Last week, the Cubs announced that they have avoided salary arbitration with right-handed pitcher Jeff Samardzija, who agreed to a one year deal worth $5.345 million.
However, the Valparaiso High School graduate’s future remains very much in question as the Cubs ponder whether to sign him long term, trade him before opening day or let him play through the season with his current contract.
The Cubs brass, led by President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein, has made it no secret that the team is going through a rebuilding phase. Some question whether Samardzija, who will become a free agent after the 2015 season, fits into the team’s long-term plans. I believe the Cubs should lock up the former Notre Dame football star to a long-term contract and make him part of the starting rotation moving forward.
At age 28 and entering his seventh season in the big leagues, talent evaluators have seen a large enough sample size to know what Samardzija brings to the table. While he is not an ace, he has proven to be a quality middle of the rotation option, posting a 3.81 earned run average in 2012, his first full year as a starting pitcher, before compiling a 4.34 ERA.
The Cubs farm system is ranked fourth in baseball by Baseball America. However, the system’s ranking comes on the strength of its position players. The position-player quartet of Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Albert Almora and Jorge Soler are expected to rise to prominence.
Given the lack of pitching in the organization, the Cubs should cling to Samardzija and left-hander Travis Wood to begin building the rotation of the future. The Cubs have showed a willingness to flip proven major leaguers to save cash and obtain minor league talent. While this method has been successful in replenishing the farm system, Samardzija is a home-grown player whose trade value would not garner an enticing enough offer for the Cubs to send their veteran leader packing.
If the Cubs were to depend on their farm system to produce a rotation filled with pitchers of Samardzija’s caliber or better, there is no guarantee that they would be able to do so. If they decide to dip into the free agent market to replace the likes of Samardzija by 2016, they will have to spend money that could be used for his contract.
Waiting for the Cubs to return to relevance has been the equivalent of watching grass grow. Trading Samardzija would decelerate the process even further. Samardzija is strong, healthy and in the prime of his career.
The only option for the Cubs is to make Samardzija a part of the long-term future of the franchise. Whether the contract extension comes now or after 2015, it should come. Samardzija is the one of the team’s most valuable assets and should be valued as such.