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WATCH: Quade discusses Garza
Matt Garza didn?t save Jim Hendry?s job. But no one inside the Cubs organization has really second-guessed the trade either.
Barring another miracle, Tampa Bay won?t make the playoffs, but that?s life in the American League East. The Rays saw another window opening in the future without Garza, framed by five players from the Cubs system and 12 picks among the first 89 selections in the 2011 draft.
That architecture makes Rays general manager Andrew Friedman a logical candidate for the Cubs job ? and the situation so ideal that people in Tampa Bay have a hard time picturing him leaving.
Garza has essentially been as advertised ? a reliable, durable 27-year-old starter with potential. He?s been on good behavior for most of the year, controlling the emotions that had some wondering how he?d handle playing in a much bigger market. He says he doesn't have to prove anything to anybody.
Garza is now 8-10 with a 3.52 ERA after Monday?s 4-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field. He was talking into his glove again after 7 2/3 innings. He gave up three runs, one earned, on a cool, 62-degree afternoon that felt like October. That?s where he?s supposed to one day lead the Cubs (61-80).
?Garza was fantastic,? manager Mike Quade said afterward. ?He?s such an important part of this. He?s the kind of guy (who) can close things out. Down the road, we?re going to need that guy (to) give us eight (innings) once in awhile, maybe nine. (He?s) a horse. (I) think he?s capable of better. I think we?ll see better.?
The culture of 24/7 news demands instant winners and losers. As Garza likes to say, ?It is what it is.? In reality, it will take years to complete a full accounting of this eight-player trade. On Labor Day, with the minor-league season just about complete and the Cubs braced for more firings, here are the early returns.
*The young pitching in the upper levels of the system didn?t come as fast as the Cubs hoped this season. In the same way, the Rays probably hoped to see more from Chris Archer, who went 8-7 with a 4.42 ERA in 25 starts at Double-A Montgomery. He?s finishing stronger, going 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA in two starts at Triple-A Durham. He will turn 23 this month and hopes to one day develop into a frontline starter like Garza.
*Only eight months younger than Starlin Castro, Hak-Ju Lee advanced to the Double-A level, where he hit .190 in his first 24 games. The shortstop from South Korea spent most of this year with Class-A Charlotte, batting .318 in 400 at-bats. The Rays could have a dynamic defender to anchor their middle infield. By the time Lee?s established, Castro may have gone to multiple All-Star games.
*The Rays have already given a taste to outfielder Brandon Guyer and catcher Robinson Chirinos. Guyer posted a .905 OPS with 14 homers and 61 RBI in 107 International League games. If top prospect Brett Jackson gets to Wrigley Field in 2012 and Tyler Colvin shows he?s an everyday outfielder at this level, then the Cubs won?t miss Guyer as much. The Cubs dealt from a position of strength in trading Chirinos, who was blocked by Geovany Soto and Welington Castillo.
*The national media loves Sam Fuld. Tony Campana won?t be profiled by The New Yorker, but he could be similar to Fuld as a fifth outfielder/speed guy off the bench. After a fast start, Fuld is hitting .243 with 20 stolen bases. The Stanford-educated outfielder, who once interned at STATS, has the kind of background chairman Tom Ricketts is looking for in his next general manager.
The Rays bought in bulk because they have limited resources and have to compete against the economic superpowers every year. In the National League Central, the Cubs don?t have to be as good as the Red Sox or the Yankees.
The Cubs went all-in on Garza because he can?t become a free agent until after the 2013 season. The other parts thrown into the deal were outfielder Fernando Perez, who was released this summer, and Class-A pitcher Zach Rosscup.
At this point, it would be foolish to bet against the Rays, because they are one of the industry?s best-run organizations.
The Cubs spent almost $20 million on amateur talent internationally and in the draft this summer. They are a large-market team that can always restock and buy more prospects.
In the end, it will probably go down exactly the way Hendry described it last January: A good, old-fashioned baseball trade that will help both sides.
Patrick Mooney is CSNChicago.com's Cubs beat writer. Follow Patrick on Twitter @CSNMooney for up-to-the-minute Cubs news and views.
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