Freddy Garcia close to signing in Asia

Veteran right-hander Freddy Garcia is close to signing with an undisclosed team in Asia, according to major league sources. According to reports out of Taiwan, Garcia appears headed to the EDA Rhinos of the Chinese Professional Baseball League, the same team that Manny Ramirez suited up for last year.  While those reports signify that it's a done deal, I'm told by a person close to the situation that there are "details still to be finalized."

Garcia, who appeared in the majors with the Orioles and Braves last year, was 1-1 with a 4.76 ERA in five spring training starts for Atlanta before being released when the team opted to sign Aaron Harang to fill out their final rotation spot. He previously stated that he was not willing to go to the minors and would rather retire, so a move to the high quality play in Asia makes sense for him.

According to CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman, Garcia received some minor league offers (including one from the Rangers), but was holding out for a major league deal.

In fifteen major league seasons, Garcia is the holder of a lifetime 156-108 record and 4.30 ERA in 376 appearances (357 starts). He was named to the AL All-Star team twice early in his career, and finished third in voting for the AL Cy Young award in 2001.