicated Tuesday that “the Cubs were close to trading” for Matt Garza. The Cubs have moved past the Texas Rangers in the pursuit of Garza and could be drawing near a deal for the right-hander.
Jim Hendry has been working on a deal for Matt Garza since the Winter Meetings.
Updated – January 5, 12:47am CT – According to a tweet from Dave Kaplan, ” a deal is seriously being discussed.” The addition of Matt Garza would give the Cubs a strong top of the rotation … and in the process could improve the backend. According to the Sun-Times, with Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano and Matt Garza anchoring the rotation, the last two spots could be filled by Andrew Cashner, Randy Wells, Carlos Silva, Tom Gorzelanny or Jeff Samardzija.
The Sun-Times mentioned the possibility of a next-step deal happening in order to clear payroll for the arbitration eligible Garza. According to the Sun-Times, the addition of Garza could free up “one or more” of the back of the rotation candidates to be traded … and Tom Gorzelanny has been rumored to be on the block for the last month.
The Sun-Times pointed out, “the Cubs have the farm-system depth for the first time in years, including several near-ready prospects, to make a deal happen.”
The Sun-Times did not mention which players would be involved in a deal for Matt Garza.
Stay Tuned …
Updated – January 5, 12:47am CT – According to tweets from Dave Kaplan, his sources have told him a deal between the Cubs and Rays “is seriously being discussed”. It could end up costing the Cubs three solid prospects.