MLB free agency — Jaime Garcia
Jaime Garcia was one of the better back-end pitchers in the league during his stint in St. Louis. Although he rarely overpowered hitters, he found ways to diminish his ERA to under 4.00 while posting subpar hit and strikeout ratios.
However, the southpaw looks more like a borderline starter based on his numbers from the past few years. And his 2017 campaign is the epitome of what teams expect from him. That is why he remains a free agent.
Garcia is relatively inconsistent.
The left-hander posted some of his best numbers during his rookie season. Between then and 2015, he endured several injuries and stretches of inconsistency. He wasn’t seen as a reliable starter for the Cardinals.
But even with mediocre numbers, three teams brought Garcia in last year to occupy back-end spots in the rotation. He became the first pitcher since 1895 – you read that correctly – to start three consecutive games for three different clubs.
Garcia has a few underlying issues.
Most notably, the lefty yields far too many hits to keep players off the base path. And if opposing hitters can’t slap the ball around, they allow Garcia to do damage to himself. He allowed more walks per nine innings in 2017 than any other year in his career.
However, even with his issues, he remains a target on the free agent market. If a team needs a veteran in the rotation to eat up innings, Garcia is the guy.
John Lackey seems to be his biggest competition if that’s the rationale behind signing someone. And the righty’s postseason experience might give him the edge.
Yet, Garcia surely will have a contract before Spring Training pops up. Lackey, on the other hand, might still be without a team at that time.