Report: Blue Jays pursuing Samardzija ‘strongly’

Baseball Central at Noon's Kevin Barker says the Blue Jays should only trade their top prospects if the return would be an elite top-of-the-rotation starter, which doesn't include the likes of Jeff Samardzija or Mat Latos.

The Toronto Blue Jays’ search for pitching has reportedly led them to a familiar name. Right-hander Jeff Samardzija is being “strongly pursued” by the Blue Jays, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

The Blue Jays aren’t alone, as other clubs, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, have also told the White Sox they’re interested, according to Nightengale.

While Samardzija would undeniably help the Blue Jays, he’s merely one option for GM Alex Anthopoulos to consider. If the White Sox demand too much, the Blue Jays could look elsewhere for rotation help. It’s also possible the 36-43 White Sox will hold onto their trade chips and hope to make a second-half run.

“You look at us, and you say, wait a minute, this team will only be held down for so long,” executive vice president Ken Williams told USA Today.

The Blue Jays rank 14th among the 15 American League teams with a rotation ERA of 4.58. They’ve had trouble getting reliable production from starters beyond Mark Buehrle, who’s going to start for Toronto Monday when the Blue Jays open a four-game series against Samardzija’s White Sox.

Anthopoulos has publicly stated his interest in acquiring starting rotation help before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, so it’s no surprise to see the Blue Jays linked to Samardzija. They pursued him last summer, but refused the Chicago Cubs when they asked for Marcus Stroman and Drew Hutchison. Ultimately the Cubs obtained top prospect Addison Russell from the Oakland Athletics for Samardzija and Jason Hammel.

Samardzija is on track to hit free agency after the 2015 season, so the asking price should now be lower, especially because he has a 4.33 ERA in 116.1 innings spanning 17 starts with 97 strikeouts against 22 walks. To be fair, though, Chicago’s defence hasn’t helped; the White Sox rank last in baseball at converting balls in play into outs with a defensive efficiency of 67.7 percent. Advanced metrics such as FIP (3.50) and xFIP (3.75) suggest Samardzija’s ERA would dip with better defence.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported last week that Samardzija is on the Blue Jays’ list.

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