Yardbarker: Freddy Garcia

Report: Phillies tracking old friend Freddy Garcia

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:23:48 -0500

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Phillies are one of several teams monitoring the right-hander's recovery. Garcia is scheduled to throw breaking balls for scouts in Miami this week. [Link] Garcia underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in August of 2007. Throwing only fastballs and changeups from the mound, his heater is reportedly in the 84-87 mph range. The Yankees, Mets, Astros, Rangers, Royals and Red Sox were named as suitors in the report. In 11 starts for...

Quick Hits: Garcia, Sabathia, Fuentes, Holliday

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:33:00 -0500

It was looking like Freddy Garcia might get swooped up by one of the New York teams but now it looks like the Tigers are showing some serious interest in the rehabbing right-hander, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Brewers Manager Doug Melvin is laughing off speculation that his team is the front runner to land CC Sabathia, should the Indians fail to re-sign him. The reason being given is that the Brewers have a lot of young talent to interest the Indians in a trade. While that may be true, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, they are not the only team shopping for his services with something to offer in return.
The list of interested teams gets longer everyday for Rockies LH reliever Brian Fuentes. That list now includes the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Phillies, Cubs, and Cardinals. The Rocky Mountain News is reporting that the Rockies will make a decision around the All-Star break as to how big a seller they want to be. Matt Holliday's name is also being raised by a number of teams interested in his services.

Yanks and Mets Interested in Freddy Garcia

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:10:12 -0500

A couple of East Coast newspapers are speculating on Mets and Yankee interest in Freddy Garcia, who is nearing the end of his recovery from shoulder surgery. Agent Adam Greenberg said Garcia should be ready to throw for scouts by the third week in July and Garcia is said to have fans within both those organizations.

Yanks and Mets Interested in Freddy Garcia

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:10:12 -0500

MLB Rumor Wire: Will Curt Schilling Ever Pitch Again?

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:01:19 -0500

Many rumors are floating around these past few days in baseball. With the All-Star game just around the corner, many teams are preparing for the trade deadline. Should they be buyers or sellers? Who should they trade? Who should they target? Many of these rumors and more in this edition of the MLB Rumor Wire! www.rawsportsblog.com

No need for a panic move

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 09:38:16 -0500

David Wells. Sidney Ponson. Freddy Garcia. Steve Trachsel. Roger Clemens. Yes, Roger Clemens for crying out loud! With Chien-Ming Wang gone for at least two months and maybe the rest of the season with his injured foot, the amateur GMs are in overdrive. Everywhere you look there are suggestions for how the Yankees can fill the [...]

Wang Out Until September

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:22:40 -0500

The Yankees have announced the MRI results on ace pitcher Chien-Ming Wang and they ain't pretty. Wang has been diagnosed with a mid-foot sprain of the Lisfranc ligament and a partial tear of the peroneal longus tendon and will be laid up for at least six weeks. Remember, Wang won't be doing any throwing during this span, so you can tack another 4 weeks onto that time table. I wouldn't expect the Wanginator back on the mound before September, which means the Bombers need an arm badly. Or do they? With the offense suddenly clicking, can the Yanks survive with a rotation of Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, Joba Chamberlain, Darrell Rasner and, say, Dan Giese? Remember, Ian Kennedy, recovering from a strained lat, has begun throwing off the mound and could be back with the team after a rehab start or two. Phil Hughes is still probably six weeks away from returning. Meanwhile the injury to Wang raises two questions: A) Does interleague play put American League pitchers at a disproportionate risk of injury? And B) Will the Yankees remain patient with their young rotation or will they be forced to deal a young asset in exchange for a starting pitcher? On his LoHud blog yesterday, Journal News' beat reporter Pete Abraham mentioned C.C. Sabathia, Freddy Garcia, Rich Harden and Randy Wolf as potential "long-term solutions" in the rotation. Of that foursome, I'd be most surprised if the Yanks went after Garcia, a veteran free agent rehabbing from a serious shoulder injury. Wolf would cost the least, but his numbers in San Diego won't translate well to the AL East. Sabathia and Harden, meanwhile, would each cost Cashman a king's ransom. One thing is certain: The Yanks can't count on getting anything out of their ace for the rest of the regular season, if not beyond.

