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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Chicago Cubs are in the mix for Tampa Bay Rays right-handed pitcher Matt Garza. They are one of four teams talking to Tampa about a trade for the arbitration-eligible starting pitcher, according to a major league source.

Garza was 15-10 in 2010 with a 3.91 ERA in 32 starts.

Tampa Bay is interested in prospects in return, according to a source. The Cubs are known to have met with Tampa during these meetings as have numerous other teams.

The Cubs have also continued to kick the tires on a trade with the Texas Rangers for first baseman/third baseman Chris Davis. Even with the signing of Pena, Davis could be a valuable player coming off the bench for the Cubs next season. Texas is interested in 27-year-old catcher Robinson Chirinos, who played at Double-A last season.

Also said to be in the mix in a Davis deal is right-handed pitcher Darren O'Day, a relief specialist who was 6-2 with a 2.03 ERA in 72 games with the Rangers in 2010.

The Cubs have also had conversations with the Detroit Tigers about trading pitchers for pitchers. Detroit has asked for left-hander Tom Gorzelanny while offering right-handed pitcher Armando Galarragga, best know for the 2010 perfect game that wasn't after a bad call by first-base umpire Jim Joyce. Galarragga season was less than stellar, going 4-9 with a 4.49 ERA last season.
http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/2866/source-cubs-interested-in-garza

The Cubs appear to have moved past the Texas Rangers and into the driver’s seat in efforts to acquire Tampa Bay Rays 15-game winner Matt Garza — a potential move that could put the Cubs back into the National League Central title conversation for 2011.

A major-league source said Tuesday the Cubs were close to trading for the power-pitching right-hander, just as the Rangers were committing a big multiyear deal to third baseman Adrian Beltre and appeared to be pursuing free-agent closer Rafael Soriano. Those efforts come after the Rangers fell short in their efforts to use the money to keep big-ticket free-agent pitcher Cliff Lee.

Landing Garza — who has as many postseason wins as the returning Cubs roster combined — would be a significant response to upstart Cincinnati’s pitching-driven division title last season and division-rival Milwaukee’s trade for Cy Young winner Zack Greinke last month.

It would give the Cubs a Ryan Dempster-Garza-Carlos Zambrano top three to their starting rotation and make the back end look stronger with only two spots between Andrew Cashner, Randy Wells, Carlos Silva, Tom Gorzelanny and Jeff Samardzija. That would open the door for one or more of them to be traded in a next-step deal, depending on who might be included in a Garza move.

The Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs are close to agreeing to a multi-player deal that would bring right-handed pitcher Matt Garza to Chicago, according to a major league source.

The deal could include upwards of eight players.

The Cubs and at least three other teams had been negotiating with the Rays about Garza since the winter meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. on Dec. 5.

Garza, 27, is coming off his best big league season, compiling a 15-10 record with a 3.91 ERA. Garza averaged 6.6 strikeouts and 2.77 walks per nine innings. Hitters batted .248 against Garza in 2010.