One of the big-name pitchers is about to get out of the free agent market as reports suggested that Matt Garza is on the verge of signing with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported that the free-agent pitcher will sign a four-year deal worth $52 million with the Brewers. The club denied that a deal has been reached though, but they quickly admitted that they are still in talks with Garza's representatives.
Current starting pitcher Kyle Lohse and catcher Jonathan Lucroy also talked about the soon-to-be-announced acquisition of the former Texas Rangers pitcher. Both players said that they thought the team was done making moves after striking deals last week - signing Mark Reynolds and Lyle Overbay to Minor League deals.
"Those kind of moves really excite you," Lucroy said in an interview. "It caught me off guard. I thought we were done after getting Mark Reynolds and Lyle Overbay, who signed Minor League deals with Milwaukee in the past week. I think it shows the desire of ownership to win. I'm looking very much forward to seeing what Garza can do."
Aside from the Brewers, the 30-year-old Garza also attracted the interest of the Toronto Blue Jays.
And now that the eight-year veteran is out of the free agent market, the Blue Jays, who also reportedly tried to sign Masahiro Tanaka before the Japanese pitcher signed with the Yankees, are now settings their sights to Ubaldo Jimenez and Ervin Santana.
Jimenez and Santana are two of the biggest names left on the market. Sources said that teams are turning away from both players due to the attached draft picks after both of them rejected qualifying offers from the Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals, respectively.
However, SportsNet noted that the Blue Jays are still serious in their pursuit of the two pitchers despite the draft pick compensation attached to them.
"With Tanaka and Garza off of the market, Ervin Santana and Ubaldo Jimenez are the top available starters. While both Santana and Jimenez are attached to draft pick compensation after declining qualifying offers, there's reason to believe they'll both draw plenty of interest," SportsNet noted.
Previous reports also suggested that the teams that lost out in the Tanaka bidding will also shift their attention to Jimenez and Santana in the coming weeks before Spring Training.
Read Related: Losing Masahiro Tanaka Bidders Shift Focus To Remaining Starting Pitchers on Free Agency Market.
