Matt Garza

[Brandon Glick]

Matthew Scott Garza is a 12-year MLB veteran, and he spent two-and-a-half of those seasons with the Chicago Cubs.

Prior to joining the professional ranks, Garza was an MLB and CFB prospect in high school in California before taking a scholarship to pitch at Fresno State. Garza's college career was topsy-turvy, though he would parlay an excellent junior season into becoming a first-round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins in the 2005 MLB Draft (25th overall). His time with Minnesota was brief yet notable, as he made the climb from Single-A all the way to the majors in his first full professional season. He made his MLB debut on August 11, 2006, and won the USA Today Minor League Player of the Year Award that same year thanks to a ridiculous 1.99 ERA and 154 strikeouts in 135 2/3 innings.

He would play just one more season with the Twins before being dealt to the Tampa Bay Rays prior to 2008 in the trade that landed Delmon Young in Minnesota. Garza was at his best in Tampa, throwing back-to-back 200+ inning seasons in 2009 and 2010. He won the ALCS MVP in 2008 after notching the win in the decisive Game 7, and he remains the only pitcher in the franchise's history to have thrown an official no-hitter, having done so against the Tigers on July 26, 2010. The Rays traded him to the Cubs following the 2010 season in a massive eight-player swap, which notably landed Chris Archer in Tampa Bay.

Garza took his place alongside Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster atop the Cubs' rotation, though he was the only pitcher on the starting staff in 2011 to post an ERA below 4.40 (he finished with a 3.32 mark). Garza did his best to keep a sinking ship afloat, accruing 21-18 record, 3.45 ERA (3.44 FIP), 355 strikeouts, and 1.21 WHIP in 60 starts. The Cubs, however, were downright awful during his tenure, finishing fifth in the NL Central from 2011-13. The right-hander did deal with serious injury issues after his debut season on the North Side, pitching just 174 2/3 innings in his final 1.5 seasons after a 198.0 inning performance in his inaugural campaign with the Cubs.

The trade for Garza was one of the last notable moves made by general manager Jim Hendry before Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer took over in October 2011. He was the subject of constant trade rumors during his time in Chicago, and the team never seriously made him an extension offer prior to his walk year in 2013. The team infamously signed free agent Edwin Jackson to a comparable four-year, $52 million deal that January, which frustrated Garza, who felt he deserved priority as the incumbent. It all but put the writing on the wall that Garza's time with the Cubs was coming to a premature end.

At the 2013 trade deadline, Garza was traded to the Texas Rangers for a four-player package that included relievers Justin Grimm, C.J. Edwards, and Neil Ramirez, as well as third base prospect Mike Olt. Garza was pedestrian in his half-season in Arlington, posting a 4.38 ERA in 84 1/3 innings as the Rangers fell shy of the postseason in Game 163 against Garza's old employer, the Tampa Bay Rays. After that season concluded, he joined the Milwaukee Brewers on the then-largest deal in franchise history at four years and $50 million. He struggled badly with the Cubs' rival, accumulating -0.7 WAR and a 4.65 ERA in 96 starts.

Garza retired following the 2017 season. He suffered a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder that required him to get surgery, pushing him to a premature conclusion to his playing career.

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