Report: White Sox Listening To Jeff Samardzija Offers But Otherwise Won't Be Sellers
(CBS) As the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline approaches, the White Sox are in "listening mode" for offers on right-hander Jeff Samardzija but otherwise won't sell off any significant players, Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported Monday.
That Samardzija is on the market comes as no surprise, for he'll become a free agent this offseason. Coupled with the White Sox's struggles of being 42-48 and seven games out of the second AL wild-card spot, it would make good sense for Chicago to deal him if it can get a highly regarded youngster in return. The factors to consider are twofold.
One, Chicago must decide if it still wants to make a run at a wild-card spot this season, as disappointing as it has been and as difficult as it may be with six teams above it for the second spot. General manager Rick Hahn said as recently as Friday that the organization still hasn't decided whether it wants to be aggressive now or turn its eye more toward 2016 and beyond.
Secondly, if the White Sox simply let Samardzija walk in the offseason and he signs elsewhere, they'll be compensated with a sandwich pick after the first round of the 2016 amateur draft. So any trade would need to net them more value than that.
Given that the two wild-card spots in each league create a market with more buyers than sellers and that Samardzija could be a difference-maker in a playoff rotation, the White Sox should be able to net a quality prospect for Samardzija, who's 6-5 with a 4.08 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. Samardzija's been especially tough lately, with a 1.90 ERA in July and going at least seven innings in eight straight outings.
Still, the White Sox don't intend to do much else on the seller's market, according to Rosenthal, who reiterated that organization views this season as the first of a three-year window as a championship contender. That was a belief that came to light in comments from executive vice president Kenny Williams about two weeks ago.
Chicago could still look to add -- presumably offensive players -- as well, Rosenthal reported.