Jeff Samardzija Rumors: Monday

The Cubs are reportedly likely to trade Jeff Samardzija this winter, and ESPN's Jerry Crasnick heard last week that they plan on doing some "serious listening" on the right-hander at this week's Winter Meetings. "Shark" figures to be a hot topic in Orlando this week, and we'll keep track of today's rumors pertaining to him in this post…

• Although the Yankees like Samardzija, they may not have the sort of prospects the Cubs are seeking, writes Joel Sherman. One member of the Cubs organization told Sherman that the Yankees "have no upper-level talent."

Earlier Updates

• MLB.com's Mark Bowman tweeted that the odds of Samardzija ending up in Atlanta appear to be "slim" at this point.
• Joel Sherman of the New York Post spoke with one executive whose team is interested in Samardzija and heard that the Cubs are definitely discussing Samardzija trades but the asking price is very high (Twitter link). That executive said the Cubs will either find a team to meet that asking price or simply keep Samardzija and try again in July.
• The Yankees and Braves are among the teams that have shown interest in Samardzija, according to Bruce Levine of WSCR (on Twitter).
• David O'Brien of the Atlanta-Journal Constituion also tweets that the Braves like Samardzija, noting that he's a more realistic trade option for the Braves than White Sox ace Chris Sale.