Friday, 16 January 2015

Jeff Samardzija avoids arbitration with White Sox


The newly acquired starter reached an agreement with the White Sox, avoiding arbitration in the process.


Jeff Samardzija and the Chicago White Sox have come to an agreement on a one-year, $9.8 million deal to avoid a salary arbitration hearing, the team announced on Friday.


Samardzija is coming off the best performance of his career in a season split between the Cubs and the Athletics, and the one-year agreement will enable him to reach free agency at the end of the 2015 season. The right-hander made $5.345 million in 2014.


He was 7-13 with a 2.99 ERA in 33 starts in 2014, with 202 strikeouts and 43 walks in a career-high 219⅔ innings. The White Sox acquired Samardzija on Dec. 9 along with Michael Ynoa from Oakland in exchange for Marcus Semien, Josh Phegley, Chris Bassitt and Rangel Ravelo.


Posting a sub-3.00 ERA for the second time in his career, Samardzija eclipsed the 50 percent mark in his ground ball rate, and posted a strikeout rate three percent above league average. For all of this, he finds himself on his third team in the span of a year, presumably because PR people get tired of trying to spell his name.


Samardzija is expected to play second fiddle to Chris Sale on a White Sox team that anticipates contending following the additions of Adam LaRoche, Melky Cabrera and David Roberston this offseason.


Chicago also avoided arbitration with Tyler Flowers, signing the catcher for $2.675 million for 2015.






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