Matt Garza - Significant Trade Asset??

[JohnBriggs12]

I'm all about pulling the plug on Garza, and I feel pretty good about a #1-#4 of Anderson, Nelson, Davies and Woodruff. Only question is, who do you go with at the #5 spot? Guerra? Jungmann? Both have looked very good lately, as you said.

 

I'd be curious to know on Guerra what the story is, if it's been smoke and mirrors or if his command and velocity are back to where they need to be.

 

Even if the Brewers don't add an arm or two this winter, they go into 2018 with a pretty large group competing for the 5th spot. Foremost is Hader if they decide to move him back to starting. Then it's his job to lose. Suter, Guerra, Jungmann, Derby, Burnes, Diaz, F. Peralta...and on and on will be in Arizona.

 

Guerra hit 95 yesterday in the 9th inning. If he's back with a mid 90's fastball, he's very much in the mix next year either in the rotation or the pen. I discount the HR he allowed to Zimmerman. Up by 7, and having walked Murphy, he made Zimmerman hit to get on and he did. He followed up by getting Rendon for the final out.

[Mr Southpaw]

Just cut him and stop all the rest of it.

[adambr2]

I mean there's really no point in cutting ties with him now that rosters have expanded. You can't free up his spot for postseason eligibility for someone else anyway. Just ride out the last month, pass on his option (as far as I know there is no buyout), and be done with it.

 

But yeah, he shouldn't pitch any more meaningful innings for us.

[Mr Southpaw]

If they cut him he cannot get on the mound.

[JohnBriggs12]

I mean there's really no point in cutting ties with him now that rosters have expanded. You can't free up his spot for postseason eligibility for someone else anyway. Just ride out the last month, pass on his option (as far as I know there is no buyout), and be done with it.

 

But yeah, he shouldn't pitch any more meaningful innings for us.

 

There is a point in giving him his unconditional release. It frees up a roster spot for a deserving guy like Wilkerson to come up and make a start or two after they are effectively eliminated.

[brewcrewdue80]

Garza's walk away from the team was in 2015, not last season...just an fyi.

 

Considering the numbers, I will concede the idea of picking up his option at the moment. If he gets innings here out of the bullpen that are productive, 5million is still a low price FA BP arm who can start, poorly, from time to time.

[tmwiese55]

You can get this type of play from the Jungmans, Wilkersons, etc of the world for 500K. No reason to keep him at 5Mil. Spend that on bullpen, 1B/2B upgrades, depth guys like Walker. Whatever it might be.

[KeithStone53151]

Don't any of you see how many of these early-mid 30s starting pitchers end up fizzling and disappearing after a season like this? Last year Jon Niese, Bud Norris, Ryan Vogelsong, Vance Worley, John Danks, Matt Latos, many more all signed minor league deals. Edwin Jackson, Tim Lincecum, Colby Lewis, Doug Fister, etc didn't even get deals right away. I didn't look into what contracts they signed for when they did finally sign, I assume they all signed on the cheap. This is likely where Garza is headed in free agency. Minor league deal, maybe he gets lucky and someone signs him for 1-2 million in a Tommy Milone type deal with bullpen as a fallback. I can't believe this is still being discussed.

[tmwiese55]

Keith Stone nailed it, could probably lock this thread. He's always smooth.

[reillymcshane]

Barely a month ago - August 7 - Garza had a 3.68 ERA. Six games later and he's at 5.06. Amazing how quickly things can go in the tank. His $5M option seemed like a great deal five weeks ago - now he's looking like junk.

 

At this point, he's sitting on his third straight season with a negative bWAR. That's not very attractive.

 

I'll just be happy to have him off the books and out the door. I don't hold anything against the guy, but he's not part of this team's future. Let's move on. I want to see Suter and Jungmann and Guerra and Wilkerson. Let's give those guys a shot. No point in trotting out the dead horse any more.

[MNBrew]

Barely a month ago - August 7 - Garza had a 3.68 ERA. Six games later and he's at 5.06. Amazing how quickly things can go in the tank. His $5M option seemed like a great deal five weeks ago - now he's looking like junk.

 

At this point, he's sitting on his third straight season with a negative bWAR. That's not very attractive.

 

I'll just be happy to have him off the books and out the door. I don't hold anything against the guy, but he's not part of this team's future. Let's move on. I want to see Suter and Jungmann and Guerra and Wilkerson. Let's give those guys a shot. No point in trotting out the dead horse any more.

