Matt Garza signed a four-year, $50 million contract with the Milwaukee Brewers last month. That type of money is nothing for a 30-year-old pitcher with a 3.84 career ERA to scoff at, but it was not the best offer he received. The Los Angeles Angels reportedly offered Garza a four-year, $52 million deal in December. Why didn’t he accept it? He was on vacation.
Speaking from Brewers training camp on Monday, Garza said he was in Turks and Caicos and it was simply bad timing when the Angels made their offer.
“They offered, but it was more of a weird situation,” he said, via MLB.com’s Brew Beat. “I was on vacation with my wife and I didn’t want to be disturbed, and it was like, ‘Here it is, we’ll pull it in a certain amount of hours.’ I didn’t have a chance to respond, so I just said, ‘Whatever. It is what it is.’”
Garza must not have been desperate to play for the Angels, otherwise he would have found a way to make the deal happen while he was away. I understand not wanting to be bothered while you’re celebrating your anniversary, but Garza clearly didn’t consider the offer to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“I had no worries,” he added. “God’s going to make things work out either way. It is what it is. I guess you didn’t want me that bad, I take it. I found a team that wants me and makes me feel at home. I was looking for a great fit and I believe I found it.”
At the same time, the Angels could not have been desperate to sign Garza. If they were, they could have waited until he got home. He knew it would work out and he’d be offered the same contract from another team, and he was right. There was no need to bother him while he was in Turks, dude.
H/T Hardball Talk
