Matt Garza will finally make his 2013 debut for the Cubs on Tuesday. (Image Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports)

When the Chicago Cubs acquired Matt Garza from the Tampa Bay Rays prior to the 2011 season, the general feeling was that the team had finally landing the ace-caliber pitcher they’d long been seeking to lead their starting rotation. Garza had a solid, though not spectacular, season that year going 10-10 with a 3.32 ERA over 198.0 IP, adding a career best 9.0 K/9. Injuries would limit him to just 103.2 IP in 18 starts last year and a strained lat muscle that he suffered during Spring Training has kept him off the field for all of 2013 thus far.

Garza appears set to return to the Cubs’ active roster, however, as Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald is reporting that he’ll start for the team on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Having been out of action since mid-July, the Cubs have progressed cautiously with Garza’s rehab thus far. He’s made four starts in the team’s minor league system (two at Double-A and two at Triple-A) with some solid results (1.17 ERA, 0.913 WHIP) and all indications seem to suggest that he’s back to full strength if the Cubs are bringing him back onto the active roster. There’s a fair amount of pressure on Garza to remain healthy for the remainder of the season as his contract only runs through the end of the year. How he performs on the mound will have a significant and immediate impact on what the clubs chooses to do with him going forward – be it making him a July trade candidate, signing him to a contract extension, or letting him leave via free agency this winter.

Carlos Villanueva will be pushed to the bullpen, adds Miles, in order to open room for Garza. Villanueva got off to a strong start to the 2013 season, posting a 1.53 ERA and holding opposing hitters to a .167/.223/.302 line through his first four starts on the year (29.1 IP). Since he’s been a different pitcher, seeing his ERA balloon to 6.94 while allowing hitters a .333/.386/.533 line in the four since (23.1 IP).

Prior to the 2011 season the Cubs sent five players – Chris Archer, Hak-Ju Lee, Sam Fuld, Robinson Chirinos, and Brandon Guyer – to the Rays for Garza (along with Zach Rosscup and Fernando Perez). None of the players involved in the team have gone on to have a significant impact for their respective teams since the deal was completed, though Archer and Lee have been considered among the Rays’ top prospects for a good amount of time. Unless Garza is able to quickly produce for the Cubs upon his return and bring them something significant back in a July trade then it would look as though the Rays ended up with the better end of this deal.

Second-year Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Matt Moore has been overpowering hitters all season this year and he is off to a 7-0 start. Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

This could be a year of the pitcher. There are so many starters off to a fast start that candidates for the All-Star team are as thick as mosquitoes at a swamp. If they all keep it up there could be more 20-game winners in one year than there have been in ages.

They won’t, of course, because baseball hardly ever plays out on a smooth path. Yet there are a remarkable number of guys who have simply owned opposing batting orders since the beginning of April.

It’s crowded at the top. And no one has gotten off to a better start than Tampa Bay’s Matt Moore. Moore is a southpaw who turns 24 in a month and after an 11-11 rookie year has begun 2013 witha  7-0 record accompanied by a 2.44 earned run average.

Nice job, but he is not leading the pack by much. The Boston Red Sox alone have two starters breathing on Moore’s shoulder as potential major winners this season. Clay Buchholz, who has a 1.78 ERA, and Jon Lester, 2.72, are each 6-0.

Over in the National League, Arizona’s Patrick Corbin is also 6-0 with a 1.52 earned run average. Corbin, who has slightly less experience than Moore, will turn 24 in two months. He’s another southpaw simply overpowering hitters in the early season.

Lined up behind Corbin is another young hurler, Matt Harvey, who made 10 appearances for the New York Mets last year. Harvey is 5-0 with a 1.55 ERA. He turned 24 in March.

It’s kind of difficult to imagine the sport being inundated with an entire crop of Walter Johnsons all at once, but those are just the starting pitchers who are undefeated. There are a whole bunch more off to starts that nearly equal that group. There are so many it’s a wonder any position player can get on base.