The Garcia sweepstakes begin

Mon, 12 May 2008 18:34:17 -0500

Free Agent pitcher Freddy Garcia is almost ready to start working out for Major League Baseball teams. Garcia had surgery back on August 30th to repair his throwing shoulder. Starting Thursday, he'll be officially working off a mound, so soon to follow comes team work outs. Lets take a look at what teams could use his services.

Former Phillie Gavin Floyd loses no-hit bid in the 9th inning

Tue, 06 May 2008 21:49:07 -0500

Former Phillie pitching prospect Gavin Floyd was always known as a guy full of potential and great stuff, but he was never able to put it all together on the mound. After suffering through a terrible 2006 season where he started 11 games for the Phillies and posted an ERA of 7.29, Floyd was shipped to the White Sox in the deal that brought Freddy Garcia to the Phils. Floyd looked like his usual terrible self for most of last season, but he looks like he may have finally harnessed his ability in 2008. Floyd entered tonight's game against the Minnesota Twins with a 2-1 record and an ERA of 2.61 and proceeded to flash the potential we all waited for in Philadelphia. He pitched the best game of his career, no-hitting the Twins through 8 1/3 innings. He didn't exactly dominate the game as he walked three batters and even allowed a run in the 4th inning on a sacrifice fly, but he still looked quite impressive. Floyd left the game in the ninth inning after giving up his first hit of the game to Joe Mauer, but the White Sox held on to beat the Twins 7-1. Gavin Floyd might be a guy the Phillies want back especially given the way Freddy Garcia's Phillies career went. Of course, he could just as easily slip back into the bad habits and mind-numbingly frustrating performances he displayed as a Phillie.

MLB Roundup... Cheaters Never Perspire

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:13:03 -0500

In this episode of MLB Roundup... Tim Dierkes of MLBTradeRumors.com examines a few pitchers who may be had prior to the trade deadline... Reporter Michael Barnett looks at Koji Uehara, who may be next season's big-name import... Plus a look at the best deal in baseball, Two-Dollar-Wednesday at the Oakland Coliseum.

The reinvention of Gavin Floyd

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:39:02 -0500

After being taken as the fourth pick overall in the 2001 draft by the Philadelphia Phillies Gavin Floyd was the talk of minor league baseball for nearly three seasons. As Floyd worked his way up the minor league ladder everyone began to take note of the 6â€²4â€³ righty. Floyd would make four starts at the end of the 2004 season compiling a 3.49 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP in 28.3 innings. The following season Floyd stumbled at both the majors (10.04 ERA in 7 games) and the minors, (6.16 ERA in 24 games) After that season the shine began to peal off. Comments were made about his declining strike out ratio and his rising ERA.

