per SI.com

Too late.

Garcia to sign with Tigers

By Jon Heyman, SI.com

Freddy Garcia has agreed to a contract with the Tigers, SI.com has learned. Garcia had been a free agent, and has not pitched since June of 2007 with the Philadelphia Phillies, when shoulder problems limited him to just 11 starts. He went 17-9 with the White Sox in 2006, his last full season in the majors.

Garcia's deal is a minor-league contract that runs only through the end of 2008. It will become a major league contract if he's promoted to the parent club. Garcia will report first to Class-A Lakeland. As long as he's on the major league roster by August 31, he will be eligible for the postseason.

Garcia, 33, has a lifetime record of 117-76 with the Mariners, White Sox and Phillies, and has a 6-2 postseason record. He has been sidelined for over a year and had shoulder surgery on a torn labrum, but had recently begun auditioning for teams who might hope to sign him for the stretch drive.

On August 5, Garcia held a showcase for about 15 teams, including the Tigers, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Rays, Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Phillies, Twins, White Sox and Brewers. Scouts thought he looked very good but his radar readings in the 84-86 range indicated his arm strength was still coming.

The Tigers, expected to roll to the AL Central title before the season began, have been a disappointment right from the start, and enter play on Tuesday at 58-60, in third place in the AL Central, eight games out of first and 9 1/2 games behind in the wild card race.

Garcia has a reputation as a big-game pitcher, having won the clinching Game 5 of the 2005 ALCS for the White Sox with a complete game victory.

lolz

I don't really understand this move, for a few reasons...

- he didn't exactly 'tear it up' in his workout at Univ of Miami, Ozzie Guillen even went so far to say he wouldn't have any impact this season, and the Sox are a team that def. could use a 5th starter with Contreras gone

- we're clearly not giving ourselves a chance to win the division, and by the time Freddy makes a couple minor league starts, we could be 10+ games behind...


But a positive is, if he came here and pitched well, he could be a cheap alternative for us next season. I've always liked Freddy Garcia, he's a former all-star, has playoff experience and a WS ring to his credit. He's still pretty young (compared to Kenny at least), and he's best friends with Carlos Guillen (Venezuelan Connection)...

With all the other question marks we have this coming offseason, if Freddy could fill a void, it could turn out to be a huge win for us...


Just think if our rotation was Kenny, Bondo, Justin, D-Train, and Freddy...In 2006 that would've been the greatest rotation ever...2008 & beyond, not so much...

This, my friends, IS the turning point

Lakeland's building an All Star rotation.

Lakeland's building an All Star rotation.]

lawl

Lakeland's building an All Star rotation.


Porcello/Dontrelle/Freddy...


two have world series rings, both have top 5 finishes in cy young ballots and multiple all-star apperances...

yet the ace of the staff is 19

So Garcia is going to try and get 2 or 3 starts in with the Tigers so he can shop himself to the rest of the league for next year.

Hmm.

if he pitches well, i bet garcia signs him for next year before he has the chance to draw interest...

theres no way he'll be able to get more than a one year deal (with plenty of incentive opportunities or a vesting option for a 2nd year) on the open market next year anyway, with the type of injury he had, it'd be a major risk...

i suppose it's a low risk minor-league signing, we also signed Gary Glover to a minor league deal as well...

Glover was DFA'ed by the Rays...

if he pitches well, i bet garcia signs him for next year before he has the chance to draw interest...


Garcia would sign himself.

pardon me...*Dombrowski....caught up in all the names there

NOTEBOOK: Assistant general manager Al Avila said Freddy Garcia threw to hitters on Thursday night in Lakeland. He is scheduled to throw again Sunday and could pitch in a game by the end of next week. "They said he looked good," Avila said. "He's not yet to his normal velocity."