Garza's Return

Unless you haven't been paying much attention today, you probably have already heard that Matt Garza has been called up by the Twins, with Chris Heintz once again sent down to Rochester. Let me clear up that situation first -- I'm not a fan of carrying three catchers, especially when one of them never plays. It made sense to have three catchers on the squad when the Twins weren't sure about Joe Mauer's health -- but there have been no indications that he's struggling in that department, so it was time for Heintz to go back down.

Now, how about Garza? First, I have to say that I think this was a very clever move for the Twins to make. Garza was chaffing down in AAA, having watched Glen Perkins, Scott Baker, and Kevin Slowey all move past him in the organization this summer. Garza wanted his shot, but there weren't a lot of options for him at hand. Now, the Twins get him up, with a guaranteed start on July 6, and with a chance to pitch in a game or two out of the bullpen to reacquaint himself with big league hitters. I think that's downright savvy. The Twins also have essentially set up a competition between Baker, Slowey, and Garza over which two will have a spot in the rotation when the All-Star Break comes to an end. I think Garza will be in that mix.

For the record, there's been some discussion about whether Boof Bonser's spot in the rotation is in jeopardy, but I don't think that's the case. Bonser has been reasonably solid this year (although there's a LOT of room for improvement). I would be stunned if the Twins took Bonser out of the rotation. Just for the record, Bonser does have an option left -- but can you really see the Twins sending him down? That would absolutely stun me.

I'll be interested to see how Garza performs out of the bullpen (where he will probably be able to get away with just rearin' back and firing fastballs in), and how he adapts back to starting (where he'll need to get his curveball over and will need to complement his fastball with the occasional changeup as well). This was the right move for the Twins right now. I'm excited about what's to come.