Trade Deadline Target: Matt Garza

The Texas Rangers have been serious players at the MLB trade deadline since Jon Daniels became the club's general manager, and this year will be no different. Let's take a look at a possible Rangers target for the July 31 deadline.

Target: Matt Garza, RHP, Chicago Cubs

Garza has long been a name that has piqued the interest of the Rangers' front office. It's just never really worked out to acquire the fiery right-hander. Garza is coming off a string of really solid starts after bouncing back from a stint on the disabled list.

In his last three starts, the Cubs righty has tossed 22 innings and has allowed just two earned runs with 23 strikeouts and five walks. That's a pretty salty stretch, and if you're the Cubs, you have to wonder if dealing him right now wouldn't be the best thing to do.

Garza is a fiery competitor and has tons of talent with a tendency to lose his cool from time to time and also to get injured, but when he's good, as the above evidence suggests, he's really good and has the potential be an ace-like performer. He'd fit in really nicely to the Rangers' rotation between Yu Darvish and Derek Holland and give the Rangers a really nice 1-2-3 to work a short series or a best-of-seven.

The team would have to pick up a portion of his $10.25 million salary for the remainder of the year and he would then become a free agent as he's a true rental player, in the mold of Cliff Lee, who was with the Rangers for three months and then was riding off into the sunset.

The good thing about that is that the Rangers wouldn't have to pay the farm for Garza, who could probably be had for a few mid-level prospects or possibly a big-league arm and a lower-level prospect.

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