MLB Trade Rumors: Cubs talking to multiple teams about Jeff Samardzija, Jason Hammel
By Dan Zinski
The Cubs’ recent slight upswing in performance isn’t going to budge them from their plan to flip pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel for prospects. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times says that trade talks for those pitchers are already well underway, and multiple suitors are lining up.
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Wittenmyer says the Braves, Mariners and Blue Jays are among the teams showing the most interest, with Hammel likely ticketed to Seattle. Samardzija has been connected to the Blue Jays for awhile now.
While the Cubs have generally struggled this year, their two top starting pitchers have been lights out. Samardzija has only two wins on the season but his ERA is a sparkling 2.77 and his WHIP is a stellar 1.176.
Hammel, whom the Cubs acquired as a free agent from Baltimore just this offseason, has been arguably even better than the ace Samardzija, going 6-4 with an ERA of 2.81 and a WHIP of 0.984.
Given the Cubs’ long-term plan, there really is no other choice but for them to dangle these two top-notch pieces of trade bait. It’s going to hurt with the fanbase when/if both these guys are dealt but you can’t just think about the immediate fan reaction, you have do what’s right for the organization.
Plus, it’s not like Theo Epstein and company have been devious about this. They said right up front that it was going to take time. The rebuilding process is on-going for the Cubs, and it’s going to involve moving popular players for multiple valuable prospects. Whiny Cubs fans will just have to suck it up.
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