Jordan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals, who is supposed to only be the third-best starter in his team’s rotation, is 7-1 with a 1.69 earned run average. Yu Darvish, the second-year hurler from Japan now gracing the Texas Rangers mound, is 7-1 with a 2.97 ERA. Lance Lynn of the Cardinals is 6-1, 2.88.

The Seattle Mariners are getting pretty good mileage out of another Japanese pitcher, Hisashi Iwakuma, who is 5-1 with a 1.84 ERA. Jake Peavey, a veteran who has been battling injuries for the last couple of seasons, is showing that you don’t have to be 24 to be a star. Peavey stands at 5-1 and 2.96. Yet a third Japanese pitcher, Hiroki Kuroda, is 6-2 with a 1.99 ERA for the New York Yankees.

And that’s still not all. Three pitchers whose earned run averages are even better than the others have somehow managed to lose a couple of games. St. Louis’ Shelby Miller is 5-2 with a 1.40 ERA. The Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw is 4-2 with a 1.40 ERA. And The King, Felix Hernandez of the Mariners, is 5-2 with a 1.53 ERA.

All of this represents a snapshot of the moment because a week from now they could all be slumping. Hitters may have figured out their deliveries and tendencies. Not every one of these pitchers are young, but a majority are. Skipping Kuroda (38) and Iwakuma (32), who essentially had almost complete careers before coming to the United States, Peavey, at 31, is the only other pitcher in this entire group over 30.

Including those previously noted birthdays, we’ve got Harvey, Corbin and Moore all at 24, Miller the youngest at 22, Kershaw at 25, Lynn and Darvish at 26, Hernandez and Zimmerman at 27, Buchholz at 28, and Lester at 29.

They could be symbolic of a new crop of young, tremendous pitchers that baseball fans will be cheering on for years to come.

Texas Rangers designated hitter Lance Berkman has been connecting well enough to give his new team a big boost at bat this season as he prepares for likely retirement after the 2013 season. Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Lance Berkman threatened to retire in the off-season between 2012 and 2013, but it seems he made the right choice joining the Texas Rangers for what could be his last fling. He may be 37, but he can still make contact and produce big hits.

The Rangers needed to find another bat once they chose not to re-sign Josh Hamilton, and while neither Berkman nor Texas pretends he is the long-term solution it is shaping up that he was just the right answer for this year. With about 25 percent of the season completed, the Rangers are in first place in the American League West Division and Berkman has been a solid contributor.

In 35 games Berkman has hit just three home runs, but he has nine doubles and has driven in 21 runs, is batting .286 and has a .414 on-base percentage. Going into this weekend’s play the Rangers are 27-14 and lead the second-place Seattle Mariners by seven games.

A six-time All-Star, mostly with the Houston Astros, and then the St. Louis Cardinals, during his 15-year career Berkman has been a solid player, but not usually the No. 1 gun in a lineup. He is past his prime and not going to fill that role for Texas, either, but he still hits well enough to matter and to scare pitchers, and he has been very smart at the plate this season.

A left-handed hitter, Berkman has put together some excellent lifetime statistics while not having them be quite strong enough for serious Hall of Fame consideration. During this on-going, and perhaps last season for him, Berkman has 363 home runs, 1,221 RBIs, and a lifetime average of .295.

At his age, and with thoughts stretching ahead to retirement, Berkman was wise to continue his career with an American League team as a designated hitter. He is on the older side to patrol a lot of ground in the outfield, so this role is a natural for him. Although the nicknames probably get mentioned more often in the city where he is playing, besides his 220 pounds Berkman does carry around a couple of heavy duty nicknames: Big Puma and Fat Elvis.

Over the course of his career Berkman has driven in more than 100 runs six times and in 2002 he led the National League with 128 RBIs. His finest all-around work came in 2006 with the Astros. That season Berkman smashed 45 homers, drove in 136, and batted .315. His on-base percentage was .420 and his slugging percentage was .621.

