[mikev]

Garcia Staying Home... For Now(?)



Mario Garcia has been one of the better Crusaders pitchers in recent times. The 28 year old sports a career 3.52 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in his eight seasons with California.

In the second year of a two year extension, Garcia has been -- like most Crusaders pitchers -- the victim of several injuries and talent lumps. At the height of his talents, he was an 8/8/6 rated monster with three above average pitches and a "show me" changeup, he's topped the 200 strikeout mark a couple times in his career, etc.

He's a shadow of that now, with 6/7/6 talents sporting 12/13/12 ratings overall. On a good team, he's probably a #3 starter, but we are not a good team.

Still, when he says he wants to sign a contract extension for a total of just under $14 Million for the next three years, we had to pull the trigger.

There were rumors that Garcia was on the verge of being traded, as a 28 year old starter may not have the most value on a team that's in last place, but whether a deal is consumated remains to be seen. Some inside sources have said the team is just as happy moving forward with Garcia in the hopes that he can mentor 21 year old Franck Berthier within the next few seasons.