Garcia to be odd-man out?: With the Yankees acquiring SPs Michael Pineda and Hiroki Kuroda on Friday, A.J. Burnett, Freddy Garcia and Phil Hughes are expected to compete for the No. 5 spot in the rotation during spring training. Garcia went 12-8 with a 3.62 ERA in 26 appearances (25 starts) last season. (Updated 01/13/2012)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 2/12/12).
Fantasy Analysis
Garcia re-signed with the Yankees this offseason to be an inexpensive option at the backend of the rotation but with the moves the team made on Friday, he could end up pitching out of the bullpen. More will be known during spring training so owners should keep an eye on the situation going forward. Garcia will be a low-end option in deeper mixed leagues if he ends up a starter in 2012 but as a reliever, the right-hander will hold minimal value in Fantasy. (Updated 01/13/2012).
10/10/2011 23:15 Unhittable bullpen has Texas two wins from World Series
After Derek Holland can't make it out of the third inning, the Rangers lean on their bullpen -- again. And again they pull out magic, Danny Knobler says, as Texas holds the Tigers for the second game in a row.
10/09/2011 20:17 With Young, Ordonez out, Tigers see chance to show toughness
What more could go wrong for Detroit? Magglio Ordonez fractured his ankle and joins Delmon Young (oblique) on the sidelines for the rest of the season. Still, Danny Knobler believes the Tigers can still win the ALCS.
10/02/2011 21:37 Game 2's bullet dodged, Tigers aren't crumbling to mighty Yankees
The Tigers survive Game 2 to make the series a lot more interesting. Next is Sabathia-Verlander time. Then A.J. Burnett. And more Cano and Cabrera at-bats. Danny Knobler says finally, a team's standing up to the Yankees.
10/02/2011 19:06 Tigers survive Yanks' ninth-inning rally to tie series
Detroit closer Jose Valverde held off a furious New York ninth-inning rally and the Tigers avoided a major slip-up, beating the Yankees 5-3 on a rainy Sunday and evening their best-of-five AL playoff series at one game apiece.
Freddy Garcia enjoyed a bounce-back campaign with the Yankees a year ago and could have earned himself a spot in the 2012 rotation as a result. The right-hander went 12-8 with a 3.58 ERA in 25 starts last season and posted a 96-to-45 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 146 2/3 innings. He did a solid job for a New York rotation that endured a ton of injuries and will compete with A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes for the final spot this season. Garcia has made just two career appearances out of the bullpen so the Yankees would likely prefer to use him as a starter. Keep an eye on the battle during the spring because if the 35-year-old can put up numbers close to what he did in 2011, he will be worth a look in deeper mixed leagues on Draft Day. (Updated 2/2/12)