THE MATT GARZA RUMOR THAT WON'T GO AWAY

I’m not sure why, but Matt Garza and the Yankees have been connected for quite some time.  I’m a fan of Garza and on the simplest of levels, meaning Garza's personality alone, this guy would fit nicely in the Yankees clubhouse. He's a good teammate.  Perfect example has to be last night in Chicago... the Cubs got a win 12-3 and when fans in Chicago booed Alfonso Soriano, Garza, who got the win, quickly came to Soriano's defense.  According to CSN Chicago (HERE), Garza snapped at the Chicago fans: "He’s played his tail off and that doesn’t get as much respect as it deserves.... he’s asking to be in that lineup. When he’s not, he’s pissed... He’s going to give it all every time out. I get pissed off when the fans treat him the way they do. That’s ridiculous. The guy’s doing everything he can."

Say why you will about Garza and the crappy Cubs right now.  Garza didn't follow the script last night, he showed his frustration toward the fans to back his teammate, you have to love that once in a while. Clearly though, it's more complex than personality and passion for his teammate, so let’s analyze why this may be a good idea for the Yankees.

Look if we're looking at this move right now, it almost no sense. The Yankees starting rotation is doing something consistently right now, winning and pitching late into games. Look at CC Sabathia last night going for the complete game...nice right?   Guys like CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and Ivan Nova are by far dominating in the innings category.  CC and Nova have proven dominance and Andy Pettitte looks like he never left.

The real questions marks I guess would have to be Hiroki Kuroda and Phil Hughes. They are the wild cards and it's my view that if they don't go out there and consistently win or at least die trying, with that July 31st deadline approaching, and the Cubs quickly sinking, there is no doubt the Cubs will unload Matt Garza among others.  As John Tomase of the Boston Herald says simply "Garza, who is 2-5 with a 4.04 ERA this year, is playing on a one-year, $9.5 million contract. He’s arbitration eligible this winter and can become a free agent following next season." Read HERE.  Couple that with the Cubs being 22-44 and 16 games out in their division, or, last place, and there is no question that Garza will be moving soon. It all makes sense.

Now, there are plenty of places Garza can go, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports says that the Blue Jays, the Yankees and the Red Sox are interested, read HERE.  Add in the report from Ken Rosenthal that the Orioles scouted Garza, HERE and that's 4 teams in the AL East alone looking at extra pitching and Matt Garza specifically.

Now look, back to Kuroda and Hughes for a moment. These guys have been terrific lately, getting into a rhythm quite nicely, but there is always need for improvement, especially down the stretch. Garza hasn't exactly been dominant with the Cubs, but a change of scenery and battling for a contender like the Yankees could do the body good.

Theo Epstein is a damn good GM who has a long term plan (read about Gerardo Concepcion HERE and Jorge Soler HERE) and the other part of this is that he and Brian Cashman are tight and are no longer competing directly as division rivals. Add in the Joe Girardi Chi-town connection and hey, I can almost bet there will be something brewing here between the Yanks and Cubs. 

My feeling on this is simple, if the Yankees can figure out a way to deal for Matt Garza and don't disrupt the great Yankee rotation chemistry right now, I have a good feeling about this rumor. Garza's is a tough guy and needs to come back to the American League East.  No, he hasn’t been God awful in the National League, but it’s clear to me that a change could catapult this guy into a contender again.  You add Garza to our already great rotation and things will definitely fall into place...and maybe even help bring another championship to the Bronx. Bottom line, you need to get all the help you can get down the stretch, whenever you can get it! 

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