Cubs Deal Samardzija, Hammel to A’s; Wait Till …

July 5, 2014 @ admin → No Comments

July 4, 2014, will go down as the day (night is more like it) that the Chicago Cubs sent 40 percent of their starting rotation — right-handers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel — to the Oakland A’s for three minor-league players. The most notable being shortstop Addison Russell, Oakland’s 2012 first-round pick. Also in the deal are outfielder Billy McKinney (the A’s 2013 first-round) and pitcher Dan Straily. The trade is designed to help Oakland this season and the Cubs sometime in the future. Definitely. Possibly. More likely than not. Maybe. Who knows when? Who knows if at all?

There’s always room for Joanna Krupa around here.

* Why make the trade now? Well, maybe the Cubs were concerned Samardzija might be losing some of the luster he had earlier this season. Or the Cubs, who won Friday at Washington 7-2 for their fourth consecutive victory to improve to 38-46, might have been concerned they were getting too close to .500 and wouldn’t be in position for a top five or so pick in the 2015 draft.

* Something says this won’t be the last trade this season by Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer (couldn’t the Cubs have saved money by having Epstein president and GM with a couple of assistants taking over the small suff?). The real challenge for them will be finding infielders named Waveland, Sheffield and Clark.

Lacey DeLuca is ready for soccer. Or something.

* The acquisition of Russell does give the Cubs tremendous depth at shortstop with Starlin Castro on the big-league team and Javy Baez biding his time in Class AAA Iowa. Maybe Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein can find a way to have them all on the field at the same time. Petition commissioner Bud Selig to use his “best interest of the game” powers to help out a team that last appeared in a World Series in 1945 and hasn’t won one since 1908.

* If nothing else, the Cubs have done a commendable job of accumulating young talent. Specifically young position players. Because accumulating young pitchers and developing them is such a pain. Or some reason known best by the Cubs brass.

Back by popular demand, it’s Shannon Ihrke.

* Speaking of the talent in the Cubs farm system, you have to think a World Series appearance isn’t far away. OK, in AAA. In fact, the Cubs youngsters are so good that they probably could be a contender for the AAAA title. Uh, if there was a Class AAAA. That designation generally means better than AAA and not quite good enough got the big leagues.

* Still speaking of the Cubs farm system, it could become the first in the history of baseball to produce nothing but all-stars. OK, an exaggeration. It could be the first in baseball history to produce a big-league team of all-stars. If the Cubs can produce 10 players who stick on the major league roster in two or three seasons, they will be ahead of the game. And they likely still could behind the leaders in the National League Central.

* Speaking of young talent, Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu hit his major league-leading 27th home run in a 7-1 victory vs. the visiting Seattle Mariners. In case anyone was wondering whether the Cubs or Sox have the best first baseman in Chicago.

* Sox left-hander Chris Sale pitched a six-hitter with no walks and 12 strikeouts to improve to 8-1 while lowering his earned-run average to 2.16. In case anyone was wondering whether the Cubs or Sox have the best starting pitcher in Chicago.

Please pardon the leftover July 4-themed photos. Better late than never, we say.

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