Samardzija, White Sox a perfect fit
In Chris Sale, the White Sox already have one of the best left-handed starting pitchers in the game.
Another Sox lefty, Jose Quintana, has thrown 200 innings in each of the last two seasons while posting a combined 3.42 ERA.
Finding a dominant right-hander to pitch between Sale and Quintana was the obvious goal for a White Sox team looking to contend after six straight years of watching the playoffs from afar, and the missing piece has been found.
Jeff Samardzija is coming back to Chicago.
"I do believe you are not going to have a break when you come through Chicago and face that rotation," Sox general manager Rick Hahn told reporters Tuesday at the winter meetings in San Diego after acquiring Samardzija in a trade from the Oakland A's.
Drafted by the Cubs on the fifth round in 2006 after playing baseball and football at Notre Dame, Samardzija was primarily a relief pitcher during his first four seasons on the North Side before becoming a starter. The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder took off in the new role, and Samardzija was an all-star last season while going a combined 7-13 with a 2.99 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 219⅔ innings with the Cubs and Athletics.
Samardzija, a Valparaiso, Indiana, native, is thrilled to be leaving an Oakland club that's in the midst of a massive rebuild.
"To be a (White Sox) fan as a kid and come full circle, it's crazy," he said. "I can't tell you how many times I drove by that stadium (U.S. Cellular Field) on the Dan Ryan coming from Valpo to Chicago. It's still kind of sinking in. It's been a crazy experience, and for it to work out this way it's even more mind-blowing.
"I'm still here soaking it all in and thinking about all the old ties I had and how fun it's going to be to go back."
News of the trade leaked late Monday night at the winter meetings, and the White Sox also have agreed to a reported four-year, $46 million contract with free-agent closer David Robertson.
An official announcement is expected after Robertson passes a physical. The right-hander saved 39 games with the Yankees last season.
Samardzija and Robertson join two other newcomers - designated hitter/first baseman Adam LaRoche and left-handed reliever Zach Duke - as well as key holdovers such as Jose Abreu, Sale, Quintana, Alexei Ramirez, Adam Eaton and Avisail Garcia.
After back-to-back losing seasons, the Sox look like legitimate contenders in 2015.
"It's always exciting to be a part of an organization that wants to win today," Samardzija said. "They're not worried about the future and they want to do it now because they know the time is now."
As for his future, Samardzija is eligible for free agency at the end of the upcoming season and could be with the White Sox for just one year.
But plenty of things can change on that front as time moves on, and Samardzija and the Sox could very well agree on an extension.
"I look forward to Jeff getting to know us and know what we are about and understanding how he fits and how he can fit for the foreseeable future," Hahn said. "It's a trade on paper geared toward improving us for 2015. At the same time, we are hoping to extend that period beyond."
The White Sox sent infielder Marcus Semien, right-handed starter Chris Bassitt, catcher Josh Phegley and first baseman Rangel Ravelo to Oakland for Samardzija and minor-league pitcher Michael Ynoa.
"Just the approach the White Sox had to get me, how it seemed they were really on a tear to put me on their roster, you noticed that and then it got to that point where you really knew they had a guy they wanted," Samardzija said. "That's all you can ask for as a player, for an organization to circle a name on their list saying, 'This a guy we have to have on this team.' It puts a lot of pressure on (me), which is great.
"It makes you want to prove to them that it was a good move, that those valuable prospects that every team values so high, the guy they gave up in the end when you look back, it ended up being a good deal and exactly what they wanted out of the deal."
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