Surely when the Rangers passed on reupping with Hamilton long-term there was a fear that there might not be enough pop in the Texas batting order. And even after the Rangers signed Berkman there had to be some questioning what his value was going to be. After all, Berkman was injured most of last season, playing in just 32 games with 97 plate appearances.

You have to believe that a guy who had a distinguished career would not want to retire on a note like that if he had regained his health. Well, Lance Berkman did get back to full strength, and even if this is his last hurrah, at the moment things are taking form for a much more satisfying departure. Being a contributor to a winner that has World Series potential is a lot more fun than languishing on the disabled list.

Once a promising pitcher, Rick Ankiel remade himself into a Major League outfielder and while recently cut from Houston he landed a new contract with the New York Mets. Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

Few baseball players are attuned to the ups and downs of the game as Rick Ankiel. He was cut by the worst team in baseball, picked up by another team, made big plays in the field for less money than he was getting (I think) and that was just in the past week.

Ankiel is 33 in human years, but about 133 in baseball years. Every time it seems he is about to be exiled from the island for good, he swims to safety, regroups and survives. Don’t play musical chairs with this guy-he’ll whip you every time.

Once upon a time Ankiel was a phenom pitcher. His senior year in high school he finished 11-1 with an 0.47 earned run average. That sounds as if someone was swinging with his eyes closed and accidently put good enough wood on the ball to power it out of the park. Which may be true since Ankiel struck out 162 batters in 74 innings.

He reached the majors for the first time with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1999 after capturing all sorts of  honors in the minors. He was barely past 20 for his Major League debut. Only a year later, however, Ankiel’s career began to go haywire. Pitching in the National League Division Series in a game that the Cardinals won, Ankiel threw five wild pitches in the third inning.

No one realized at the time that he wasn’t simply succumbing to nerves for that occasion or that we would never really see the promising Ankiel in tip-top form again. Remarkably, for no apparent reason, Ankiel lost his ability to throw strikes. He was so wild that umpires and bat boys alike had to wear armor for their own safety.

In almost no time Ankiel’s pitching career was ruined. Baseball fans shook their heads wondering what had happened to the young southpaw flame thrower, but they also believed they would never see him in uniform again by the end of the 2004 season.

Except in a feel-good, beat-the-odds story, Ankiel worked his way back to the majors as an outfielder by 2007 and batted .285. Between that year and this, Ankiel suited up for the Cardinals, the Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, and Washington Nationals. He was a serviceable backup, but no star. Ankiel has never been as good as a position player as he projected to be as a pitcher. But he did maintain a job in the big leagues, an achievement that exceeded the grasp of 99.9 percent of baseball hopefuls.

When the Astros dumped Ankiel recently, after he appeared in 25 games in 2013, he was batting .194. If the Astros don’t want you, then your next stop is usually going to be retirement, a stint in some independent league, or a shot at a minor-league contract.

Instead, Ankiel was fortunate and was offered a deal from the Mets. The Mets had some holes they needed filling that neither concrete nor sand could fill in. So they took a shot with Ankiel. The same day he signed a contract he was starting in the outfield. Four games into his Mets career Ankiel is batting .250 and he helped win a game with a home run.

How long can Ankiel’s living on the edge last? Not much longer, one would guess. But you’ve got to give the guy props. He was doomed and adapted. He was locked out of his sport and he found a creative way back in. Yeah, maybe when he is in his 60s he will still have those might-have-been moments of regret about his pitching career. But Rick Ankiel can always be proud of the way he turned the bad hand dealt him in his favor.

