Minnesota Twins Garza was the 25th pick in the first round of the
2005 Major League Baseball draft, drafted by the
Minnesota Twins. Entering 2006, Garza was ranked as the
Minnesota Twins seventh-best prospect by
Baseball America. He gained attention for rising through the ranks of the Twins' minor league system, starting the season at Single-A
Fort Myers and ending at the major league level, pitching with the Double-A
New Britain Rock Cats and the Triple-A
Rochester Red Wings in between. Garza was a combined 14–4 at the three minor league levels in 2006, with a 1.99
ERA and 154
strikeouts in innings. He earned All-Star berths in the Single-A
Florida State League and Double-A
Eastern League. Backed by those numbers, Garza earned the
USA Today Minor League Player of the Year Award for 2006, the second consecutive year in which a Twin won the award (in 2005, Garza's teammate
Francisco Liriano was the winner). On August 8, Minnesota purchased Garza's contract, promoting him to the majors to replace the injured Liriano. Garza is one of a small number of players to advance through the minors and reach the major league level in a single season. On August 11, his major league debut, Garza allowed seven
earned runs in innings to the
Toronto Blue Jays. Garza earned his first
win on August 23 against the
Baltimore Orioles, allowing just one unearned run in six innings. Entering 2007, Garza was rated as the top prospect in the Twins organization and the 21st-best prospect in Major League Baseball by
Baseball America. Garza did not make the Twins rotation out of
spring training, being assigned to Rochester instead. He was recalled to the Minnesota Twins on June 28 after being passed by other Twins pitching prospects such as
Kevin Slowey and
Scott Baker due to disagreements with the club over his pitch selection. He was selected to the 2007
All-Star Futures Game in
San Francisco, but did not get to participate due to his call up to the major league club. On July 6, in a game against the
Chicago White Sox at
U.S. Cellular Field, Garza became the first Twins pitcher to bat in an
American League game since
Allan Anderson in . Garza was put in the eight-spot when catcher
Mike Redmond left the game after his head was cut by
Jim Thome's bat on a backswing.
Joe Mauer, the
designated hitter for the game, replaced Redmond as the catcher, forcing Garza into the lineup. On July 29, Garza recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts in six innings against the
Cleveland Indians.
Tampa Bay Rays After the 2007 season, the Twins traded Garza along with
Jason Bartlett and
Eduardo Morlan to the Tampa Bay Rays for
Delmon Young,
Jason Pridie, and
Brendan Harris. Garza had a successful 2008 season with the Rays, going 11–9 while posting a 3.70 ERA. He also earned MVP honors for the
ALCS in which he helped the Rays beat the
Boston Red Sox by posting a 1.38 ERA in two starts, and earning the decisive victory in game 7 of the ALCS. On June 26, 2008, he carried a
perfect game through six innings against the
Florida Marlins before giving up a leadoff home run in the seventh inning to
Hanley Ramírez. The home run proved his only blemish as he won the complete game with 10 strikeouts and one walk. As of the end of July 2009, opposing batters were hitting .222 against him, which was the second-lowest batting average in the league; he was just behind
Edwin Jackson (.216), and was followed by
Jarrod Washburn (.224) and
Scott Feldman (.228; .217 as a starter). In 2009, he had the lowest
range factor of all starting major league pitchers (0.93). . Garza threw a
no-hitter on July 26, 2010, at home against the
Detroit Tigers, becoming the fifth pitcher that season to throw a no-hitter. It was also the first no-hitter thrown by a Tampa Bay Rays pitcher in the team's history (and so far it remains the only one in a full 9-inning game). He faced the minimum 27 batters as the lone base runner,
Brennan Boesch, who drew a 1-out second inning walk, was erased on a double play hit by
Ryan Raburn in the next at-bat. Garza threw 120 pitches, 80 for
strikes, and tallied six strikeouts. 101 of his pitches were
fastballs.
Chicago Cubs On January 7, 2011, Garza was traded from the Rays to the
Chicago Cubs as part of an eight-player deal. The Cubs sent outfielder
Sam Fuld, and prospects
Chris Archer,
Hak-Ju Lee,
Brandon Guyer, and
Robinson Chirinos to the Rays for Garza, outfielder
Fernando Perez and minor league left-handed pitcher
Zac Rosscup. In spring training, Garza led all pitchers in the major leagues in earned runs given up, with 25, in 21.2 innings. Garza finished the season with a 10–10 record and a 3.32 ERA.
Texas Rangers On July 22, 2013, The Cubs traded Garza to the
Texas Rangers in exchange for
Mike Olt,
Justin Grimm,
C. J. Edwards, and
Neil Ramirez. With the Rangers, Garza had an ERA of 4.38.
Milwaukee Brewers After the 2013 season, the
Milwaukee Brewers reportedly agreed to sign Garza to what was initially reported as a four-year, $52 million contract. On January 26, 2014, the Brewers announced that the signing was official. The deal is reportedly guaranteed for $50 million over the course of four years, with each season having an additional $1 million in performance bonuses. There is also a performance/appearance based vesting option for a fifth year, worth $13 million, making the total contract worth as much as 5 years and $67 million. With the contract, Garza became the most expensive free agent that the Brewers have ever signed, surpassing
Jeff Suppan's four year, $42 million contract signed prior to the 2007 season. During the 2015 season, it was announced that Garza would be shut down for the rest of the season due to poor performance and the club wanting to look at younger starters. Garza reacted badly to the idea and did not pitch in any of the team's final 28 games. Garza finished his 2016 season 6–8 with a 4.51 ERA. On June 3, 2017, Garza suffered a shoulder injury in a collision with first baseman
Jesus Aguilar. He attempted to pitch the rest of the season through it, but struggled badly down the stretch and lost his spot in the rotation, finishing the final year of his contract with a 6–9 record and a 4.94 ERA. After the season, Garza's injury was diagnosed as a torn labrum in the right shoulder. On January 10, 2018, Garza, now a free agent, underwent surgery to repair the labrum, performed by Dr.
Neal ElAttrache, and was ruled out for the entire 2018 season. ==Scouting==