The Rays have officially announced the Matt Garza trade. In addition to the players announced previously, the Rays will also be sending low-level minor league pitcher Zach Rosscup to the Cubs. Rosscup was the Rays 29th round pick in the 2009 draft.
In the last 24 hours, we have read so many pieces on the Matt Garza trade, that we now have a horrible goatee and have started calling our daughter Hak-Ju (she drops things a lot). Here is a sampling of what has been written…
We made several radio appearances yesterday and the most common question we were asked was whether the Rays traded Matt Garza to make the team better or to save money. The answer was simple: Both.
We have Garza projected to make $5.25 million in 2011 (through arbitration). If he is replaced on the roster by league-minimum player ($414K), the Rays will be saving almost $5 million this season. And if no other players are added to the roster, the opening day payroll now projects to be ~$33.3 million.
As a side note, with Garza gone, the Rays highest paid player in 2011 will be BJ Upton (~$5.0M)
$33.3 million is quite a step down from the 2010 opening day payroll of $72.8 million. And yet, one could make a case that the 2011 roster is still better than the 2008 roster that had an opening day payroll of $43.8 million (Now, that doesn’t mean this team is going to the World Series. Just that, on paper, they might be better).
But $33.3 million is also a lot less than Read the rest of this entry »
[Update] Bruce Miles confirms that Fernando Perez is the outfielder the Rays are sending to the Cubs.
[Update] Bruce Levine is now reporting that the deal is done pending physicals. Levine confirms the five players listed below from the Cubs. He adds that the Cubs will receive a minor league pitcher and a minor leageu outfielder from the Rays.
[Update] There are several reports that the deal is now final and that the Rays are getting five players, with the deal including Sam Fuld in addition to the four prospects mentioned below. Also, the Rays will be sending two prospects to the Cubs. No word yet on who that is. Fuld is a 29-year old outfielder with 98 games at the big league level over parts of two seasons.
[11:32am]ruce Miles of the Chciago Herald-Tribune has multiple sources telling him that the Rays and Cubs are nearing a trade that would send Matt Garza to the Cubs, possibly for four prospects.
Would you give up Chris Archer, Hak-Ju Lee, Brandon Guyer and Robinson Chirinos to get Matt Garza. The Cubs are getting set to do just that, I’ve learned this morning. An announcement is not imminent for several reasons (physical exams, for one), but that is the package (based on several conversations with reliable sources I’ve had last night and early this morning)
Miles goes on to add that both sides may need to add some pieces to get the deal finalized. But the feeling appears to be that the main compenents of the deal are in place.
Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago is also reporting that the two sides are close to finalizing the deal.
We had heard previously Read the rest of this entry »
Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven were elected to the Hall of Fame yesterday. It is now just a footnote, but the last major league game Alomar played was during the 2005 Spring Training with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He went 0-11 and called it a career before the season even started. During a conference call yesterday, Alomar reflected on his brief tenure with the Devil Rays. [TampaBay.com]
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Rays may be close to dealing Matt Garza to the Chicago Cubs…
The Cubs appear to have moved past the Texas Rangers and into the driver’s seat in efforts to acquire Tampa Bay Rays 15-game winner Matt Garza — a potential move that could put the Cubs back into the National League Central title conversation for 2011…A major-league source said Tuesday the Cubs were close to trading for the power-pitching right-hander…
As we mentioned previously, the Cubs must think they are close if talks have continued this long.
Wittenmyer does not indicate what the Rays would receive in return. However, Bruce Levine previously reported that a deal would likely include Robinson Chirinos, a catcher that is close to the big leagues and has a very good bat. And earlier we heard that young shortstop prospect Hak-Ju Lee could be part of the package.
Bruce Levine reports that the Cubs and Rays are still talking about a possible trade that would send Matt Garza to the Northside of Chicago. Levine previously reported that the Rays are looking for a future shortstop. But this time he adds that the Rays are also looking for a catcher that can be ready for the big leagues “in the next couple of seasons.”
Levine says Robinson Chirinos, a catcher that split the 2010 season between double-A and triple-A is a good bet to be part of any potential package. In 92 games, he hit .326 with a .416 OBP, 18 home runs and an outstanding 43-to-44 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Chirinos has posted an OBP of at least .394 each of the last three seasons.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
Bruce Levine ESPN Chicago held a chat yesterday in which he said “[Matt] Garza is the guy [the Cubs] are after.” He later added that the Cubs are also interested in Fausto Carmona from the Indians, but that Garza is the more pitcher to be acquired in a trade.
What is interesting here is that the Cubs still think they have a shot at Garza. So while the Rays insist they don’t like the offers that are out there, the Cubs must feel they are at least close enough to keep the talks alive.
Levine insists the deal is not dead and that the Cubs have Garza at the top of their wishlist. He goes on to say that the Cubs “are going to be in it all the way.”
The biggest problem with this matchup is that most believe the Cubs don’t have the prospects to get the deal done. Levine says the Rays will insist on Hak-Ju Lee in the deal. Lee is a 19-year old shortstop that hit .282 with a .354 OBP at single-A this past season.
The Cubs may have to work out a second deal with a third team in order to add a prospect or two to the deal. If that happens, Garza could be gone sooner rather than later.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
A couple of interesting tidbits from Bruce Levine on the trade market for Matt Garza…
Levine goes on to point out that the Rangers have two top shortstop prospects, Jurickson Profar and Luis Sardinas. The Cubs also have a couple of middle infield prospects, Hak-Ju Lee and Ryan Flaherty, that could be part of a deal.
We also heard yesterday that the Rays had targeted Ian Desmond from the Nationals in a potential Garza deal, but that the Nationals were unwilling to part with the shortstop.
The Rays typically don’t Read the rest of this entry »
Wondering why the Rays still haven’t announced the Jason Bartlett trade as being official? Well, we now (probably) know which pitcher is holding up the deal. Cesar Ramos is listed as being on the DL for his Mexican League team and hasn’t pitched in a nearly a month (big hat tip to RaysRenegade.com).
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
