Last June, Giants general manager Bobby Evans said everyone not named Madison Bumgarner, Buster Posey, or Brandon Crawford is available at the right price. If that still rings true this offseason, fans need to accept the fact they might not see some of the same faces poking out of their beloved San Francisco uniforms next season.
One name that continues to draw attention from possible trade partners is Jeff Samardzija.
Samardzija maintained his reputation as an inning-eating workhorse over the past two seasons in San Francisco and he still has the same star potential packed into a 6’5″ frame he had when the Giants signed him to a massive $90 million contract two years ago. He felt the sting of the fifth-worst run support in the major leagues last season, but was the only starter to toss more than 200 innings accompanied by more than 30 starts in the Giants’ injury-riddled rotation.
Most importantly, the Giants are working to bring their payroll below the luxury tax threshold and Samardzija’s contract takes up a significant portion of their spending. He will receive $19.8 million each of the next three years, which is the third largest salary on the Giants’ roster after Johnny Cueto and Buster Posey. If the Giants are expecting a big-named bat to walk through the doors of AT&T Park this offseason, it would behoove them to make some room in their budget.
So now the question becomes “who makes sense as a potential trade partner for ‘The Shark’ based on needs the Giants are looking fill?” Assuming the reports are correct and the Giants are the favorites to land Stanton, that leaves centerfield as a glaring work in progress.
However, the no-trade clause in the five-year contract Samardzija signed in 2016 limits the Giants to only eight clear-path options. According to Andrew Baggarly, Samardzija can veto any trade that does not involve the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland A’s, and Washington Nationals.
Nonetheless, even if Samardzija is unwilling to be traded anywhere except those eight teams, the Giants still have options. The three best of which are listed below.
Washington Nationals
The Nationals could use Samardzija to lighten the load of their questionable bullpen, and the Giants could use a centerfielder like Michael Taylor. After three quiet seasons in Washington, Taylor burst onto the scene when he took over center fielder from Adam Eaton, who tore his ACL towards the beginning of last year.
Taylor enjoyed a boost in power production, hitting a career-high 19 homeruns with a .271 batting average. A trade to the Giants would also mean a reunion with his former hitting coach Rick Schu, who was hired as the Giants’ new assistant hitting coach. If Schu can continue to work with the explosive Taylor as he did in D.C., it should help continue Taylor’s upward trending value. As for now, though, his inexpensive contract would help keep the team headed away from the luxury tax threshold.
Chicago Cubs
Like the Nationals, the Cubs are in need of deepening their rotation, especially since Jake Arrieta declined their qualifying offer and is now a free agent. Their bullpen lost much of it’s credibility down the stretch, including a poor showing in the playoffs, which played a large role in their series loss against the NL Champion Dodgers. The Cubbies are also familiar with Samardzija, who spent the first six years of his career in Chicago, and Albert Almora could fill the Giants’ hole in the outfield.
Thanks to Almora’s impressive rookie season in 2016, the Cubs handed the 23-year-old the starting center fielder job last season. In 132 games, Almora batted .298 with eight home runs and was a defensive force for the Cubs in the outfield. Since he’s only a two-year-old at the major league level, Almora doesn’t come with a payroll-breaking contract and could keep him with the Giants at a cheap price until he becomes a free agent in 2023.
Boston Red Sox
Earlier this offseason, the Giants were reportedly interested in trading for Boston’s Jackie Bradley and Samardzija could be the missing piece to bring him to San Francisco. Bradley is the most established of these three centerfielders with five years of experience and after his career starting off on the wrong foot, he’s since turned his MLB fortune and career around.
#SFGiants have interest in trading for Jackie Bradley Jr., among many outfield options they are currently considering, source says. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 12, 2017
In 2016, Bradley earn his first All-Star nomination and went on to finish the season batting .267 with 26 home runs. Although both those categories dipped last season, Bradley managed to put up a .245 batting average and 17 home runs.
Although the addition of Chris Sale last offseason masks their need for rotation depth, the Red Sox would improve their pitching staff by adding Samardzija. Rick Porcello struggled after winning the Cy Young Award in 2016, David Price spent a majority of the season in the bullpen, and Doug Fister ended up failing to adequately plug holes in the their rotation. Boston could be a place where Samardzija would excel while Bradley uses his defensive prowess to patrol the expansive green of AT&T’s center field.
Outsiders
A few teams that make sense based on their depth at centerfield combined with a need for starting pitching include: The Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, and Cincinnati Reds. Every one of those teams’ staffs boasted a 5.00-plus ERAs last season.
In Baltimore’s case, it’s unlikely the organization will let go of Adam Jones, but it was reported earlier this offseason that the Giants are taking a serious look at Reds’ centerfielder Billy Hamilton. If so, Samardzija would be a valuable trade chip to bring Hamilton to San Francisco.
Sources: #SFGiants have shown interest in #Reds CF Billy Hamilton on trade market. Bobby Evans looking for ways to improve outfield defense; Jackie Bradley Jr. is another option, as previously reported. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 13, 2017
Two more enticing names on teams Samardzija can block from trading with San Francisco: The Tigers’ Mikie Matook and the Braves’ Ender Inciarte. Neither Matook nor Inciarte have been with their respective teams very long and trading them for Samardzija would not enrage those franchises. Of the two, Inciarte stands out with his two Gold Gloves and .304 batting average last season.