Already under the knife to repair a torn flexor tendon, Joel Hanrahan also underwent Tommy John Surgery this afternoon. (Image Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports)

Joel Hanrahan underwent surgery this afternoon to repair a torn flexor tendon in his right arm and more damage was discovered than originally expected. The right-hander wound up undergoing Tommy John Surgery as well, according to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. Hanrahan will miss at least the next 12 to 15 months, putting a return at the earliest of mid-2014.

Hanrahan produced mediocre results in limited action for the Boston Red Sox this year. In just 7.1 IP he’d allow 8 runs (9.82 ERA) on 10 hits, walking 6. He’d earn the save in three of his first four outings on the year, but things would seemingly fall apart after. Needless to say, it wasn’t the results that Boston thought they were bringing in when they acquired him over the winter from the Pittsburgh Pirates. It’s unclear just how severe the concerns were, but there has been some recent speculation that the team knew of some health issues Hanrahan was dealing with before the trade was completed. Buster Olney recently suggested that these issues were part of the reason why the Pirates had such a hard time finding substantial offers for the now 31 year old.

He’ll be a free agent at season’s end.

Pittsburgh shipped Hanrahan (and Brock Holt) to Boston in late December for Stolmy Pimental, Ivan De Jesus, Mark Melancon, and Jerry Sands. Pimental has garnered much of the early attention of the group, going 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA through his first eight starts at Double-A. He’s looked like an improved pitcher with the Pirates organization, though it is his third season at the level which could be a factor. De Jesus is hitting .326/.381/.467 in 105 PA at Triple-A, while Sands has struggled to a .150/.282/.183 mark in 143 PA. Sands, who’d hit nearly 30 HR each of the past two years at the level, has yet to go deep. Melancon has quietly justified the deal completely for the Pirates. In 21 appearances out of the team’s bullpen he’s posted a 0.43 ERA, 0.714 WHIP, 0.4 BB/9, and 9.4 K/9 in 21.0 IP.

Robinson Cano could be the most sought-after free agent on the open market this winter, if he’s available. (Image Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)

Robinson Cano and the New York Yankees have continued discussions regarding a new contract for the soon-to-be free agent, according to some insight shared by Hal Steinbrenner to David Lennon of Newsday (h/t MLBTR). Much of the discussions between the team and Brodie Van Wagenen, Cano’s agent, were described as “procedural” at this point in the process.

A potential contract extension for Cano appears to be a top priority for the Yankees, particularly considering the market for the second baseman will likely be strong should he actually reach free agency this winter (he could be the most sought-after player available). The 30 year old is currently batting .301/.345/.552 in 174 PA on the year, numbers right in line with his career averages over the past eight seasons in New York. Heading into Spring Training there was some suggestion that a potential deal might need to exceed the $200 Million mark.

Cano, of course, has changed representation since – leaving Scott Boras for a new agency lead by Jay-Z, with Van Wagenen from CAA handling the baseball negotiations. With Boras it seems all but a certainty that Cano would test the open market, as that’s Boras’ tactic with nearly all of his clients. For the Yankees, an organization that typically prefers to avoid in-season contract negotiations, this was presenting a challenge that didn’t seem to be making any progress. Cano’s decision to change representation was in part to secure a career off the field in some capacity, thanks to Jay-Z’s influence and connections. He’s also made it clear that he’d like to remain a Yankee.

It’d seem that Steinbrenner would agree and is optimistic about the two sides reaching a deal, when asked by Lennon about the impact that the change in agencies has had on negotiations:

I don’t know. I still have faith that the player has a big say in it, and I know that Robby wants to be there, and Robby knows that we want him to be here. We want him to end his career here. I think to me, whether I’m right or not, that plays a big part into it regardless of who the agent is. But we’re going to continue to try and push ahead and get something done. We want him to be a Yankee.

All signs would seem to indicate that a deal will eventually be reached between the two sides, though it may not be finalized until the season concludes if the team sticks to their own policies. Possibly the biggest question that remains is how long the deal will be (7-8 years, according to most guesses) and what the total value will end up being (presumably upwards of $160 Million). Let’s not forget that Cano’s off-field opportunities will remain higher if he is to remain in the limelight of a city like New York, which could also be a factor in his decision.

