CHICAGO (AP) -- The Chicago Cubs acquired right-handed pitcher Matt Garza from the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday in an eight-player trade.
The 27-year-old Garza pitched a no-hitter against Detroit last season, when he went 15-10 with a 3.91 ERA. He spent his first two major league seasons with the Twins and the last three with the Rays.
Garza joins the Cubs along with outfielder Fernando Perez and left-hander Zachary Rosscup.
The Rays get two of the Cubs' top prospects, right-hander Chris Archer, a 15-game winner in two minor league stops last season, and 20-year-old shortstop Hak-Ju Lee. Also going from Chicago to Tampa Bay are catcher Robinson Chirinos and outfielders Sam Fuld and Brandon Guyer.
Garza, who was the ALCS MVP in 2008 when he won two games as the Rays advanced to the World Series, joins a rotation that already includes Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster.
Garza is 42-44 with six complete games a 3.97 ERA in 121 major league outings, 118 as a starting pitcher, with the Twins and the Rays.
Perez has spent part of two seasons in the majors with the Rays (2008-09) and is career .234 hitter with good speed and base stealing ability. He spent last season at Triple-A.
The 22-year-old Archer went 15-3 in 28 games between Single-A Daytona and Double-A Tennessee last season. He was acquired by the Cubs as part of the Mark DeRosa trade to Cleveland on December 31, 2008.
Lee, who batted .282 at Single-A Peoria last season, originally signed with the Cubs as a non-drafted free agent on March 29, 2008. The Cubs already have a young shortstop for their future in Starlin Castro.
Garza, who made $3.35 million last season, is the latest player to leave the Rays. He'll be reunited with first baseman Carlos Peno, who earlier agreed to a $10 million, one-year contract with the Cubs. Others who departed Tampa Bay include outfielder Carl Crawford, who received a $142 million, seven-year contract from Boston, and reliever Joaquin Benoit, who got a $16.5 million, three-year deal with Detroit.
Received 01/08/11 06:25 pm ET
