Feb 06
Matt Garza avoided arbitration this weekend when he signed a one-year, $9.5 million deal with the Chicago Cubs. Meanwhile, another former Rays pitcher, Edwin Jackson, signed a one-year deal with the Nationals for $10 million, as a free agent. That is
For fun, let’s take a look at how much the Rays top six starting pitchers will make in 2012, combined…
In other words, the Rays could use a six-man rotation and still pay those guys $2 million less than Garza and Jackson will make in 2012.
Feb 01
Former Rays pitcher Matt Garza had his home broken into recently. And according to the Fresno Bee, among the items stolen was his American League championship ring valued at $30,000.
That certainly sucks. And if we were leading the investigation, we would start with Al Reyes, who was on the ’08 Rays but was cut in August and never pitched again.
But this story brings up something that we never considered before: The Rays spent a lot of money on those rings.
A lot of this is speculation, but we do know a few things for certain…
We know that the rings are now valued at $30,000. And we know the team handed out 46 of the rings during the ring ceremony in 2009. However, at that time, only 23 players received rings and at least 25 player rings would have been made. So lets say 48 of the $30,000 rings were produced.
But we’re not done. The Rays produced 480 rings total for Read the rest of this entry »
Jan 27
This one comes by request from @11RileyJ on Twitter. It is all 27 outs from Matt Garza’s no-hitter, the only no-no in Rays history.
And since most of us are starting to get some baseball cabin fever, maybe, just maybe this will ease the shakes for a few minutes.
Enjoy!
Jan 03
- Off-Season (click image for random Wikipedia page)
The Yankees “desperately” want to add a #2 starter to their rotation according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. And the two leading candidates should be very familiar to Rays fans.
The Yankees desperately seek a No. 2 starter, and fortunately for them, there are still many viable alternatives available on the trade and free agent markets…But ultimately, the choice could come down to Matt Garza or Edwin Jackson.
Jackson is a free agent, and is reportedly seeking a 5-year deal worth $60 million. Think about that for a second. Edwin Jackson wants $12 million per season, or $4 million more than any Rays pitcher will make in 2012.
On the other hand, Garza is apparently being dangled by the Cubs, as they try to re-stock their farm system, which of course was depleted when the Cubs acquired Garza from the Rays.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Sam Fuld did a Q&A with a hometown paper. [NHBR]
- Should the Rays consider Ryan Madson for the bullpen? [BRaysball Talk]
Dec 19
The Reds have found the starting pitcher they were looking for and paid a hefty ransom for him. Unfortunately, the trade wasn’t with the Rays.
The Reds acquired Mat Latos from the Padres. And to make matters worse, Yonder Alonso and Yasmani Grandal, were two of the four players sent to San Diego. The Padres also received Edinson Volquez and Brad Boxberger.
On first-look, it might seem that the Padres huge haul would be Read the rest of this entry »
Oct 18
Anybody notice that Theo Epstein is still the general manager of the Boston Red Sox?
It has been a week since word first broke that Epstein was negotiating with the Cubs and had agreed on a five-year deal. But since Epstein is still under contract with the Red Sox through the 2012 season, the Cubs must pay compensation.
Now, a week later, the two sides have yet to agree on a package, which seems strange. How hard could it be to negotiate a couple of minor leaguers and some cash?
Turns out, the Red Sox’ demands have been much higher than that.
According to Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago, major league sources have told him that the Red Sox initially wanted Matt Garza as part of the compensation package.
Matt Garza?!? Wow. If the Red Sox are still looking for something that big, it is only a matter of time before Bud Selig and Major League Baseball get involved. At this point, there is no way Epstein can go back to the Red Sox, right?
Mar 21
For all the talent, the no-hitter and helping the Rays to two division titles in three years, one thing is certain about Matt Garza: he is a head-case. And if his first spring training with the Cubs is any indication, not much has changed.
Garza has given up 15 runs in 13.2 innings (9.88 ERA) with more walks (10) than strikeouts (9). And in his latest outing, Garza found yet another excuse for his failings. This time it was the mound.
According to Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune, Garza blamed his latest poor outing (6 baserunners and 3 runs in 3 innings) on “the slant of the [Mariners' spring training field] mound.” Garza was unable to “find a good landing spot,” and ended up with a hamstring that tightened up on him.
Now keep in mind, this is Read the rest of this entry »
Feb 15
First it was Carl Crawford, now it is Matt Garza’s turn. Garza was asked about the trade that sent him to the Cubs. And apparently that seemed like a good opportunity to give ESPN their sound-bite for the night…
“when you are drawing 12,000 and you’re in first place in the East, it is kinda rough to picture yourself there the following season.”
So it is not bad enough that the Rays lost all of these players. But apparently these guys decided to take a dump on Raysheads on the way out the door.
Has anybody asked Jason Bartlett about “American Idol” yet? Certainly that question will serve as good excuse for Bartlett to bash the Rays fan base.
Jan 11
Let’s take a look back at some of our favorite Matt Garza moments in the three years he was with the Rays. Do you have a favorite moment? Let us know in the comments…
- Was it really November of 2007 when Garza became a member of the Rays? Doesn’t seem that long ago. [November, 2007]
- There was some concerns very early on about the health of Garza and whether the Twins had hosed the Rays. [April, 2008]
- Our first Garza Separated-At-Birth…Mango! [March, 2008]
- Garza and Dioner Navarro got into a very public scuffle during a game against the Rangers. [June, 2008]
- Which led to Garza meeting with a sports psychologist. [June, 2008]
- Which then led to Read the rest of this entry »
Jan 10
Brian Cashman appeared to make it clear that the Yankees would not sign Rafael Soriano when he said the Yankees “will not lose [their] No. 1 draft pick.” He went on to say that he would have given up the team’s top pick for Cliff Lee, but not for anybody else.
But then Jon Heyman had this to say via Twitter: “Yankees still in on Soriano.” Heyman also adds that the White Sox don’t appear to have a need for Soriano, and that the Angels could go after him, but that they need hitting more.
Does this mean the Rays could be a dark horse?
Don’t count on it. In addition to wanting a several-year deal and many more millions than the Rays are willing to spend on a reliever, there is also the indirect cost of two draft picks. While the Rays wouldn’t have to surrender any picks to sign Soriano, they would lose the two picks they would receive if Soriano signs with another team.
The idea of bringing MFIKY back is a nice one. It is also not a realistic one. Then again, it wasn’t very realistic a year ago either.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Chris Archer may have been the best prospect in the Cubs’ system, but Top Prospect Alert says he is only the 6th best in the Rays system (see right column). [Top Prospect Alert]
- The Yankees talked to the Rays about Matt Garza but were left with the impression that it would cost the Yankees more because they play in the same division as the Rays. [NY Daily News]
- Here is a good write-up on the five players acquired by the Rays in the Matt Garza trade. [Baseball America]
- Peter Abraham shows that the Red Sox are one team that is not sorry to see Matt Garza leave the AL East. [Boston.com]
- Kent Sterling offers 5 reasons Cubs fans should hate the Matt Garza trade. [Kent Sterling]
