MLB: 6 pitchers who disappointed new teams post-trade
By Tim Haberin
Jeff Samardzija – Chicago White Sox
The Shields acquisition may not be the only starting pitching deal to bite the White Sox in recent memory. In December 2014, they plucked Jeff Samardzija from the A’s for a trade package that included shortstop Marcus Semien. Chicago hoped that the righty would form an imposing one-two punch with perennial Cy Young contender Chris Sale during the 2015 campaign.
Instead, Samardzija went on to have one of the worst seasons by a starter in the American League. Though he tied for the league lead with two shutouts, that was just about the only silver lining to an otherwise ugly year. Samardzija posted a 4.96 ERA, allowing an MLB-most 118 earned runs on an MLB-most 228 hits over 214 innings. He also served up an AL-high 29 long balls.
The dreadful showcase was especially disappointing considering Samardzija’s strong performance the year before. In 2014, he managed a 2.99 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 4.70 K/BB in 219.2 frames between the Cubs and A’s.
Like Cueto, Samardzija seems to have put himself back on track in pitcher-friendly San Francisco, posting a 3.36 ERA through his first 13 outings of 2016. The best the White Sox can do at this point is shake their heads.
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