Levine: Jeff Samardzija Happy To Remain With Sox; Long-Term Stay Doubtful
By Bruce Levine--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Staying put in Chicago has made White Sox right-hander Jeff Samardzija happy for now. The White Sox made the decision last week to hold on to their players and maybe add on if the price was right.
Although Samardzija will become a free agent in November, the recent good play of the club impressed management enough to keep the rotation intact. The thinking was that Samardzija making his last 10 starts of the season would give the team a chance at the wild-card entry to the playoffs.
Many clubs had inquired about the 30-year-old Samardzija's status before the trading deadline. Toronto and Kansas City made offers and followed the pitcher for more than a month before Chicago let it be known he was staying.
"We have always thought we are contenders," Samardzija told reporters Saturday. "I think we need to go out and do what we are capable of doing, and that will take care of most of it. I love this team, and we have a great group of guys. We just need to keep on playing the way we've been playing."
The White Sox are bracing for the likely departure of the gritty Samardzija after the 2015 season. A long-term contract of well over $100 million may not be in the budget for the South Side franchise. Despite an up-and-down campaign for Samardzija, innings pitched is still the most luring number for clubs looking for top-of-the-rotation pitchers. Samardzija has provided that.
"It's definitely a big adjustment when you get traded," Samardzija said. "It is nice to take a deep breath and really get back to concentrating on that five-day routine and getting ready to pitch again."
The White Sox tried to sign Samardzija to a long-term contract when he was still a member of the Oakland A's last November. The Chicago front office was granted a window to work out a contract before a trade was consummated by the two clubs. The two sides met in Phoenix at the GM meetings to try and get a contract done. The White Sox were told that Samardzija would be going through the free agent process in November 2015.
That information didn't deter the White Sox from sending four players to Oakland in early December for him. A northwest Indiana native, Samardzija loves Chicago and would prefer to stay in the Midwest, where he has played football and baseball for most of his life. That said, the market for free-agent pitchers will be at an all-time high come the 2015 offseason. David Price, Johnny Cueto, Zack Greinke, Jordan Zimmermann and Samardzija will be the top pitchers available.
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.