Jeff Samardzija was traded back to Chicago in the offseason, but it was to the White Sox. He spent his first seven seasons with the Cubs and emerged as a top-tier starter following his 2014 campaign. Will he remain with the White Sox beyond the 2015 season?
When the White Sox acquired Samardzija from the Oakland Athletics in December, general manager Rick Hahn stated he wanted to make it a long-term relationship. The 30-year-old right-hander is scheduled to hit the free agent market after this upcoming season and will be one of the heavily sought-after starters if he continues his recent success in 2015.
As for the potential contract extension talks with the White Sox ...
"That hasn't even been a topic of conversation," Samardzija told Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. "We haven't come close to crossing that bridge. We're all working on getting the team where we want. That's our main goal."
"I prefer not to talk during the season just because it can become a distraction."
While this isn't shocking since the right-hander made it known when he arrived in Chicago that he wanted some time to think about the decision, this means the White Sox will need to perform in 2015, or at least show they're headed in the right direction, to help coax Samardzija into staying. Being that such happenings are out of Hahn's hands at this point, Chicago will need to put on a clinic in the AL Central to make the decision a bit easier for the starter.
Because if not, there will be teams willing to pay for his services.
"Samaradzija doesn't hint at his asking price, but logically, he did say this period was important to decide where someone might spend the 'next six, seven years,' writes Heyman.
"That length should come as no surprise considering where the 30-year-old free agents got this winter. As far as dollars, it would almost have to be well past $100 million considering the way the market is going."
Samardzija is scheduled to join a free agent class that consists of David Price, Johnny Cueto, Jordan Zimmermann, Rick Porcello, Doug Fister, Ian Kennedy and potentially Zach Greinke (if he opts out of his contract). This year's class featured Jon Lester (six-year, $155 million deal with Cubs), Max Scherzer (seven-year, $210 million deal with Nationals) and James Shields (four-year, $75 million deal with Padres), which provides a bit of an idea what type of contract Samardzija could land if he keeps up the consistent play.
It'll also be interesting to see if the White Sox would pay that much for a starter who will be 31 years old in 2016.
Nonetheless, Samardzija has only thrown 777 2/2 innings in his career, including 219 2/3 in 2014 when he went 7-13 with a 2.99 ERA, 1.065 WHIP and 202 strikeouts in 33 starts with the Cubs and A's.
