Matt Garza Trade Includes A Number Of Interesting Prospects

The Cubs and Rays have reportedly agreed to a Matt Garza trade that will send the righty to Chicago. It isn’t official yet, but it should be by Saturday, and the 27-year-old starter will take his act to the National League, where he’ll join Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster at the front of the rotation. Meanwhile, for Tampa Bay, top prospect Jeremy Hellickson should slide right into the Rays’ rotation, replacing Garza with ease.

But this isn’t just any trade - this is reportedly a trade involving eight players. So it’s worth touching briefly on the rest of the players involved.

The Rays are sending two guys to the Cubs along with Garza. One is a minor league pitcher of unknown identity, but the other is outfielder Fernando Perez. Perez is a speedy 27-year-old who struggled badly with AAA Durham a year ago following 2009 wrist surgery. However, he’s shown the ability to hit for average in the past, and he’s capable of covering a lot of ground in the field and stealing a base at the drop of a hat. He’s a good candidate for a fourth outfielder spot.

Headed from the Cubs to the Rays are five different players. In no particular order:

Chris Archer is a 22-year-old righty starter who excelled in both advanced-A and AA ball last season. He has a mid-90s fastball and a sharp slider, and was rated by Baseball America as the Cubs’ best prospect. He’s not a sure thing, but he could develop into a starter or a power closer.

Brandon Guyer is a soon-to-be 25-year-old outfielder who batted .344 with AA Tennessee last season with a .986 OPS. He was the Cubs’ minor league player of the year, and while old for his level, he runs well and there’s obvious potential in his bat.

Robinson Chirinos is a 26-year-old catcher with power and a strong defensive skillset. Between AA and AAA last year, he batted .326 with a .999 OPS while throwing out 32% of would-be base-stealers. He walked more often than he struck out.

Hak-Ju Lee is a 20-year-old shortstop who spent last year with A-ball Peoria. Baseball America ranked him as the organization’s #4 prospect, but he’s a long ways off.

Sam Fuld is a 29-year-old outfielder who’s struggled with injuries and inconsistency. He has had moderate success over a brief Major League career, but he’s more along the lines of a fourth outfielder.

So that’s the return for the Rays. It isn’t a mind-blowing package, but there’s a lot of talent there, and Garza shouldn’t be much of a loss given the resources the organization has to replace him.