This is pretty much where I'm at, especially on Garza now, although I've seen quite enough of Guerra this year already. He's not getting any better right now. Last 2 appearance, he's the HR-surrendering shutout killer. Those HRs, while not harmful to the result (thankfully), at minimum continue the trend of Guerra being very hittable.

 

I'd love to see Guerra regain something close to his 2016 form, but I don't have enough faith in him right now to want to view him as anything other than organizational depth for next year. Of course, he has proven expectations wrong before and I'd love to see him do so again (for the Brewers, not someone else).

[dacbrewers]

But he's a great clubhouse presence and mentor to the younger guys. If the Brewers gave 5.5 million to Feliz they surely will give Garza 5 million. It's pennies to a baseball organization. Remember Tommy Milone and his 1.25 million dollar contract, he actually has done worse for the Mets than the Brewers. Please don't sign any more washed up guys for starting or bullpen roles.

[TURBO]

But he's a great clubhouse presence and mentor to the younger guys.

 

Is that supposed to be in blue?

 

[dacbrewers]

But he's a great clubhouse presence and mentor to the younger guys.

 

Is that supposed to be in blue?

 

Probably but just repeating what I've heard from Counsell.

[tmwiese55]

But he's a great clubhouse presence and mentor to the younger guys. If the Brewers gave 5.5 million to Feliz they surely will give Garza 5 million. It's pennies to a baseball organization. Remember Tommy Milone and his 1.25 million dollar contract, he actually has done worse for the Mets than the Brewers. Please don't sign any more washed up guys for starting or bullpen roles.

 

Yes, they're going to spend the 5 mil somewhere. But why not spend the 5 mil on a player who can be a lot more helpful. You say Feliz, well an obvious use of the 5 mil would be on trying for another solid reliever. Swarzak is sitting right there for us. Saved 5 mil by going from Garza to a 500k rookie contract, that's 5 mil more to keep Swarzak.

[adambr2]

Yeah count me in the camp of someone who would rather invest thst 5M in Swarzak. I'm thinking 2 years and $8M should be about right for Swarzak given his lack of a track record. Thst would be a much better investment than 5M for a mediocre 5th starter/mop up man.

 

Even if we want to wait on Burnes, Ortiz, and Freddy Peralta, which is fine, there are numerous cheap options in our system that we could audition that would be likely to outproduce or at least match Garza. Jungmann, Wilkerson and Derby just to name a few.

[StearnsFTW]

Garza is as good as gone after the season. He is handled with kid gloves because the Brewers don't want an issue with him going g forward (remember him walking away from the team rather than accepting a pen role). If he struggles at all, he will start sparingly after rosters expand. He is pitching for a 2018 contract but that contract will be in Minnesota or Cincinnati. I am hoping he can be lights out for five innings thru the end of the season but guess another DL stint is on the horizon.

 

You're crazy if you think that option isn't getting picked up.

 

I was hacked.

[MrTPlush]

The option does not even exist. There was a threshold of games he got to that voided it.

[LouisEly]

The problem is that for $5M you can't get more than a decent set-up guy, and that's on a multi-year deal.

 

The fact that they didn't call up Jungmann speaks volumes. Derby is Blazek with a lower BB rate but higher HR rate.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

The option does not even exist. There was a threshold of games he got to that voided it.

 

Yep, good riddance. Better off spending that $5 million on Swarzak or another high-end reliever, and let Burnes/Jungman/Guerra battle it out for a spot in Spring Training.

[rcc]

I'm glad. I wonder who will take a chance on him now. Stearns now has money to get a better pitcher, not wait for Garza to live up to that contract.

[jerichoholicninja]

Not sure how much better than Garza $5M is going to get you.

[PaulLeoMolitor]

Not sure how much better than Garza $5M is going to get you.

The statement could also be, "Not sure how much worse than Garza $5M is going to get you."

[jerichoholicninja]

Not sure how much better than Garza $5M is going to get you.

The statement could also be, "Not sure how much worse than Garza $5M is going to get you."

 

Either way it's true. $5M gets you jack squat on the free agent market. Maybe you luck in to a minor league signing or two but $5M gets you a no bat, aging, utility infielder or burned out pitcher.

[pacopete4]

$5 million could be used to make another Bud Selig statue at MP. That’s more useful.