Matt Garza

Chicago Cubs starter Matt Garza could be in a contending team's rotation if they're willing to part with three prospects from a team's "A" list, according to a Major League source. The Red Sox, Yankees and Blue Jays are three teams known to be interested. But none have stepped up their offers to this point. Garza could be a difference-maker in any contending team's rotation. Cubs president Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer will sit back, however, and not pull the trigger on anything they feel is short of top-shelf value for a pitcher who is AL East and playoff battle-tested...

Matt Garza pitched three-hit ball for 8 2/3 innings, and the Cubs sent Zack Greinke to his worst beating in 1 1/2 years in an 8-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday in Chicago that prevented a four-game sweep. Helping the Cubs improve to 2-5, Garza (1-0) struck out nine and walked two - both in the first two innings. He induced Cesar Izturis to hit into an inning-ending double play in the second, starting a stretch in which he retired 16 of 17 batters. Nori Aoki reached with two outs in the ninth when Garza threw his comebacker over first baseman Bryan LaHair and into the...

Sheriff's detectives say that an American League Championship ring belonging to Chicago Cubs pitcher Matt Garza has been stolen from his California home. The Fresno Bee reports (http://bit.ly/xnXGSo) that the ring — valued at $30,000 — was taken during a burglary of Garza's home in Fresno County sometime between Jan. 26 and Tuesday. Garza was awarded the ring while playing for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008. The Rays beat the Boston Red Sox in that year's AL Championship Series.

George Kottaras hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning, and Yovani Gallardo outdueled Ryan Dempster as the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1 Wednesday for their third straight win in the four-game series. Backed by Starlin Castro's first-inning sacrifice fly that followed David DeJesus' double, Dempster (0-1) had a three-hit shutout before Mat Gamel doubled leading off the seventh. Kottaras, Milwaukee's backup catcher, followed with his second homer this season. Gallardo (1-1)

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday. Sorry for the long gap between mailbags, but I'll start cranking them out regularly starting now. The Red Sox aren't done yet. But they're looking for low-cost moves. Some people don't like this approach, but it's rewarding I think to find gems in January (can you say Alfredo Aceves?) that turn out to really help your team. Tampa Bay does it all the time. The World Series Cardinals did it (Lance Berkman). You don't have to spend a ton to get good players.

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff ESPN's Buster Olney reported on Twitter today that the Cubs are open to trading Matt Garza. Here's a crazy idea that just might work: send a few prospects to the Cubs for Garza as compensation for Theo Epstein. Garza alone is way too much compensation for Epstein, the Sox asked for that weeks ago and were turned down. But adding a few good prospects would serve to make it an equal deal. The Sox get an 28-year-old AL East-tested starter, the Cubs get the prospects they so badly need.

By Amalie Benjamin, Globe Staff MESA, Ariz. — Mark down June 15, 16, and 17 on your calender. That's when the Red Sox visit the Chicago Cubs. Not only will the Sox see former general manager Theo Epstein wear Cubs blue and red, but they'll also see Matt Garza, the former Rays pitcher who had some choice words to say about his performance against the Sox over the last couple of years. Asked what he recalled about Epstein's tenure with Boston, Garza said, "That I was able to kick the crap out of them every year, year in and year out, for the...

MIAMI - Matt Garza couldn't sleep yesterday morning. Phone calls and text messages kept coming in from his former Fresno State teammates, who had just won the College World Series. The calls from back home kept waking him up, and he got only a couple of hours of sleep before his noon start. Now he'll be calling them. Garza pitched a one-hitter, allowing only Hanley Ramirez's home run leading off the seventh inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Florida Marlins, 6-1, to complete a three-game sweep.

The Cubs have a tentative trade in place to obtain righthander Matt Garza from the Rays, according to two people familiar with the negotiations. The Rays would receive outfielder Sam Fuld , minor league outfielder Brandon Guyer , and several other prospects for Garza, who would be sent to Chicago along with prospects, the two people said yesterday, pending medical approval. Garza, 27, pitched a no-hitter against Detroit last season, when he went 15-10 with a 3.91 ERA. He spent his first two major league seasons with the Twins and the...

