It’s not a secret that the Chicago Cubs have been looking to trade Jeff Samardzija and the Oakland Athletics have been linked to him in the past. It now appears that the two sides are in deep discussions regarding both Samardzija and fellow starter Jason Hammel.
#Cubs in serious talks with #Athletics on big trade, sources tell me and @jonmorosi. If completed, Hammel and/or Samardzija would go to A’s.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 5, 2014
Rosenthal goes on to indicate that the Athletics have discussed potentially sending top prospect Addison Russell to the Cubs in this deal. Any potential trade to bring in a front of the rotation would have to include Russell, as the A’s are limited from a prospect standpoint.
Samardzija is 2-7 with a 2.83 ERA on the season. His splits are pretty incrdible. Outside of losing seven of his nine starts due to lackluster run support, the former Notre Dame receiver has posted a 1.204 WHIP and 3.32 SO/K ratio on the season.
Hammel is 7-5 with a 2.98 ERA on the season. If a trade were to include just him going to Oakland, the A’s could potentially get away with not having to ship Russell off. It’s important to note that a trade might very well be near completion, as Russell wasn’t in the lineup for the A’s Double-A team on Friday night.
Photo: Chicago Tribune