Milwaukee Brewers: Matt Garza to retire?

Former Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Matt Garza is still on the free agent market. Today we found out why. Garza will undergo shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. At age 34, this surgery could end Garza’s career.

Matt Garza claims the injury occurred when he collided with first baseman Jesus Aguilar on June 3rd. Garza did miss time after the collision, but returned to pitch on June 14th. The injury was originally ruled a ‘chest contusion’ while Garza claimed he ‘felt like he was in a car crash.’

How did Garza do after the injury?

Garza posted a 5.56 ERA after sustaining the injury, but that was largely due to a rough August. He made a few appearances in September. His last appearance occurred on September 27th during the bullpen game. He actually made 14 starts with the Brewers after the injury occurred without a noticeable drop off in velocity.

Will Garza really retire?

It’s unclear yet. Matt Garza is not going to pitch in 2018, barring a miracle. He’s 34 years old right now. He’ll turn 35 before he’s able to return to the mound. He’s earned over $80 million in his career, and could decide to hang it up. It’s really Garza’s decision to try to work his way back or not.

Who looks worse in this?

Good question. If Garza was pitching with a torn labrum, it’s a terrible look for the Milwaukee Brewers training staff. If the injury didn’t occur when it’s believed, it’s an odd look for Garza. However, if Garza hid his injury from the training staff and continued to take the ball, he has no one to blame but himself. Either way, it’s an unusual situation for both parties involved.

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Matt Garza’s tenure with the Milwaukee Brewers didn’t go the way anyone wanted. He made a bunch of money to not pitch very well for a few mediocre teams. That being said, it’s still sad to see his career possibly end due to injury. If Garza really was taking the ball every fifth day with his shoulder on fire, he deserves more credit than he got while he was in a Brewers uniform. However, hiding his injury, if that’s really what occurred, didn’t help the team.