The Case for Trading Jeff Samardzija

Sep 27, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher

Jeff Samardzija

(29) delivers to the Texas Rangers during a baseball game at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland Athletics gave up a lot to acquire Jeff Samardzija on July 4th. Included in the deal was A’s top-prospect Addison Russell, who has received a ton of praise from scouts around baseball. Yet, it is time for the A’s to dangle Samardzija if they hope to make that trade not look like an absolute steal.

In 2014, Jeff Samardzija put up a cumulative ERA of 2.99 between Oakland and Chicago, ranking 22nd in baseball. His record, however, was a subpar 7-13. Sonny Gray, who had a slightly higher ERA of 3.08, finished with a 14-10 record. Sure, his record can be attributed to tough luck, but that tough luck has followed the Shark throughout his career, posting a career winning percentage of .429. Speaking of career numbers, his career ERA is at 3.85. Some may argue that he may have turned a corner, and that could be the case. Yet, he put up a similar ERA (2.97) in 2011, and in 2012 and 2013 finished with ERAs of 3.81 and 4.34. Has he turned the corner? Maybe. Should the Athletics bank on him having a stellar 2015? Not necessarily.

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At best, Jeff Samardzija duplicates last season, and is another Sonny Gray–a top of the rotation starter. At worst, he’s another Jarrod Parker–and the actual Jarrod Parker is expected to return early in 2015. Parker has a career ERA of 3.68.

With Samardzija, the A’s rotation could project to look something like this: Gray, Samardzija, Scott Kazmir, Parker and A.J. Griffin, with Drew Pomeranz (2.35 ERA in 20 games, 10 starts) filling in if Parker or Griffin aren’t ready for Opening Day. Without Samardzija, Pomeranz would be moved into the rotation, adding a second lefty, and having Jesse Chavez fill-in in the rotation. Keeping Samardzija would be a depth move, but there are other ways to add depth, with a slew of cheaper free agents out there.

Jeff Samardzija is a valuable trade chip. He may also be perceived as more valuable than he is, which makes trading him that much better. He is projected to make $9.5M in arbitration this offseason, which isn’t too rich for the A’s, but they could spend that money more wisely, with the pitching depth they already have.

There are a couple of options the A’s could explore. The first is trading Samardija to the Angels for second baseman Howie Kendrick. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports wrote about the Angels’ willingness to trade an infielder for some pitching help. Kendrick is a solid defender, and a career .292 hitter. Essentially, exactly what the A’s could use. However, Kendrick is entering his final year of club control, and has a no-trade clause to six teams. The teams are unknown, but the Oakland Athletics are more than likely on that list–they always are.

The option that I’d prefer is trading the Shark for prospects. Yes, we’ve traded pitching for prospects before, which landed Daric Barton in our lives for eternity, but hear me out. The A’s have a slew of young prospects that are expected to be ready in 2016. Among them, shortstop Daniel Robertson, first baseman Matt Olson, and third baseman Renato Nunez. In the next year, this team will be a whole lot younger, and pairing more prospects with the veterans that are already on the club could set the A’s up very nicely for the future.

Who’s a fit? Well, the Dodgers, Pirates, and Red Sox all have good systems and could always use affordable pitching talent. The Twins and Astros have the best farm systems, according to Bleacher Report, but they aren’t necessarily ready to compete in 2015. The Rockies have a good farm system as well, and ALWAYS need pitching.

Lastly, there is still that $9.5M that could potentially be saved by trading Samardzija. Well, I wrote about that this morning. The link is below.

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