Garza talk on CTL
Will Matt Garza get traded? Should he be? David Kaplan and the CTL panel discuss this in the wake of another Cubs loss Thursday - 6/7
While the rest of Cubdom is focusing on Anthony Rizzo's impending call-up, Theo Epstein and his staff are still trying to add more young talent to their system.
Matt Garza is easily Theo's best trade chip, and Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe lists six teams that are reportedly interested in the 28-year-old starter, including the Braves, Tigers, Cardinals, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Royals.
The Red Sox, Blue Jays, Braves and Tigers are far from surprises, as they've been rumored to have interest in Garza for a while.
But the Cardinals and Royals are certainly intriguing.
Kansas City has made it clear it is looking to boost its pitching staff, and Garza would be an obvious step up. They probably wouldn't want to part with top pitching prospect Mike Montgomery or outfielders Wil Myers or Bubba Starling (the 2011 first-round pick), but Theo would probably want to at least discuss one of those guys, if not multiple.
Even if those three are taken out of discussions, the Royals have a plethora of young talent, ranking among the best farm systems in the league.
Third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert is currently blocked by Mike Moustakas and right-hander Jake Odorizzi would give the Cubs a potential impact pitching prospect, something the organization lacks.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, would be tricky to deal with. While Theo and Co. would want to get the best package available if they deal Garza, they wouldn't want to trade within the division to the Cubs' most heated rival.
Should they choose to discuss a deal with St. Louis, the Redbirds actually have a lot to offer.
Shelby Miller was ranked as the No. 8 prospect by Baseball America prior to the 2012 season and the 21-year-old right-hander started the season at Triple-A. They also have Oscar Taveras, a 20-year-old outfielder who is currently putting up a .947 OPS in Double-A Springfield.
The Cardinals have several good young pitching prospects and Theo could go there to stockpile the system.
Of course, the Cubs could wind up signing Garza to an extension or just simply hang on to him and look for offers again over the winter. If they decide to trade Garza, there should be no shortage of buyers, with other teams like the Yankees possibly jumping in as the deadline approaches.
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