Garcia fills gaping hole in Chisox rotation

By Jim Callis
June 27, 2004

Contending in the American League Central despite getting next to nothing out of their No. 5 starters, the White Sox made a bold move to fill the hole in their rotation on Sunday. After taking a weekend series from the crosstown Cubs, the White Sox announced that they had acquired Freddy Garcia from the Mariners in exchange for three well-regarded young players: Triple-A outfielder Jeremy Reed, big league catcher Miguel Olivo and Double-A shortstop Michael Morse. Chicago also received perennially disappointing catcher Ben Davis and cash to help offset the remainder of Davis' $1.4 million salary for 2004.

Garcia, a 28-year-old righthander, has recovered from a two-year slump that saw him go 28-24 with a 4.45 ERA in 2002-03 after emerging as one of the American League's best pitchers in 2001. In 15 starts this season, he has a 3.20 ERA, an 82-32 strikeout-walk ratio and a .236 opponent average with eight homers in 107 innings. His record is a misleading 4-7 because he has received the worst run support (2.19) in the AL. Garcia has done a better job of establishing his low-90s fastball, which has made his changeup and curveball all the more effective. At his best, he's the top pitcher in a White Sox rotation that also includes Mark Buehrle and Esteban Loaiza. Garcia's career record is 76-50, 3.89 in 170 games. He had been so inconsistent over the previous two seasons that the Mariners had considered nontendering him or trading him cheaply during the offseason, but they eventually agreed on a one-year contract worth $6.875 million. He'll be a free agent at the end of this season. Garcia is close to White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, which should enhance Chicago's chances to re-sign him.

Reed was the top prospect in the White Sox system but Chicago's minor league outfield depth (which includes Brian Anderson, Joe Borchard and Ryan Sweeney) made him a little easier to part with. The 23-year-old Reed was a 2002 second-round pick out of Long Beach State, and he led the minors with a .373 average and .453 on-base percentage in 2003, his first full pro season. Reed got off to a hot start at Triple-A Charlotte in 2004, batting .325 in April, but has hit just .254 since. Overall, he's hitting .275/.357/.420 with eight homers, 37 RBIs and 12 steals (in 19 attempts) in 73 games. Reed is a very gifted hitter who probably will top out at 15-20 homers annually. He does an excellent job of controlling the strike zone and has plus speed, though he tends to get caught stealing more than he should. He's an average center fielder and profiles better offensively at that position than he would on a corner. Reed instantly becomes Seattle's center fielder of the future, and the future could come as early as the second half of this season.

Olivo, 24, is a major upgrade at catcher for the Mariners, who had been starting Dan Wilson and had exiled Davis to Triple-A. Olivo has power in his bat and his arm, and if he regains the plate discipline he showed in the minors he may hit for average as well. He also runs better than most catchers. In 46 games this year, Olivo has hit .270/.316/.496 with seven homers, 26 RBIs and five steals (in nine tries). He has thrown out 25.9 percent of basestealers after ranking third in the AL at 35.8 percent in 2003. Olivo has career totals of .245/.295/.403 with 14 homers, 58 RBIs and 11 steals in 166 big league games. He won't be arbitration-eligible until after the 2005 season.

Morse, 22, has been a revelation in his fifth pro season. A third-round pick out of a Florida high school in 2000, he batted just .248/.307/.369 in 2000-03. A promotion to Double-A Birmingham definitely agreed with him, as he has hit .287/.336/.536 with a career-high 11 homers and 38 RBIs in 54 games. His plate discipline (46 strikeouts, 15 walks in 209 at-bats) is still a concern, but he has shown definite progress at the plate. Defensively, he's very big (6-foot-5, 230 pounds) for a shortstop. His arm and hands are fine but his range is just adequate, and he figures to move to third base in the future.

Davis, 27, never has delivered on the promise that made him the No. 2 overall pick (by the Padres) in the 1995 draft. He went just 3-for-33 (.091) for Seattle this season before being demoted to Triple-A Tacoma in early May. He hasn't hit much there either: .248/.321/.397 with four homers and 15 RBIs in 39 games. A switch-hitter with decent pop, Davis chases too many pitches out of the strike zone. His best tool is his throwing arm. A career .237/.310/.362 hitter with 32 homers and 188 RBIs in 432 games, he'll share Chicago's catching job with Sandy Alomar Jr. and Jamie Burke. Davis almost certainly will be nontendered rather than offered arbitration following the season.