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Rosenthal On Samardzija, Cubs, Cardinals, Rays, Price

Here's a look at this week's edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..

• One problem with figuring out a contract extension for Jeff Samardzija is that there are really no comparables for him.  He has only two years of arbitration before coming a free agent but he's also only had one season as a full-time starter.  The Cubs want to keep him and Samardzija likes Chicago but he's already made about $17MM over the course of his career.  He could develop into a big time ace over the next couple of years and might be willing to gamble a bit for a massive payday on the open market.
• The Cardinals repeatedly got trade requests on Allen Craig, Matt Adams, and Oscar Taveras last offseason, but going forward they should be able to accommodate all three rather easily.  They're already using Craig in the outfield at times to work Adams in at first base and rest either Carlos Beltran or Matt Holliday.  Next year, Beltran could be gone as a potential free agent and Taveras will be ready to take his place.  At that time, the Cards can work the same type of rotation with the three players.
• The Rays could trade David Price at the deadline in the unlikely event that they fall out of contention, but its more likely that they make their move next offseason when he's coming off of a $10MM+ salary with two years of arbitration remaining.  It's possible that the club could afford Price for one more year through 2014 with each team's national TV revenue will going from $25MM this season to about $52MM next year.  The problem with that is, the closer he gets to free agency, the lower his trade value will be.
• Davey Johnson says its a given that he won't manage the Nationals next season but he also says that he's not anywhere close to wanting a farewell tour.  He might be 70, but he also wants to stay in baseball and keep his options open.  After the Dodgers fired him in 2000, he went on to eventually manage different teams (Netherlands and the U.S.) in international play, and could do the same once he's done with the Nats.

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