Chicago, IL- Cubs baseball is a subject fans haven't liked to talk about the last few years. The Cubs have not had a winning season since 2009, and are currently in a rebuilding phase. The new front office for the Cubs, led by Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer, has made some significant trades to prepare for the future. Many of these guys are washed up veterans towards the end of the careers looking to contend for a title. However, the few that are not a part of the "Washed Up" category have been traded away to acquire bigger pieces.
A lot of fans remember some of the moves made by Jim Hendry.
Alfonso Soriano, Derek Lee, and Aramis Ramirez are all players who contributed
to the Cubs offensively. Pitching wasn't really a spark for the Cubs in deals
until Matt Garza came along. Matt Garza, who was acquired from the Tampa Bay
Rays, was part of a deal that consisted of seven players going between the Cubs
and Rays in 2011. The Cubs received Garza, Fernando Perez, and Zach Rosscup in
exchange for Chris Archer, Brandon Guyer, Robinson Chirinos, Hak-Ju Lee, and
Sam Fuld. While the Cubs lost key prospects in Archer and Lee, Garza brought
some talent to the big league club during his tenure on the North Side.
Matt Garza's career with the Cubs began in 2011 when he went 10-10
with a 3.32 ERA in 31 starts. He was a highlight of a Cubs team that lost
ninety-one ballgames that year. His record really didn't show how well Garza
pitched; as he threw 198 innings, struck out 197 batters, and kept his WHIP at
1.258. After that season, Garza experienced injuries the rest of his time in
Chicago, but when he was healthy he was on. In 2012, the record wasn't great at
5-7, but he still had an ERA at 3.91 while dealing with injuries. He only made
eighteen starts, but was effective at times like on April 29, 2012. On that day
in Philadelphia, Garza went seven innings, pitched one hit ball, and struck out
ten. It showed the reason why he was an ace in Tampa Bay, and why he also won
an ALCS MVP award. Despite the iffy season in 2012, Garza turned his whole game
around in 2013 before being shipped off to the Texas Rangers at the deadline.
In eleven starts, he went 6-1 with a 3.17 ERA and WHIP of 1.141.
The Garza trade at the deadline was huge for Texas, as they needed
a starting pitcher to carry them into the postseason. They put together a
package that Theo liked such as: Mike Olt, Neil Ramirez, C.J. Edwards, and
Justin Grimm. Even though Garza was successful for the Cubs that year, it didn't
carry over into Arlington. He went 4-5 with a 4.38 ERA. Now, Garza looks to
find the success he once had, and leave the awful stay in Texas in the dust.
Garza, is someone Cubs fans will always remember. His smile and
his cheer-leading skills are something the Major League team always enjoyed in
the time of despair while Garza was a Cub. Garza might have hurt Cubs fans with
his words to Samardzija about pitching his way off the team, but his comments
were right. The men are heading into their thirties, and there is no spot for
them in the future plans for the Cubs to contend. So while Garza pitches in
that rival blue and gold jersey today, just remember that he once was a key
part of why fans continued to have faith in the Cubs the last few years.
-Daniel (DanielDoreCTC)
(All facts and stats are credited to Baseball-reference.com, The
Associated Press, and USA Today)
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