According to ESPN.com’s Bruce Levine, many of the same teams that have shown strong interest in Garza were on hand to watch the right-hander pitch against the Cardinals on Saturday, and Buster Olney reports that a deal over the All-Star break appears likely. The question, then, is where exactly will Garza land?
Levine reports that the Rangers and Blue Jays remain the front-runners to acquire Garza in a trade with the Cubs. The Red Sox, Indians and Giants reportedly have expressed strong interest in the pitcher as well.
According to Levine, the Rangers and Blue Jays were the main suitors for Garza in July 2012 before the 29-year-old injured his elbow and missed the remainder of the season. The two clubs reportedly have had numerous evaluators watching Garza over his last three starts, with Texas reportedly having four scouts watching overall.
Garza has been the subject of trade speculation for a few weeks, as the belief is that the Cubs will look to move him to help their rebuilding process. Garza is slated to become a free agent after this season, and he could net Chicago a good haul of prospects, especially considering how well he has pitched this season.
The Cubs and Garza have discussed a potential contract extension, but it might just be a matter of time before the hurler is shipped out of town.
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