Check Your Head: Corey of WSBGM's

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 07:07:53 -0500

Over the course of the offseason I've interviewed some cool cats from around the blogsphere (Jason Weitzel from BeerLeaguer and Tim Dierkes from MLBTR), but now it's time for me to focus my attention on the best blog out there...you guessed it WSBGM's. First up, my fellow GM and blog co-author Corey. Corey- you best check yo self before you wreck yo self, 'cause I'm 'bout ta Check Your Head! 1. Statistics aside, who is your favorite non-superstar Phillie of the past? Pete Incaviglia.Big power, big mullet. He only had 2 1/2 seasons with the Phils, but he was my favorite player on the '93 squad when he went .274-24-89 in a platoon. He did that in about 370 ABs. Now, a guy puts that up in 600 ABs and he gets $8 mil a year for a half decade. 2. Why the hell are you a Phillies fan anyway? I was born into it. Some of my earliest, pre-kindergarten memories are drinking black coffee and watching Phillies games with my grandfather. They said the coffee would "stunt my growth," but I think the Phils have been more detrimental to my health than the caffeine. Of course, this was back in the "good old days" when day games were frequent, the local team was broadcast on local television, and Comcast hadn't yet monopolized the broadcasts and isolated entire regions of Phillies fans from the games by making them watch Comcast Balt/DC because they are technically, geographically closer. But I digress... 3. What is your favorite aspect of baseball- pitching, offense, or defense? I love pitching. I understand the nuances of pitching a lot more than hitting. And if I'm in the ballpark early, I would much rather watch the pitcher warm up in the pen than watch BP or the infield take fungos. But my favorite aspect of watching games is neither offense, defense or pitching. My favorite aspect of baseball is the strategy and decision making. Steal or no steal. Bunt or no bunt. Pitcher change, double-switch, defensive substitution, hit and run, intentional walk, infield in, etc., etc. It's because of this that I HATE the designated hitter and hate what performance enhancing drugs have contributed to baseball. Everyone is quick to point to the broken records and such, but the real travesty is that the increased homers and runs has taken alot of the intricacies out of baseball. I could be in the minority, but more runs and more homers makes a less interesting game of baseball. 4. Describe your overall impression/opinion of the Phillies fanbase. Of the four major teams in the city, the Phils fanbase is the best. Flyers fans are loyal and dedicated, but they are just too small to take seriously. Sixer fans are the most fickle. They come and go like the wind. Just turn on a Sixers game this week and see that most of the fans will be dressed like empty seats. Eagles fans are far and away the most dedicated and the most passionate. Philadelphia is undeniably an Eagles city. But they are also the most unrealistic. Absolutely no objectivity. Also, they are the most disrespectful and classless. I went to the Packers-Eagles game two years ago and wore my 1996 Dorsey Levens Packers jersey in the parking lot. I got horrible insults screamed at me. Fine, I deserved it, you don't tie a steak around your neck and expect the dog to leave you alone. However, during the game, I watched tens of Eagles fans yell obscenities and hurl trash at a 70-something year old man in a Packers sweater as he walked down the stairs. It was a disgusting display that made me embarrassed to be a Philadelphia sports fan. The Phils fanbase isn't as loyal the the Flyers' or as passionate as the Eagles', but it isn't as fickle as the Sixers' either. They are good, knowledgeable fans who support their team through 2 playoff appearances in 20 years and will beat up a group of Mets fans if they need to. 5. Discuss the evolution of WSBGM's. Basically, it grew from a 1) an overwhelming frustration at the ineptitude of Ed Wade and Cam Bonify and 2) the desire of Carson and I to share our thoughts about the Phils and Buccos with each other. We love to talk baseball, but due to job and family time constraints, we rarely had the opportunity. The blog was a way to vent frustrations and share ideas without having to meet. We never had a mission statement, but the goal has always seemed to be to provide an honest, subjective opinion of the PA baseball teams that is entertaining enough so that the reader makes it through the entire post...which for the first few months was just us. As for the name: during one of our rant sessions, one of us said, "These guys [Bonifay and Wade] are horrible. We should be GM's, we couldn't do any worse." 6. Give Patty G a rating on a 1-10 scale (11 being the highest) of the job you think he's done thus far. About a 5. That is kind of a low score, but he loses major points for signing Adam Eaton for way too much money for way too many years, for trading for an injured Freddy Garcia, and for doing a horrible job building the bullpen last year. I like the Brad Lidge trade, I like letting Aaron Rowand walk, and I like the amount of draft picks they have this year - so this rating could be on the rise. 7. What is your honest opinion of Charles Fuqua Manuel? He is great to have around because he's fodder for the blog, but I would prefer it if he was the hitting coach and not the manager. His strategic ineptitude, blunders and mismanagement have cost this team plenty of wins and overall, I think the Phils have underperformed during his time in charge. 8. Which opposing team and player do you dislike the most? Team: New York Yankees. I blame alot of the economic disparity and competitive imbalance in baseball on the Yankees and George Steinbrenner. Player: Barry Bonds. Liar. Cheater. Bad for baseball.

Red Sox officials meet with free agent RHP Freddy Garcia

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:13:53 -0500

Here is where the offseason takes a funny little turn: in addition to Bartolo Colon, Sox officials checked out another overweight injured starting pitcher, Freddy Garcia. I'm not even sure what to think about this move. He hasn't officially been signed, and won't be until he has tried out for a few more clubs; however, even if he does get snatched up, he won't be in a position to pitch for the team until July.

Red Sox unsure about Buchholz

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:58:08 -0500

Wh will be the 5th starter for the Red Sox?

Knee Surgery for Lidge, Doubtful for Opener

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 02:57:22 -0500

Lidge was diagnosed as needing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee which was successfully completed today. He had previous surgery in October, 2007 where doctors removed torn cartilage from the same knee. The probable prognosis after the surgery is that he'd be sidelined for three to six weeks. He is, at best, doubtful for a March 31st opener with the Washington Nationals.