MLB Trade Rumors: San Francisco Giants shopping Cueto and Samardzija?
By Jason Evans
With this being a lost season for the San Francisco Giants, they’ve decided to add two starting pitchers to the trade market in Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija.
With less than a week to go before the MLB Trade Deadline, the starting pitching trade market is heating up. Sonny Gray could be on the move as you read this. Yu Darvish is out there for the right price. We’ve already seen Jaime Garcia move this week. Now, the San Francisco Giants are set to add two big name pitchers to the trade market in the two pitchers they signed two off-seasons ago in Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija.
Giants are open to talking about Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija in deals.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 26, 2017
There are complications with dealing both however.
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For Cueto, he’s been out with a blister issue. The 31 year old also has an opt-out after this season from his contract. If he opts in, a team acquiring him would have to pay Cueto $21 million per year through the 2021 season with an option for 2022 if he decides not to exercise said option. Cueto is 6-7 with a 4.59 ERA thus far this season.
For Samardzija, he’s owed $19.8 million per year through the 2020 season. Samardzija also has a no-trade clause, where he can block a trade to 21 teams. He’s 4-11 with a 5.05 ERA thus far this season. However, he has over a strikeout per inning pitched and has a FIP of 3.59, which suggests he’s pitched into some bad luck, which pitchers who pitch for last place teams do run into.
It’s not going to be easy for the San Francisco Giants to move either of these guys. For Cueto, is he healthy? Is he a rental or is he someone a team will have to pay big money to for an extended period of time as he ages and his prime ends?
For Samardzija, it’s a bad contract and it may be a player where they have to eat a ton of money, take on a bad contract (Yankees and Jacoby Ellsbury?) or a bit of both in order to move him.
The San Francisco Giants have a lot of older guys on long term deals that are going to be hard to move and with a weak farm system, they can’t just plug guys in like they used to. The next Brandon Crawford isn’t walking through that door.
If they can get anything of value for either player, I think it’s in their best interest to do so. They have to figure out a way to clear out at least some salary and begin to start over.
Moving Cueto and Samardzija either before next Monday or in August will help the process.