Giants starter Jeff Samardzija could fit with Angels, Padres, Phillies

Now that the San Francisco Giants have added depth to the starting rotation, they may be able to find a trade partner for Jeff Samardzija.

With most of the free-agent market’s top arms already signed, the San Francisco Giants may now hold one of the more appealing starting pitcher trade options in Jeff Samardzija.

After an injury-marred 2018 season, the veteran right-hander came into spring training last year with a refined approach and healthier shoulder.

The 34-year-old focused on inducing weaker contract and pitching around the strike zone. That was in stark contrast to the way he approached hitters earlier in his career when he pounded the strike zone with mid-90s fastballs. That approach often led to giving up extra long balls.

That refined approach paid dividends for Samardzija and the Giants as he went 11-2 with a 3.52 ERA across 181.1 innings of work.

Former manager Bruce Bochy was more aggressive in limiting Samardzija’s exposure to a third turn through the lineup and that could have factored in to his added effectiveness. Despite that, he still lived up to his reputation as a workhorse.

Samardzija joined the Giants on a five-year, $90 million deal in December 2015, signing a contract that included a partial no-trade clause, which he can update annually.

In that time, Samardzija has given the Giants a 4.10 ERA and 4.09 FIP across 637 innings. Aside from the injury-shortened 2018 season where he recorded a 6.25 ERA in 44.2 frames, the former Notre Dame product has proven to be an effective pitcher.

As currently constructed, Samardzija will be part of a rotation that also includes some combination of Johnny Cueto, Logan Webb, Tyler Beede, Tyler Anderson, Tyson Ross, and Kevin Gausman. The team has built up some depth in the rotation, and may now be in a position to ship Samardzija off.

The right-hander only has one year and $18 million remaining on his contract, which is about the market rate for a mid-rotation arm. The contract length bears little risk, and the Giants could sweeten any potential deal by pitching in extra cash.

With that being said, Samardzija could play an important role for teams with playoff aspirations. Ahead is a look at three potential fits on the trade market.

Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels made one of the biggest moves this offseason by signing infielder Anthony Rendon to a seven-year, $245 million pact.

With Mike Trout and Rendon, the Angels now have one of the best offensive duos in baseball. Similarly, they have one of the game’s most exciting prospects in Jo Adell, who will likely make his major league debut at some point in 2020. Offensively, there are plenty of reasons for the Angels fan base to be excited.

However, the rotation remains their biggest area of need as they look to improve on a 72-win season.

Despite adding Rendon, the Angels missed out on both Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg. Those frontline pitchers were rumored to have interest in playing in southern California, but they were swayed elsewhere.

The Angels have made nice additions in signing long-time Atlanta Braves pitcher Julio Teheran to a one-year, $9 million contract and acquiring Dylan Bundy in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles.

Despite that, the Angels still need to add more pitching depth to a rotation that is short on durable arms. Currently, the Angels other rotation options include Andrew Heaney, Griffin Canning, Jaime Barria, Jose Suarez, Shohei Ohtani, and Dillon Peters.

The Angels have a pretty extensive track record of bad luck when it comes to pitchers and injuries. With the exception of Teheran and Bundy, none of the pitchers mentioned above surpassed the 100-inning threshold last season.

In the case of Ohtani, he did not pitch at all in 2019 as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. However, he did manage to swat 18 home runs as a designated hitter last season.

Since the 2012 season, Samardzija has soaked up an average of 182 innings per season, which would make him a great fit for an Angels team in need of durable arms.

The Angels have roughly $18.5 million in payroll room before they hit the CBT threshold, so they have just enough room to squeeze in Samardzija’s contract.

Still, they would likely need to trade away a minor contract to give them breathing room below the CBT, and the Giants have the ability to absorb contracts.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies struggled to get meaningful production out of their rotation in 2019 with the exception of Aaron Nola who posted a 3.87 ERA and 4.03 FIP across 202.1 innings as he anchored the rotation.

Outside of Nola, every Phillies starter with a minimum of 10 starts posted an ERA above 4.00.

Additionally, Philadelphia relied on veteran additions like Drew Smyly and Jason Vargas to fill out the rotation as they made a playoff push down the stretch.

The Phillies have already made a splashy move to improve the rotation by bringing in right-hander Zack Wheeler on a five-year, $118 million contract.

With Nola and Wheeler atop the rotation, the Phillies have a formidable duo leading the staff. However, the depth behind those two starters still leaves something to be desired.

Behind Nola and Wheeler, the Phillies have Zach Eflin, Vince Velasquez, Nick Pivetta, and Jake Arrieta. While Eflin, Velasquez, and Pivetta have each had positive moments throughout their young careers, no one from this group has developed into a reliable starting pitcher yet.

Meanwhile, Arrieta is at a different stage in his career. The right-hander has struggled to the tune of a 4.26 ERA while battling injuries since putting on a Phillies uniform. He has not given the team the type of stability they hoped for when he was signed to a three-year, $75 million contract.

With all this being said, the Phillies have playoff aspirations, but do not have a reliable set of arms to throw behind Wheeler and Nola.

Adding Samardzija would give them an innings-eater in the back of their rotation with a reliably consistent track record. Samardzija holds a partial no-trade clause that he can update annually, and that list is not currently known to the public.

Another hurdle is that the Phillies only have $5.3 million in payroll space before crossing the CBT according to Spotrac. As a result, the Giants would likely need to pay down a portion of Samardzija’s remaining contract and take on David Robertson‘s contract, which carries a $11.5 million payroll hit.

As the Phillies look to fill the back-end of their rotation, Samardzija is a durable arm who can give them plenty of quality innings.