The Pittsburgh Pirates are the “team du jour” for Chicago Cubs starter, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. If you don’t know what that means, perhaps this will help.
Wittenmyer points out that Neal Huntington suggested this afternoon that he has sought pitching, and said he has the flexibility to add payroll within reason. It sounds more like speculation and connecting the dots, but we do know that the Pirates have been interested in Garza. They’ve also been linked to Cubs outfielder Nate Schierholtz.
A few days ago it looked like Garza was on the move to the Texas Rangers. However, that deal seems to have cooled, and it looks like anyone is in play for the right-hander. Garza’s next start is tomorrow, and the belief was that he wouldn’t make that start for the Cubs. Now it is looking more likely that he will make that start, although something could change in the next 24 hours.
I’d be surprised if the Pirates added Garza. It’s not impossible, but there are a lot of teams in play, and the Pirates would probably have to give up more than Garza is worth over the final two months to get him. Huntington said they would be willing to stretch on some guys, but no word on whether Garza would be one of those guys. If he was, you’d have to think the Pirates have the talent to land him. It’s just a question of whether they should stretch for another pitcher or focus those resources on a bat.