George Kottaras hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning, and Yovani Gallardo outdueled Ryan Dempster as the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1 Wednesday for their third straight win in the four-game series. Backed by Starlin Castro's first-inning sacrifice fly that followed David DeJesus' double, Dempster (0-1) had a three-hit shutout before Mat Gamel doubled leading off the seventh. Kottaras, Milwaukee's backup catcher, followed with his second homer this season. Gallardo (1-1)

The Washington Nationals are pulling out dramatic wins. They wouldn't mind a breather, though. Adam LaRoche homered and matched a career-high with four hits, and the Nationals again rallied late against Kerry Wood and Carlos Marmol, scoring five runs in the eighth to beat the Chicago Cubs 7-4 on Saturday. "We don't want to be in that position every single game," said Danny Espinosa, who homered in the eighth. "We want to fight, try to jump out early and hopefully get the lead.

FORT MYERS, Fla. - In the end, the Red Sox were satisfied with what they got as compensation for Theo Epstein: righthanded reliever Chris Carpenter. But did they win or lose in this compensation case, which took upward of four months to settle and took all sorts of twists and turns until the Sox and Cubs eventually worked it out, with a little guidance from the Commissioner's Office? While it is the most significant compensation ever awarded a team in exchange for an executive, the Red Sox were unable to secure a top player or prospect in the...

By Amalie Benjamin, Globe Staff MESA, Ariz. — Mark down June 15, 16, and 17 on your calender. That's when the Red Sox visit the Chicago Cubs. Not only will the Sox see former general manager Theo Epstein wear Cubs blue and red, but they'll also see Matt Garza, the former Rays pitcher who had some choice words to say about his performance against the Sox over the last couple of years. Asked what he recalled about Epstein's tenure with Boston, Garza said, "That I was able to kick the crap out of them every year, year in and year out, for the last three...

Sheriff's detectives say that an American League Championship ring belonging to Chicago Cubs pitcher Matt Garza has been stolen from his California home. The Fresno Bee reports (http://bit.ly/xnXGSo) that the ring — valued at $30,000 — was taken during a burglary of Garza's home in Fresno County sometime between Jan. 26 and Tuesday. Garza was awarded the ring while playing for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008. The Rays beat the Boston Red Sox in that year's AL Championship Series.

Chicago Cubs starter Matt Garza could be in a contending team's rotation if they're willing to part with three prospects from a team's "A" list, according to a Major League source. The Red Sox, Yankees and Blue Jays are three teams known to be interested. But none have stepped up their offers to this point. Garza could be a difference-maker in any contending team's rotation. Cubs president Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer will sit back, however, and not pull the trigger on anything they feel is short of top-shelf value for a pitcher who is AL East and playoff...

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday. Sorry for the long gap between mailbags, but I'll start cranking them out regularly starting now. The Red Sox aren't done yet. But they're looking for low-cost moves. Some people don't like this approach, but it's rewarding I think to find gems in January (can you say Alfredo Aceves?) that turn out to really help your team. Tampa Bay does it all the time. The World Series Cardinals did it (Lance Berkman). You don't have to spend a ton to get good players.

The Washington Nationals are pulling out dramatic wins. They wouldn't mind a breather, though. Adam LaRoche homered and matched a career-high with four hits, and the Nationals again rallied late against Kerry Wood and Carlos Marmol, scoring five runs in the eighth to beat the Chicago Cubs 7-4 on Saturday. "We don't want to be in that position every single game," said Danny Espinosa, who homered in the eighth. "We want to fight, try to jump out early and hopefully get the lead.

Delmon Young was traded by Tampa Bay to the Minnesota Twins last night as part of a six-player deal that sent righthander Matt Garza to the Rays. In a swap of talented youngsters, the Twins also gave up starting shortstop Jason Bartlett and minor league pitcher Eduardo Morlan while acquiring shortstop Brendan Harris and minor league outfielder Jason Pridie . After losing All-Star center fielder Torii Hunter to a $90 million, five-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels, the Twins were in dire need of another proven...

Have a question? Submit your question here to be considered for the next edition of Ask Nick. By Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff Hope you all had a wonderful holiday. Sorry for the long gap between mailbags, but I'll start cranking them out regularly starting now. The Sox aren't done yet. But they're looking for low-cost moves. Some people don't like this approach, but it's rewarding I think to find gems in January (can you say Alfredo Aceves?

You want established pitching? Then you will pay through the nose for it. That's the precedent set by the deals that transpired before Christmas: The Rangers won the posting bid for Japanese star Yu Darvish for $51.7 million, the Reds acquired Mat Latos from the Padres for four prospects, the Nationals gave up four prospects for Oakland lefty Gio Gonzalez, and the Diamondbacks gave up three prospects for A's righthander ...