Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein told Carrie Muskat of MLB.com that the club isn't trying to shop ace pitcher Matt Garza. This counters numerous previous reports regarding his availability, with many describing the Cubs' serious interest in trying to acquire some long-term assets in exchange for their best pitcher.
While Epstein doesn't say that the team refuses to discuss Garza in trades, the comments seem to implicate that Garza's apparent availability might have been overstated. With the Cubs essentially looking at a rebuilding effort, Garza has been viewed as the team's most valuable asset in trade talks with other teams. Coming off an exceptional 2011, he's probably the best pitcher left on the market right now.
But it appears that while he may be on the market, Chicago may need to be blown away to actually make a move. Previous reports mentioned the Cubs' "huge asking price" on Garza, so it's possible that Epstein will only consider deals for the pitcher if he considers them to be particularly strong.
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