The Chicago Cubs are at a crossroads with ace pitcher Jeff Samardzija, as the club doesn’t really know what to do with him. They’d like to work out a long term deal but are confident they can trade him. At the same time, they know they can trade him but are hoping to workout a long term deal, and so the cycle continues.
Today the Cubs and Samardzija’s camp met yet again, but while FOX Sports baseball insider Ken Rosenthal says the meeting was “amicable”, the two sides are no closer to working out that long term deal.
It’s not an urgent matter if you look at it on paper, but an extension for Samardzija is something both sides want hashed out sooner rather than later. Waiting on a contract could hurt both sides, as Samardzija will only get more expensive in arbitration if he does well, while he also runs the risk of lowering his value with bad outings.
Samardzija is under club control through 2015, but both remaining years would be arbitration years. Chicago doesn’t want to pay that and Samardzija wants to know what he’s making with the Cubs. Still the two sides are still talking and a trade happening is as likely as a long term deal.