Jon Garland might be returning to the AL Central immediately before pitchers and catchers report to spring training in the hopes of joining the Cleveland Indians to try to help them reach the top of the AL Central. That’s a tall order with the dominance of the Detroit Tigers this last season (and this off-season), but Garland is a solid veteran who will eat some innings and help the younger staff in Cleveland.
Ken Rosenthal reports the rumor and says both sides are working on a deal. Last year, Garland had a one-year deal for $5 million and he was injured most of the season for the Dodgers, so it’s likely to be somewhere south of that — perhaps one year for $3.5 with incentives.
Longtime Royals fans will be quite familiar with Garland for his eight seasons with the Chicago White Sox, piling up nearly 100 wins for the team in that time. Even as recently as 2010, Garland went 14-12 for the Padres with a 3.73 ERA. In other words, for that price he can still be a very solid addition for a team.