Matt Garza is arguably the surest bet in terms of starting pitchers on the free-agent market this offseason, a low-risk, high-reward commodity for teams in search of a righty in the middle-to-top of their rotation.
Since the 2007 season, when Garza has made at least 15 starts, his ERA has been between 3.32 and 3.95 every year. And at 30-years-old, there’s no question he has plenty left in the tank. This past season with the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers, Garza recorded a 3.82 ERA.
The one issue hovering over Garza is his health. According to FOX Sports, the stress reaction in Garza’s right elbow that cost him the second half of the 2012 season and the muscle strain that kept him sidelined the first month a half last season are non-issues.
It’s likely that contending teams will show a greater interest in Garza, as his resume speaks for itself. The righty owns a career ERA of 3.48 with 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings in 31 postseason innings pitched. We all remember the 2009 American League Championship Series when he surrendered just two runs over 13 2/3 innings in two starts.
Among the teams that have shown interest thus far are the San Francisco Giants, Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Los Angeles Angels. Garza’s previous team, the Rangers, are not expected to be in play for him.
The Giants expressed interest in Garza back in November, as well as other starters Ervin Santana, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Bronso Arroyo. Garza hails from Northern California and would slide into the Giants’ rotation alongside Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum, and Matt Cain.
Minnesota also showed interest in Garza, who was part of the package that helped the team bring in Delmon Young from the Tampa Bay Rays back in 2007. Garza told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune he would be willing to return to the Twins, citing the Twin Cities was a place he would feel comfortable in.
Still, CBS Sports names the Angels and Diamondbacks as the most likely destinations for Garza. Behind Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson, the Angels rotation is very young, consisting of Garrett Richards, Hector Santiago, and Tyler Skaggs. Not one of those guys has started more than 29 Big League games and the Angels likely want to shore up their staff with a veteran. That veteran may be Garza. As for Arizona, general manager Kevin Towers denied his team being a frontrunner for Garza, though multiple reports the team is heavily in the mix.
