Jeff Samardzija to receive qualifying offer from White Sox

The Chicago White Sox will extend a $15.8 million qualifying offer to starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija, but will he accept this generous offer?

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija is set to become a free agent, but the White Sox will attempt to bring him back with a $15.8 million qualifying offer. However, MLB analyst Bruce Levine reported on Twitter that Samardzija should be expected to decline this offer from the White Sox.

Samardzija may not be in position to decline this sort of offer though since he had a forgettable 2015 season for the White Sox after being acquired from the Oakland Athletics last winter. He posted a 4.96 ERA while only throwing 163 strikeouts. This marked a sharp regression from his 2014 season with the Chicago Cubs and Oakland A’s.

The 30-year-old starting pitcher notched 202 strikeouts in 2014 while posting a 2.99 ERA. The only positive thing he had going for him was that he reached double-digit wins for the first time in his career due to better run support. Samardzija had only won seven games in 2014 due to a severe lack of run support.

Despite his off year, Samardzija is sure to attract plenty of interest in free agency. It may be in his best interest to accept the White Sox’s qualifying offer though. This year’s pitching free agency class is deep with players such as Zack Greinke, David Price and Johnny Cueto. It remains to be seen whether Samardzija’s 2015 season will affect his worth in free agency, but the White Sox’s offer may be the most generous of any that he will receive.