The starting rotation of the New York Yankees has been one of the worst in the MLB over the last month and it's clear they need to make an upgrade before the trade deadline. Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija could be an option, according to recent rumors.
New York made a somewhat puzzling move by kicking Adam Warren out of the starting rotation and back into the bullpen to make room for Ivan Nova. "Somewhat" puzzling seems to be the best description because almost everyone knew the team probably wouldn't give CC Sabathia or Nathan Eovaldi the boot. Warren had the second-best ERA of the team's starters, but he'll go back to his old job.
The right-hander was notified of the news on Monday night - after Sabathia surrendered four earned runs in a loss to the Angels. The left-hander is now 3-8 with a 5.59 ERA, which is the sixth-worst among the league's starters. However, general manager Brian Cashman said moving Sabathia out of the rotation is "something we're not considering at the moment," according to Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com.
Whatever the case, New York at least had reasoning to move Warren to the bullpen. The 27-year-old has made only 17 career starts (14 in 2015) and already eclipsed his career-high in innings pitched this season. Additionally, they don't want to go with a six-man rotation right now.
But they need an upgrade if they plan to stay in the AL East race and Jeff Samardzija could be a top target of the White Sox (33-42) decide to sell.
"The White Sox have been one of the most disappointing teams in baseball, and soon they'll have no choice but to change direction and offer some of their veteran players for prospects at the deadline, with starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija being the headliner," writes ESPN Insider Jim Bowden.
"It's only a matter of time before he's dealt."
Joel Sherman of the New York Post posits whether Samardzija is on Cashman's radar.
"Is the White Sox's Jeff Samardzija this year's [Brandon] McCarthy - a guy with bad surface numbers and underlying stats that suggest he would be far better in a new locale? If Sabathia did not have a big contract, he would be out of the rotation. Do the Yankees use that as a reason to stick with him all year?"
It's certainly possible for a number of reasons. Samardzija is an appealing trade candidate because of his potential. Despite his 4.56 ERA in 16 starts this season, he owns a 3.70 ERA in his previous 94 starts (three seasons) with the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics. To build off of that, ESPN Insider Buster Olney provides another specific:
"Some evaluators believe his numbers would be much better if he weren't backed by arguably baseball's worst defense, a perception reinforced by his xFIP number of 3.83."
Additionally, the White Sox have no use for Samardzija if they continue to lose. As the days go by it seems more and more unlikely he'd sign a long-term deal with them after the season, so Chicago might decide to get at least some value in return for him. The advantage for the Yankees is that Samardzija will be a free agent at the end of the year, which means he won't command as much as other top starters on the market, and, if they wish to, they can get first dibs on trying to re-sign him after the season.
Such a candidate likely appeals to Cashman, who doesn't seem keen on surrendering the organization's top prospects.
If the White Sox decide to be sellers at the trade deadline, look for the Yankees to be in line to land Samardzija. Then they'll have to answer another question: who gets bumped from the rotation at that point?
