New York Yankees: Could Jeff Samardzija be a trade target?
By Jason Evans
Could Jeff Samardzija be a trade target for the New York Yankees as they look to upgrade their pitching staff?
While rumors continue to swirl about their pursuit of Manny Machado, the New York Yankees could use some more starting pitching as they make a playoff push and try to catch the Boston Red Sox.
Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Madison Bumgarner look like pie in the sky although you never know what can happen in a few short weeks. However, Bumgarner’s teammate may be available to the New York Yankees in Jeff Samardzija.
"The San Francisco Giants have let the Yankees know that veteran Jeff Samardzija is available, but he’s still owed $46 million, and the Yankees fear that their short right-field porch would be a death trap for Samardzija."
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On the positive side, Samardzija has thrown over 200 innings every year from 2013-2017. He also led the NL in losses with 15 last year, though the Giants were horrendous last year. This year has been a different story, as Samardzija has spent time on the DL this year and has only made nine starts to this point.
Per Fangraphs, his velocity this year is down a full two MPH. To quote a former New York Yankees manager; “It’s not what you want.”
That $46 million is also going to be a sticking point, unless the Giants pony up some serious cash or take back Jacoby Ellsbury who has as many major league at-bats as I do this season, which wouldn’t help them shed salary.
Samardzija has seen his flyball percentage climb to over 45%, though his career average is about 10% less. In Yankee Stadium, that isn’t going to fly.
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The New York Yankees should continue their search for starting pitching, whether or not they land Machado. The 33 year-old Jeff Samardzija shouldn’t even be on their list of candidates to trade for.