The Houston Astros are looking to bolster their starting rotation and may be going Shark hunting. According to MLB.com’s Jon Morosi, they’re “doing background work” on San Francisco Giants right-hander Jeff Samardzija.
Sources: #Astros doing background work on Jeff Samardzija as trade candidate. He has thrown 6+ IP in 15 of 18 starts for #SFGiants. @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 15, 2017
Samardzija has had something of a strange year for the Giants. Some of his stats leave a lot to be desired. His 4-10 record is dismal, and while that’s not always an indicator of how well someone is pitching, Samardzija’s 4.58 ERA indicates that the record may not be too far off of the mark.
On the other hand, his 1.15 WHIP is more than adequate. His strikeout (9.7 per nine innings) and walk (1.1 per nine innings) ratios are downright elite. The 9.07 strikeout to walk ratio is the best total in baseball by nearly a full point (Chris Sale is second at 8.09). Samardzija has also thrown 118 innings, the 11th best total in baseball.
The Astros aren’t a team with many flaws. But with Dallas Keuchel is on the DL. Collin McHugh is also on the DL and hasn’t pitched all season. Lance McCullers Jr., meanwhile, just came off of the injured list.
So, starting pitching depth is certainly a potential issue, which Samardzija would go a long way towards resolving.