FREDDY GARCIA GOES WEST

In an attempt to elongate his career, Freddy Garcia was shopping for a new team during his free agency off-season. While his name came up a few times with different teams, nothing stuck right away.  After rumored connections with the Miami Marlins, he has finally settled in to a new home.

In 2011, Garcia was a special little diamond in the rough for the Yankees. He came in and, although no one really expected much from the pitcher who posted a 4.64 era the year before, he managed to be old reliable. Garcia posted a 3.62 era going 12-8 that year.

 Garcia appeared in all of 30 games last season, posting a 5.20 era and going 7-6. He was moved from the starting rotation to a relief pitchers role. To say that he didn’t have a good season would be a bit of an understatement, so who is a good fit for him?

With the Marlins trading off most of their line-up this off-season, they had some holes to fill. Veteran players run out of options relatively quickly so there is an opportunity you have to take it. They look for teams that are in need of players but who don’t want to spend too much money. Considering the salary dump, it seems like a fit. The Marlins have cleaned house and they could certainly use some stability, but they won't be getting that from Freddy.

(In Photo: Wade LeBlanc)
It seemed unlikely that the Marlins were going to offer Garcia anything, but his name was tied to the for awhile. The Marlins have a good battle going for the fifth starter with Wade LeBlanc or Alex Sanabia so Freddy wasn't really in the mix I guess.  The bigger surprise was hearing about the Padres snatching him up so quickly. I am not so sure anyone saw that one coming, but it did.

The Padres have signed Freddy to a minor league deal worth $1.3 million plus $1.25 million in performance incentives. It is likely that he will make their starting rotation but since they do not have a full 40-man roster they can hold off on making any decisions right away.

Petco Park is a pitcher's paradise. I am sure Freddy will like all of the instant protection he will like pitching in this ballpark and that may help lessen the amount of homerun that Garcia gives up. He will be a great veteran presense for a team that is trying to revamp their team in a much more dangerous National League West Division.

This could be an ideal situation for him, and we wish him luck. Good Luck Freddy!

--Erica Morales, BYB Writer
Twitter: @e_morales1804

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