I posted already (AL Fan) but I'll let you know again. He has really good stuff. He was overworked last year and there was a lot of talk that he was simply fatigued this season which resulted in his poor start. In July and August he was the ace of the White Sox and one of the best pitchers in the league, but he wore out down the stretch and posted a 4.50+era in September. The White Sox pitching coach claimed he had the best stuff on the staff.
Take it for what its worth... its second-hand info from a buddy in Chicago... but without knowing the exact content of what they're saying, I can't say much more. I hate it when trades/deals are announced before they actually happen... just gives plenty of opportunity for other teams to make last-ditch offers.
Everything I heard about him after his '05 season was that he did it with smoke and mirrors and would return to being OK/not-great in '06. He was still OK in '06 but not $10MM worth, I don't think. I'm not sure what people think now, but many analyst-types thought his '05 was highly overrated / flukish due to things like the high BAA and low strikeout rate.
Since its not a "done" deal... I'll toss my hat in the ring of those who have reservations about Garland (especially if we're giving up on Hirsh AND Buchholz). Not that I don't think he'd help us... but I'd be just fine with going to war with Roy/Andy/Possibly Clemens/Hirsh/Woody. I see Buchholz as a valuable bullpen guy next year (if we don't need him in the rotation). That curve can freeze batters like Wainright's did.
Well, u have Jose De Jesus Ortiz (that's a long name) saying that Tal Smith is the one who's told him the deal is close... is this Ortiz jumping the gun and putting it up online (to get a "scoop"), or did somebody else jump into the negotiations and sweeten the deal. I'm blaming Ortiz... not because I think he's actually at fault, but because I think he's a bad baseball writer who's full of it.
I still like it....the only hitch is whether or not we will be able to bring AP back...whereas in a sense we are trading AP and Hirsh for Garland...
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6248404 White Sox could trade Garland to Astros Story Tools: Print Email Blog This Subscribe Ken Rosenthal / FOXSports.com Posted: 18 minutes ago ORLANDO, Fla. - The White Sox might not be done trading starting pitchers. One day after sending right-hander Freddy Garcia to the Phillies, the White Sox were discussing sending right-hander Jon Garland to the Astros for center fielder Willy Taveras and right-handed pitching prospects Taylor Buchholz and Jason Hirsh, FOXSports.com has learned. White Sox general manager Ken Williams said no deal was close, and Sox officials left the winter meetings and returned to Chicago on Thursday morning. Most clubs were planning to leave the winter meetings Thursday as well. The trade, if completed, likely would signal the end of the Astros' quest to re-sign free-agent left-hander Andy Pettitte, who is strongly considering the Yankees. It also would fit the White Sox's strategy of acquiring young pitchers and building toward the future while giving the team an upgrade over Brian Anderson in center field. The mere fact that the White Sox are considering trading Garland in addition to Garcia signals a critical — and perhaps visionary — shift in direction for the 2005 World Series champions. The price of starting pitching has risen dramatically this off-season, and the Sox are trying to replace their expensive pitchers with more affordable options. The Sox acquired minor-league right-hander Gavin Floyd and left-hander Gio Gonzalez for Garcia on Wednesday night. Garland, 27, would command a higher price than Garcia, 31 — Garland is under contract through 2008, while Garcia is a free agent after this season. Ken Rosenthal is FOXSports.com's senior baseball writer.
I really hope this deal falls through. Garland has a career 4.44 ERA. He won 18 games the last two years thanks largely to great run support (hell, we could bring back Jeriome Robertson and get pretty much the same thing if we had the offense the white sox had). Other than his win totals the last two seasons, he has been mediocre his entire career. Trading Taveras and Buchholz would be a BIG mistake. Taveras is already one of the best defensive CF's in the game and Buchholz will be a stud down the road.
People need to remember the difference between AL and NL lineups. Bronson Arroyo suddenly became a good pitcher in the NL after being mediocre in the AL.
Well, in my opinion Arroyo was still mediocre last year with the Reds. I can't understand why everyone was jocking him. He was horrible after the all star break.
Alright, if getting Garland means no AP...then I dont want him. Bring back AP, keep our young pitching, and we'll go from there.
hate to use him as an example...but would Clemens have had the ERA and CY Young at the age of 43-44 in the AL the past few yrs? Im guessing not. Huge difference in AL and NL...
His last year in the AL with the Yankees he looked done. He struggled to get through AL lineups and had for the last couple of seasons. I'm a huge Roger fan and I'm thrilled he left the AL and got his career back on track in the NL.
