Garza vs. Delmon

There has not been a more scrutinized trade in the history of the Minnesota Twins than the one that went down in November 2007.

In that deal, the Minnesota Twins, who were desperate to find an offensive superstar, gave the struggling Tampa Bay Rays promising pitching prospect Matt Garza, shortstop Jason Bartlett, and Eduardo Morlan for 2007 American League Rookie of the Year runner up outfielder Delmon Young, infielder Brendan Harris, and outfielder Jason Pridie.

Since that deal took place there have been numerous dissections of the trade, and several have been this blog alone. For the Rays, the trade sparked a rise from the basement of the American League, and for the Twins...well it brings up an interesting question.

With Matt Garza throwing a no-hitter for the Rays last night, it brings up a very interesting question. Would the Twins have been better off not making the deal and keeping a potential ace or adding to what has become an incredibly potent lineup since 2007.

In 2006 the Twins were surging to catch the Detroit Tigers. We all know what would happen, the Twins would catch those Tigers, but at the same time, the Twins had to patch a hole in their rotation when Francisco Liriano went down with an elbow injury.

The Twins would call up Garza and he would struggle in '06. (3-6, 5.76 ERA) It was clear that Garza needed more seasoning, so the Twins had him start the season in AAA Rochester. Garza wasn't happy with this move, as he blasted the Twins front office repeatedly as other pitchers would get the call over Garza.

Finally, Garza would be called up later in '07 and would register a 5-7 record with a 3.69 ERA. But the numbers didn't tell the true story. Garza fell out of favor with the organization as Garza wanted to blow hitters away with his amazing fastball instead of mixing in his pitches. Garza was in Ron Gardenhire's doghouse, and once you find yourself there, it won't be long until you're either moving to Rochester or another major league city.

But what if the Twins didn't pull the trigger? Could Garza had gotten over his issues with the Twins and become the staff ace that the Twins are currently searching for?

Statistically, you could make that argument. Garza has gone 30-26 with a 3.89 ERA since the trade. The win-loss record isn't there, but he's only 26 and is currently 11-5 with a 4.06 ERA this season. Also, how would this rotation look like to you?

1. Garza (11-5 4.06)
2. Pavano (12-6 3.26)
3. Liriano (9-7 3.35)
4. Baker (8-9 5.00)
5. Duensing (1-0 1.80*)
* Stats used from Duensing's lone start this season

You also need to take in effect the current Twins starting lineup. Without Delmon, the Twins wouldn't need to shuffle four outfielders into three spots. The could also start Jim Thome everyday, but would Thome be able to hold up over an entire season playing everyday? I have my doubts.

Also, Delmon is currently fourth in the American League in RBI. If the Twins lost Justin Morneau for an extended period of time, who would pick up the slack like Young has?

That looks impressive, but there's still the mental issues. When Garza got to Tampa Bay, Troy Percival got into Garza's face and personally, I feel that helped Garza mature as a pitcher. Would anyone on the current Twins roster do that? I don't think so.