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija was the man of the hour Wednesday as mowed down Colorado Rockies hitters and smacked a two-run homer at Wrigley Field. Credit: Reid Compton-USA TODAY Sports

CHICAGO–Was able to squeeze in my first visit to Wrigley Field in about four years on a trip to the Windy City and it was both comforting and a little discomforting to see that everything remains the same at the old ballyard.

Comforting because that’s what we expect from Wrigley Field, that it is the same place that it has been for a century, like a visit to the old neighborhood where you grew up. Discomforting because I looked the old structure over with a more critical eye in the midst of the latest ongoing Cubs management vs. rooftop owners feud over expansion and modernization.

And I definitely landed in the middle of the debate. The most humorous aspect of it being that the Wednesday morning Chicago Tribune ran the results of a poll taken with fans about which side they are on. The answer? A lot of people didn’t care which side prevailed and otherwise the vote was split. It was just like a real election where the voters don’t really want anybody to win.

To recap, the Ricketts family (Tom Ricketts chairman) that owns the team is telling the world it can’t compete without new streams of revenue, but they, like everyone else, wish to maintain the character of Wrigley Field. The big beef with the owners of the buildings across the street, who have been feasting upon the product by selling roof seats for years, is that the introduction of a large videoboard might block their customers’ views.

Beyond that the Ricketts have grand plans for the immediate neighborhood surrounding the park. They want to put up a major, modern hotel and sell a bit of advertising signage. Different Chicago zoning committees and the like will all have their say on this. But from the standpoint of a fan at a game Wednesday night as the Cubs bested the Colorado Rockies, 6-3, I was reminded that Wrigley is the toughest park to be in that I know of to find information about not only the game you are watching, but from around the majors.

That’s where the idea of a new videoboard comes in. That would provide much of the info–as well as another place for advertising. If the character of the ballpark is to remain the same that means preserving the ivy on the outfield walls. So you can’t cover the ivy with a videoboard. That means you’ve got to build the board higher than the grandstands–and that’s where the rooftop owner complaints come in.

I was accompanied to this game by my cousin David, who has only moved to Chicago within the last year. This was his first visit inside the park and during the game he actually took a two-inning walkabout to explore every bit of it he could see. He reported back that he felt there wasn’t a bad seat in the house and he really liked the flavor. As everyone does. That’s why it’s the near-impossible task of the Ricketts to keep everyone happy, make prudent and necessary changes, and bring in more money.

Back at the game…the Cubs are not going anywhere this year, but it seems that at least they are a notch better than the Houston Astros and the Miami Marlins. They did make two major base-running blunders that could have been more costly than they were. Starter Jeff Samardzija fixed things. Samardzjia not only pitched very well and got the win, but he blasted a two-run homer that carried nearly 400 feet. Given that he was hitting .071 that was a gift.

With one stroke Samardzjia saved himself. Tom Ricketts wishes he could solve the Wrigley issues with the same ease.

Carlos Zambrano has signed a minor league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies and will head to Extended Spring Training. (Image Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports)

Last week it appeared as though Carlos Zambrano would be heading to play in the independent Atlanta League, having signed a deal with the Long Island Ducks. While Zambrano did agree to the terms of a deal with the Ducks, he never ended up actually signing the contract as he continued to seek employment with a Major League organization. This afternoon, according to multiple sources, Zambrano instead signed a minor league deal to join the Philadelphia Phillies.

He’ll head to the team’s Spring Training complex in Clearwater, Florida initially and will then join one of the team’s minor league affiliates.

