The Minnesota Twins reportedly are considering a reunion with an old friend.
The Twins are kicking the tires on free-agent starter Matt Garza, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. Garza, of course, was drafted by the Twins in the first round in 2005 and spent parts of two big-league seasons with Minnesota before being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in November 2007.
Garza split his 2013 season between the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers. The right-hander went 6-1 with a 3.17 ERA in 11 starts with Chicago before being traded to Texas, where he went 4-5 with a 4.38 ERA in 13 starts. Garza finished the year with a 10-6 record, 3.82 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 24 total starts.
The Twins have been busy adding starting pitching this offseason. Minnesota already has signed Ricky Nolasco (four years, $49 million), Phil Hughes (three years, $24 million) and Mike Pelfrey (two years, $11 million) in its effort to revamp a pitching staff that finished 30th in quality starts (62), 29th in ERA (4.55) and 28th in WHIP (1.41) last season. There’s been talk that the Twins might consider adding another starter on a multiyear deal, and Garza’s name is intriguing given his previous success and link to the organization.
Wolfson reports that the Twins are willing to pay Garza a high annual salary but do not want to make a long-term commitment to the 30-year-old. That could become a sticking point, especially with the club reportedly “still circling” on fellow free agent Bronson Arroyo.
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