Though the Cubs listened to offers for Jeff Samardzija at the deadline, they "never came close with any deal," GM Jed Hoyer reveals in a report by Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. However, the club plans to explore a contract extension for their right-hander this winter, with Hoyer ranking it "very high" on the Cubs' priority list. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes examined the cost of locking up Samardzija earlier this week, placing the floor of such a deal in the range of the five-year, $55MM extension Matt Harrison inked with the Rangers this winter. More Thursday night Cubs links:
- The Cubs are likely to actively pursue trading Samardzija if they're unable to agree on an extension this winter, instead of merely listening, as they did this year, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports. That matches an earlier report from Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The team is also expected to pick up David DeJesus' $6.5 million option, Sullivan says.
- DeJesus drew interest at the deadline, as did fellow outfielder Nate Schierholtz and pitcher James Russell, sources tell Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com. "We thought we had a high but not unreasonably high price on some of the guys, but a lot of the guys we were being asked about we control going forward," Hoyer said, referencing DeJesus, Schierholtz and Russell. "In some ways it makes our winter potentially easier." The Northsiders have a say in where each of those players ends up next year, Rogers notes.
- The Cubs have had preliminary discussions on who they may end up placing on waivers with an eye toward an August deal, Hoyer says in an article by Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. However, the executive added that he believes teams with specific holes to fill were able to do so by putting together deals before the deadline.
"In some ways it makes our winter potentially easier."