Philadelphia’s need to add to their pitching depth has been widely publicized as the team is already dealing with multiple injuries. Roy Halladay will miss the next three months, if not the remainder of the season, after undergoing shoulder surgery. John Lannan has been sidelined with a knee injury and isn’t expected to return until early June. Both Kyle Kendrick and Cliff Lee have pitched well, but the team has also had to cope with Cole Hamels’ struggles. Thus far they’ve relied on internal options – namely Jonathan Pettibone and more recently, Tyler Cloyd – but there is little experienced depth within the organization.

Shortly after Zambrano’s agreement with the Ducks was first announced there were rumblings that the Phillies might have interest, but GM Ruben Amaro expectedly downplayed much of the rumblings. With this signing, less than a week later, it’s clear that the team is leaving no stone unturned in their search for options. Based on his track record in the clubhouse and recent success (or lack thereof) on the mound, Zambrano is going to need some strong showings in the minor leagues in order to join the Phillies’ pitching staff. His deal contains a July 1st opt-out date, meaning there will need to be a decision made one way or another by then.

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Things don’t always work out this well for Chicago Cubs left fielder Alfonso Soriano in the field, but here he makes a diving stop of a hit by Washington Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa.Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

They may like him as a person, but the owners of the Chicago Cubs wish that they never met Alfonso Soriano. They wish he would just go away and that they could make his expensive contract vanish.

But Soriano is still a presence on Chicago’s north side, an everyday player who comes to Wrigley Field every day and still turns in the best job he can do. Soriano may not even be the best Soriano in the majors these days (probable nod to Rafael out of the pen in Washington), but he is still a solid member of the batting order. Soriano may no longer be a star, but he is a starter.

Depending upon how good fans’ memories are, the righty swinging Soriano is a seven-time all-star. Though those days are receding in the rearview mirror like the passing of so many telephone poles for the one-time Dominican infielder, the 37-year-old nearing the end of his career still regularly shows he has pop in his bat.

It is so long ago that not everyone owned a cell phone, but Soriano was a star second baseman with the New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers, and did fine work for the Nationals in a single season before joining the Cubs in 2007. He was an all-star for Chicago, too, lest that also be forgotten.

As they have been for 105 years, the Cubs were trying to build something and they signed Soriano to an eight-year, $136 million contract. It is a deal that in Chicago is known as the albatross contract and it not only made Soriano a very rich man it gave him tremendous job security.

Soriano was an all-star again in 2008, but not since. The Cubs seemed to be on the brink of National League contention for a few years around then, but not since. The team was sold from the Tribune Company to the Ricketts Family, new management wanted to start fresh, new team president Theo Epstein wanted to built from the bottom, and Soriano did not fit into those plans.

Making things worse, Soriano became a liability in left-field (his most recent position), where fly balls periodically did strange things as they approached him–like sail over his head or ricochet off his glove. The Cubs were ready to part ways. The Cubs really wanted to part ways. However, Soriano’s ironclad contract for huge dollars, linked to declining production, makes him untradeable. Of course, Soriano would have been, and would be better off, with an American League team where he could be a designated hitter.

In some respects Soriano is like the owner of a little old house that stands right in the middle of an area where the government wants to build a freeway, but is unwilling to sell. So construction goes on all around him.

From Soriano’s standpoint, he must realize that he is not as good as he was in his prime, but he does still produce on a reduced scale. He is not batting .133 like Adam Dunn. He gets his cuts in, can still make good contact, and is overall a plus in the batting order.

Soriano has only hit .300 once in his career, so the fact that he has hit more in the .250-.260 range the last couple of seasons isn’t a surprise (.279 at the moment in 2013). But in 2011 he smacked 26 home runs and collected 88 RBIs and last year he belted 32 homers with 108 RBIs. That will justify your place in the order. However, he does strike out too much–153 times last year–but he always did.

The fact is that Soriano is not worth a superstar’s wages, and he is not ever going to play like a superstar again, but he is still more valuable on the field than on the bench. It may be a strange marriage, and a strained marriage, but Soriano and the Cubs are still lawfully wed.