Hoping to maintain a strong pitching rotation similar to that of their NL Central counterparts, the Chicago Cubs made headlines as the most recent team to strengthen their pitching staff. After signing former Tampa Bay Ray Carlos Pena to fill the void of Derrek Lee who starred many years at first base for the Cubs, Chicago and Tampa Bay agreed on an eight player trade that will send pitcher Matt Garza to the Windy City, thus reuniting the two former teammates. Helping Tampa Bay outlast the division rival New York Yankees and finish atop the AL East for the second time in three years, Garza finished the 2010 season at 15-10 with an ERA of 3.91.
Adding yet another disappointing season to their dreadful World Series drought that reached 102 years after their unsuccessful 2010 campaign, the Cubs finishing the year with an overall record of 75-87 placing them second to last in the division, only ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates (57-105). With much of their struggles coming within the starting rotation, the addition of Garza addresses their needs of a starting pitcher that can hold his own. Having pitched his entire career in the American League and three of his five years in the powerhouse AL East, chances are Garza will see his ERA drop, entering the DH-less National League. However, pitching in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field is not always a beneficial adjustment given it's a hitters park.
Like many teams, Chicago took the trade approach, rather than taking the free agency route that has been somewhat unattractive this offseason in terms of pitchers available. While Garza departs a crowded Tampa Bay rotation that includes lots of young talent led by All-Star David Price, he joins a Cubs pitching corps that will most likely feature Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Carlos Silva, and Tom Gorzelanny. The proud owner of an ALCS MVP Award in '08, Garza hurled one of six no-hitters thrown this past season, and became the first player in Rays franchise history to accomplish the feat. Though he serves as a major upgrade over the less experienced Randy Wells (8-14), it'll be hard to envision the Cubbies as contenders considering the pieces the Reds and Cardinals have, and those the Brewers have recently acquired.
Having lost a number of key players to free agency this offseason, it'll be interesting to see how the season pans out as Tampa Bay now parts with yet another key contributor to their recent success.
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