The speculation has ended. The Chicago Cubs have answered all questions regarding what they will do with starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija by trading their ace and fellow starter Jason Hammel to the Oakland Athletics. MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat reported the deal very early Saturday morning.
The trade happened late Friday night, and Ken Rosenthal of both FOX Sports and MLB Network broke the news with a Friday night tweet.
DEAL IS DONE: #Cubs send Samardzija and Hammel to #Athletics for Addison Russell, per sources. May be other players and team(s) involved.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 5, 2014
This trade was meant for the postseason. The Athletics will undoubtedly win the American League West with or without Samardzija and Hammel. However, the Athletics’ rotation, which already leads the American League in ERA at 3.30, needs to match up well with the Detroit Tigers in a postseason series.
Detroit boasts the #4 rotation at 3.70. Justin Verlander will regain his form; Anibal Sanchez, Max Scherzer, and Rick Porcello are also clutch in the postseason. Oakland will counter with Sonny Gray, Scott Kazmir, Samardzija, and Hammel in the postseason four-man rotation.
In return, the Cubs receive starter Dan Straily, two top prospects, and a player named later. Straily has Major League experience. He has a career record of 13-11 with a 4.11 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 41 starts since 2012. He was 1-4, 4.93 for Oakland this year. He is 26 and has no professional injury history. In addition, as MLB.com’s Richard Justice says, shortstop Addison Russell and outfielder Billy McKinney were the Athletics’ top two prospects, and they are now in the Cubs’ system.
Cub fans, though, will very soon want to see all of the talent in the system blossom into legitimate Major League contenders. The point will come at which the Cubs will need to hold onto their pitching. Now, Jake Arrieta and Travis Wood lead the rotation, but Edwin Jackson is inconsistent.
The Cubs needed to make this trade. Samardzija rejected offer after offer, and Hammel was a flip since his signing, much like Paul Maholm and Scott Feldman in each of the last two years. They got some good young talent in return, which looks great for the future. Cub fans, though, want to know when that future will arrive.
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