With Cliff Lee expected to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies today, the dominoes will be in motion for the next big move. The only remaining starting pitcher worth committing significant dollars to is Carl Pavano, and even that statement merits some debate.
That means that teams still looking for starting pitching will turn to the trade market to solve their offseason needs. Kansas City Royals ace Zack Greinke is the best pitcher supposedly available and is getting a tremendous amount of attention. But so far teams have balked at the Royals’ asking price.
That might leave Rays righty Matt Garza as the most attractive option available.
Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com recently raised the possibility that many teams would prefer Garza over Greinke because Garza would be under team control for an additional year and would come at a cheaper price. Does this mean that Garza is suddenly the best option for teams desperate for pitching?
Let’s take a look.