Report: Cubs interested in reunion with Samardzija
Jeff Samardzija could be planning a return to the National League.
The right-hander was in Chicago on Wednesday for a meeting with Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, reports MLB.com's Phil Rogers.
Samardzija and Epstein were spotted having a drink together at a bar, leading to speculation a reunion could be in the works.
@BarstoolBigCat @MLBBruceLevine @philgrogers Newport Bar last night pic.twitter.com/742nGhPPNX
— Andrew Bohlen (@abohlen11) November 19, 2015
Samardzija, a Cubs' fifth-round selection in 2006, began his career on the North Side before being dealt to the Oakland Athletics in July 2014. He was then flipped again in the fall of 2014 to the Chicago White Sox.
The Cubs boast a formidable one-two punch in the form of Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester at the top of the rotation, and Samardzija appears to be a perfect fit as a third starter. The 30-year-old went 11-13 with a 4.96 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 32 starts last season, one year after posting a 7-13 mark with a 2.99 ERA and 1.07 WHIP.
The free-agent market is rife with arms this offseason, with Samardzija headlining the second tier of available starting pitchers. Wei-Yin Chen, Alfredo Simon, Scott Kazmir, Bartolo Colon, Ian Kennedy, Mike Leake, John Lackey, and Jordan Zimmermann are some of the other hurlers testing free agency.