It appears that the Chicago Cubs' future does not include two of their best pitchers, as they are fielding trade offers for ace Jeff Samardzija and veteran Jason Hammel, according to reports from the Chicago Sun-Times on Saturday.
Cubs fielding offers for Jeff Samardzija, Jason Hammel
The Cubs are looking to offload their ace and best veteran pitcher to the highest bidder, but who’s buying?
Justin K. Aller
With the team 12 games out of first place in the NL Central, and in the middle of a seemingly interminable rebuilding process, the team is looking to unload the two pitchers for reasonable prices. For the 31-year-old Hammel, the team is likely looking to leverage his value at its highest point. The likelihood that he’ll be a major contributor to the team when they are ready to compete is somewhere between slim and none.
Hammel's value won't get much higher that it is right now, with career bests in ERA, WHIP and K/BB ratio. According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the Toronto Blue Jays, Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles and Miami Marlins are interested teams attempting to fill a short-term void in their rotations without having to break the bank. This could make Hammel more likely to move than Samardzija.
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Despite Samardzija’s 2-6 record, the Cubs starter is among the better pitchers in baseball. Since becoming a starter three years ago, the 6’4 former football player has eaten up innings while posting top-10 strikeout numbers. His 2.77 ERA is a much better indication of how well he’s pitching than the wins that he’s missing out on because of a lack of run support. With even a modicum of additional offense behind him, he’d be one of the best pitchers in baseball for the foreseeable future.
The only reason that the Cubs are looking to move the 29-year-old is because they were unable to work out a deal with him this offseason, and are hoping to not simply lose him without getting anything in return when he leaves in 2015. And with teams like the Rockies, Red Sox and Yankees whose staffs are struggling to produce or stay healthy, now seems as good a time as any to make lemonade out of this lemon of a season.
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