Rangers Acquire Matt Garza
The Texas Rangers added a big arm to their injury-ridden rotation by picking up one of the more sought-after players on the trading block on Monday.
According to ESPN.com, sources have confirmed that the Chicago Cubs and Rangers have agreed to a trade that will send Matt Garza to Texas in exchange for two prospects – Triple-A infielder Mike Olt and Class-A right-hander C.J. Edwards – and right-hander Justin Grimm. The Rangers will also send another player who will be named later.
The Cubs had been looking to shop Garza – who is in the last year of his contract – for the past few weeks and the Rangers had been looking to pick up a quality starter after placing four of their own on the disabled list. Garza certainly fits the bill for Texas – as he is 6-1 with a 3.17 ERA this season – and the Cubs hope their additions will help them improve for the future.
While Grimm has struggled at in the big leagues this season – with a 6.37 ERA – Olt and Edwards have shown promise at their respective minor-league levels. Before the season began, ESPN had ranked Olt as the Rangers’ second best prospect and Edwards has dominated hitters at the Class-A level with an 8-2 record and a 1.83 ERA in eight starts.
Of course, for now, the Rangers are getting the best end of the deal with Garza, who fills an immediate need in the starting rotation. With the Rangers chasing the Oakland A’s in the AL West, they’ll certainly need strong pitching down the stretch to make the playoffs.
Fortunately for Texas, two of their injured starters were inserted back into the rotation this week. Staff ace Yu Darvish came off the DL on Monday and right-hander Alexi Ogando is also coming off the DL to start against the Yankees tonight. After the Rangers add Garza into the mix, they should have a solid five-man (or at least three-man) unit moving forward.
There is often an adjustment period traded players go through when they are shifted over to a new league, so we’ll see how Garza fares in his first American League start later in the week. If becomes the player Texas hopes he will, then the deal has certainly given it a better chance to win the West.
