Garza Signing Gives Brewers Hope for October

When Milwaukee Brewers signed Mark Reynolds, this very blog made mention how the team had been very quiet this offseason, and it almost felt like they were too quiet. The latter proved to be accurate as Milwaukee signed Matt Garza to a four-deal worth 50 million dollars, but he could earn up to 67 million dollars over five years if things go really well. Garza helps the Brewers in not only adding an high-quality pitcher to their rotation but he also brings a fiery nature Milwaukee has missed since 2011. Brewers are getting closer to make a run at the 2014 MLB Playoffs. 

Throughout the Doug Melvin era, pitching is usually the problem. 2013 might have been the first time in a long time where the hitters were not picking up the slack for the pitching rotation and the bullpen. With Ryan Braun back and the addition of Reynolds plus the emergence of Carlos Gomez and Jean Segura, the offense will be fine, but questions remained about their pitching staff. The addition of Garza gives this team an added element with three number two starters leading their rotation this season. Something Milwaukee has not had since 2011, and that will always be the year people point to until the Brewers can find themselves back into the playoffs. 

Before we look at what Garza's statistics could mean for the Brewers, Melvin did a great job getting Garza at this value given the current market. Additionally, he did not have to give up a draft pick which he would have done if Milwaukee signed Ervin Santana or Ubaldo Jiminez. From a management standpoint, this is a good signing for Milwaukee to make if they believe this team has what it takes to make a run to the playoffs. In the National League, it is not out of the question. The combination of Kyle Lohse, Garza and Yovani Gallardo could be pretty special, and if Wily Peralta takes another step as a pitcher, this rotation might be something to be feared this season. 

Unfortunately when the deal was first announced people were quick to their #HOTSPORTSTAKES and made a comparison to Jeff Suppan because he is the last pitcher to get this kind of money from Milwaukee. Now this is flawed and inaccurate. Disregard Garza's .500 record as pitcher as win/loss really does not matter no matter if the pitcher is Sandy Koufax or Bronswell Patrick. Garza is not perfect nor a true ace, but he is only the ripe age of 29 meaning Milwaukee will get him in his essential prime versus when the Brewers inked Suppan he was 32 years heading for the decline. The comparison with Suppan is baseless, and not worth a discussion. 

The one thing to love about Garza is his fiery nature as a competitor. While we cannot excuse his attitude and behavior towards women, Garza's 'f--- the free world' attitude is something Milwaukee lacked since 2011. I made mention of this in October when Boston was on their way to a World Series appearance. This team did not have any badasses. The 2011 team pissed a lot of baseball pursuits off, and it was stellar. But the last two years, this team played without an edge. Carlos Gomez fits what Garza brings as well as a couple others yet this edge, this chip on the shoulder nature was not present. Hopefully with Garza that returns even if we might get a few outbursts at inopportune times. Once again, let's pray he does not make any more comments about women. 

Things to like about Garza is his ERA steadley stays under four. The last time Garza's ERA was over four for an entire season was at age 22 when he broke into the league with Minnesota. Since 2011, Garza's strikeout to walk ratio has been over three, an improvement from the first couple years in the league although his strikeouts per nine innings has been down in the last couple years. This could be a sign that he is pitching more to contact versus trying to strike every player out.  In 2010, Garza walked 79 batters but since then those numbers went down rapidly with in 2012, he went down by more than 50 percent. Whatever issue Garza had with control during his last year at Tampa Bay are over. 

If there is one thing to raise an eyebrow like you were The Rock, it would be Garza's issue with giving up home runs. Garza averages about a home run per nine innings. With the way balls tend to fly out of Miller Park, this could be a problem. It is the same issue with Marco Estrada. This is okay if there are no runners are on or one at the very most. It gets troublesome when there are multiple runners on. The other issue is Garza struggles fielding bunts at time. It is a weird quirk, but he is not a good fielding pitcher. Hopefully, Brewers fans will do some research on Garza therefore they can expect this rather than make wild assumptions... Oh wait they crossed out Ryan Braun's name on shirt jerseys to make a statement. Nevermind, my bad. Garza is a good pitcher, but he does come with some negatives as all players do in any sport. 

Can the Brewers make a serious run at the playoffs?  By March 15th, I will probably be talked into it, but the team has its best chance since 2011. They have as dangerous as a two through six in baseball along with a competent pitching staff with a bullpen that could be improved yet it is not the worst in the Major Leagues. This team might be on the cusp of something big, and Garza is a big reason why, now to see if it all comes together like the Brewers hope it does in the 2014 season. 

Charlie.