Garza to Brewers - 4 years, $52 million

[Ryno84MVP]

The Brewers have reached agreement with free agent starter Matt Garza on a four-year, $52 million contract, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.

https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/426418947152699392

[bryanbutler]

at least he didn't go to the yankees! ...

[jackmadden]

Well this came out of no where, but it seems like a good deal for the Brewers. It will be interesting to see if there are any followup moves after this to either free up some money or move one of the pitchers who they would be sending back to Triple A this year (Thornbug, Nelson, Hellweg, Fiers, Burgos). At the very least, it gives Doug Melvin something to talk about at the Brewer's fan fest this weekend.

[Fresno Bob]

that seems like a great deal to me, I'd much rather have it than the Lincecum deal the Giants signed

[Moonlight J]

assuming the medicals are fine, that's a good bargain

[Don Quixote]

assuming the medicals are fine, that's a good bargain

That's a big assumption with Garza. The length of the contract is a legitimate concern, but when you're Milwaukee, you have to do a little something extra to get free agents to sign.

[Moonlight J]

Milwaukee team twitter handle saying no deal is in place

[onejayhawk]

I am not loving this for the Brewers. They are getting an innings eater, if he's healthy, which is not given. I can see the reasoning. Gallardo is OK as SP1, but they would follow with Lohse and Estrada. Yuch.

Still, they are paying a lot for some iffy health.

J

[onejayhawk]

Garza just got essentially the same deal as Ricky Nolasco and Edwin Jackson.


Gallardo, Garza, Lohse, and Peralta is not a bad rotation at all.

Mediocre is also not bad, by definition. The Brewers will not win anything with that, assuming it is all in place. Given the age of Lohse and Garza's history, that is assuming a lot, even if you get development from Peralta.

I wonder what the Brewers think they are doing this year. I look at the wreckage of the White Sox bullpen and understand that they will be running spere parts out, to see if any have something useful. I get no such feeling from Milwaukee. Are they trying to buy a year for player development? If so, who?

J

[chancellor]

I am not loving this for the Brewers. They are getting an innings eater, if he's healthy, which is not given. I can see the reasoning. Gallardo is OK as SP1, but they would follow with Lohse and Estrada.

Huh? This makes no sense whatsoever. Gallardo isn't OK as a SP1, and he's worse than Garza. His ERA is worse over the last few years, his WHIP is also worse, his BB/9 is climbing, and his K/9 is not improving. Garza's improved control has led to a 3+:1 K:BB ratio.

[Hornsby]

Man, the more I think about this deal the better it appears.

- Garza was only $3M more expensive than Ricky Nolasco (lol, Twins).
- Garza has no draft pick compensation attached to signing unlike others on the market.
- Garza is, in my mind, the best non-Tanaka starter on the market.

Very nice deal, indeed.

Nolasco has started at least 30 games in every season since 2008, and the one missing year he started 26. Garza has been on the DL in each of the past 3 seasons, twice with elbow issues. For a team like the Twins, getting a consistent starter who'll take the ball every 5 days is more important than getting a pitcher who MIGHT be a bit more effective (check his record in the AL last year).

[onejayhawk]

The Brewers rotation is not a train wreck. Small difference.

J

[Hornsby]

I'd take Garza one million times out of one million over Nolasco.

The Brewers' rotation is quite good. Lohse has been quietly putting up ace numbers for three years in a row now. Gallardo clearly has the upside. Garza does, too. Peralta was one of the most heralded pitching prospects in baseball, although it remains to be seen if he can put it together. Estrada is coming off of back to back superlative campaigns.

Yes, there are question marks just like every other rotation in baseball. Saying "but they would follow with Lohse and Estrada", as if that's some kind of negative, is ridiculous. Lohse is one of the better #3s in baseball. Estrada clearly can pitch, too.

I smell another Avatar bet...who makes 30 starts? Game?

[Hornsby]

No. Garza is the better pitcher, by a long shot, but he's been injury prone as of late. Nolasco is absolutely the more Jeff Suppan-esque of the two. Why you think the Twins (or anyone for $50M) needs that is beyond me.

Then he's not the better pitcher...if he can't make his scheduled starts, what good is he? Nolasco might not be great, but he's a far sight better than Suppan...

[Moonlight J]

I would take Nolasco because you can't remove the health concern. Garza hasn't been the same since leaving Tampa Bay and using his slider hard - a pitch the Rays didn't let him use with as much frequency (unofficial org policy)