Report: Samardzija rejects qualifying offer from White Sox
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Despite laboring through a brutal 2015 campaign, right-hander Jeff Samardzija appears poised to test the open market after rejecting a one-year, $15.8-million qualifying offer from the Chicago White Sox ahead of Friday's deadline, according to Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.
The White Sox will receive draft-pick compensation if Samardzija signs with another club, while the team that acquires him will forfeit its top unprotected pick in the 2016 draft.
The 29-year-old pitched to a 4.96 ERA - his highest since 2010 - across 32 starts for the White Sox, allowing a league-worst 228 hits and 29 home runs in 214 innings. Samardzija, an All-Star last season, owns a 4.09 ERA with a 1.28 WHIP over parts of eight seasons in the majors.