MLB Trade Deadline 2013: Top Suitors for Cubs Matt Garza

As was the case during last year’s trade deadline before an elbow injury derailed the rest of his season, Matt Garza is once again one of the premier names being shopped around and gaining interest across both leagues.

Although Garza missed the later half of last season and almost the first two months of this season with injuries and set backs, the Cubs’ starter has been on a tear as of late, and Cubs president Theo Epstein will be looking to get a deal done.

In his past four starts, Garza has posted a 3-0 record and 0.90 ERA along with a 28/8 strikeout to walk ratio in 30.0 innings of work. In those starts, Garza worked into at least the seventh inning and allowed no more than one run per game. Since his return on May 21, Garza has started nine games, six of those resulting in victories for the Cubs.

Apparent is the fact that Garza has been a valuable contributor to the Cubs over the past month and a half, displaying his diverse, yet effective pitch arsenal and superb control in the wake of elbow injuries and set backs to a strained lat muscle suffered during spring training.

The question remains whether teams will take a chance on Garza in the coming weeks, who has proved to be no stranger to the disabled list over the past two seasons. Despite his proclivity to injury, Garza brings an arsenal of great, pure stuff and a winning (as well as veteran) determination that would bode well for a team looking for a boost of pitching depth down the stretch.

Over the past few weeks, multiple teams have expressed interest in Garza. Those teams and the rationale behind their interest in Garza are examined as follows.