[外電] Brewers, four-year deal with Garza

[kimeabsolute (kime)]

MILWAUKEE -- It's official: Matt Garza and the Brewers have a deal.

Principal owner Mark Attanasio made that announcement Sunday in the middle of
Brewers On Deck, saying the sides had tied up the loose ends that were
delaying finalization of the right-hander's four-year contract. It guarantees
$50 million, according to a source, with another $4 million available in
incentives, plus a vesting option for a fifth year at $13 million, based on
Garza's workload over the first four seasons of the deal.

When news of the agreement first broke on Thursday, it was cause for surprise
because the Brewers were not considered one of the teams in the market for a
top free-agent starting pitcher. But general manager Doug Melvin had quietly
been talking to Garza's representatives for weeks.

"We stayed in contact with the Brewers for quite some time, and it was just
the right fit," Garza said. "It wasn't a surprise. I was expecting an open
market, and that's what I got. I'm really happy I'm a Milwaukee Brewer."

Garza's contract is the richest for a free agent in Brewers history, passing
Jeff Suppan's four-year, $42 million pact in December 2006. It is also the
richest free-agent pitching contract in baseball so far this offseason, since
Masahiro Tanaka technically signed with the Yankees via the posting system
and the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw was still under club control.

Garza, 30, began the last three seasons with the Cubs before last July's
trade to Texas. He is 67-67 with a 3.84 ERA in 194 Major League games (191
starts) over eight years with the Twins, Rays, Cubs and Rangers. He went 10-6
with a 3.82 ERA in 24 starts between the Cubs (11 starts) and Rangers (13
starts) last year.

Garza joins a Brewers rotation that posted a 3.36 ERA after last year's
All-Star break, fourth best in baseball. Kyle Lohse, Garza, Yovani Gallardo,
Marco Estrada and Wily Peralta are projected, in some order, to fill
Milwaukee's rotation for the start of 2014, with prospects like Tyler
Thornburg, Johnny Hellweg and Jimmy Nelson in reserve. The Brewers also
acquired left-hander Will Smith from the Royals this winter and have not
ruled out making him a starter.

"We've said now for a couple of years that we're focusing on pitching and
pitching depth," Attanasio said. "That's easier said than done, obviously,
but if you look at the moves that Doug has made … including getting
[reliever] Michael Blazek, or the Rule 5 player that we picked up from the
Pirates, there has been a continued quiet emphasis on building pitching depth.

"You can never have enough pitching depth, and I would argue we have as much
pitching depth as we've had [in] my 10 seasons of ownership."

When healthy, Garza is one of baseball's elite right-handers, with an average
fastball velocity of better than 93 mph and a power slider. But he has had
some injury issues, including a rib-cage strain that cost Garza the first two
months of last season, and right elbow and shoulder concerns in the two
seasons prior to that. Attanasio declined to say whether the contract
includes language that protects the Brewers in case of injury, citing club
policy of keeping such matters confidential.

Does Attanasio consider the contract a risk?

"There was an article recently that profiled on different bases the top 25
pitchers in baseball. You look at all these different metrics, and [Garza]
routinely grades out as [one of those pitchers]," Attanasio said. "So I'd
rather talk about his upside, what he brings in terms of performance to the
staff, and also what he brings in leadership. This guy really cares about
winning, and I think he's going to bring that attitude, which we're looking
for."

The sides disputed the notion that Garza's deal was "delayed," though he took
a physical exam on Thursday amid reports that the parties were close. It
simply took time, Melvin told the crowd at the team's annual fanfest, to
finalize a number of specific financial details.

"These things take a lot more time today than they used to," Melvin said.
"You used to make deals, shake hands with somebody and go have a beer."

Was Garza ever worried the deal might not get done?

"I didn't worry about it at all," Garza said. "I had a plethora of activities
to take up my time while this whole thing was getting finalized. I had no
concern whatsoever."

Garza was already back home in California, so he spoke to reporters while
attending his son's basketball game. He will wear No. 22 with the Brewers,
which previously belonged to outfielder Logan Schafer. Between events on
Sunday, Schafer switched to No. 1.

"I think the Garza thing is extremely exciting. … I think he could be a
difference maker," said another Brewers outfielder, Ryan Braun. "Facing him
over the last few years, I think he's one of the best pitchers in baseball --
one of the toughest at-bats, great stuff, a fiery competitor -- which is
something I think could benefit the whole pitching staff and our whole team."

Said Brewers manager Ron Roenicke: "We need to keep him healthy and get those
innings from him. He's good. He's got good stuff. He's a great competitor. He
prepares well. He's going to help any staff he's on."

Roenicke and Melvin both resisted making predictions about where exactly
Garza will fit in the rotation, and that was just fine with Garza.

"I don't put myself in any numerical position," he said. "I just take the
ball every fifth day, run out there and do what I do."

source: http://ppt.cc/4EnH


Garza跟酒鬼簽了: 4年保證50M的約
                 4M激勵獎金
                 第五年13M vesting optio(based on workload over first 4 years)

將跟Lohse, Gallardo, Estrada 和 Wily Peralta組成目前的先發輪值

--
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◆ From: 70.112.209.68
※ 編輯: kimeabsolute    來自: 70.112.209.68        (01/27 06:46)
※ 編輯: kimeabsolute    來自: 70.112.209.68        (01/27 06:48)
推 shigowen:感覺有點少!!
→ Yeeeha:他也30了  差不多就拿這樣吧
→ best2008:30歲 有點尷尬
推 cowew:30還好吧！cano 31都能領天價了！如果說野手年紀比較不受限
→ cowew:去年還有神盾31歲4年110MM啊，Garza應該是敗在痛痛
推 wuuman:有傷嗎 在5號都10M起跳的時代 這真的好少
推 cowew:Sorry 我看錯了QQ神盾是光芒時期簽的約= =4年11MM,好少喔
→ sdiaa:30歲除非超強 不然難拿長約...
→ cowew:終於很勉強的找到一個30歲以上投手的比較大的約了：Mussina
推 cowew:2000年（32歲）6年88.5MM考慮現在球員都漲價這約應該算大吧
推 megaje:應該有傷吧 不然怎麼這麼少
→ bbo40453:難怪沒人要來條子，被打回原形後都簽不到好價格
→ cowew:過去3季都進過DL，2次肘傷1次背傷，平均每季跳過10場先發
推 brianlucky18:看來體檢可能有狀況
推 burnitzlin:希望他健健康康的,不然去年輪值輪流受傷的情形可就愈來
→ burnitzlin:愈嚴重了
※ burnitzlin:轉錄至看板 Brewers                                   01/27 11:17
→ burnitzlin:借轉酒鬼板
→ sdiaa:GARZA哪有可不受傷...
→ searoar:體檢有狀況怎麼可能會簽...
推 AndreEthier:洪其德！！
推 GoldenWasabi:越談越便宜=.=