According to a report from Jon Heyman, the Cubs would like to lock up Jeff Samardzija to a long-term deal and Samardzija would like to remain a Cub, but the two sides are far apart in negotiations over a long-term contract. The Cubs have been unsuccessful in two attempts to lock up Samardzija and now those talks appear to be on hold according to Heyman.
Jon Heyman reported that Jeff Samardzija turned down an offer from the Cubs well above the five-year and nearly $30 million deal that Derek Holland signed with the Rangers last spring. Heyman explained there appears to be a big gap in the talks.
Jeff Samardzija has stated publicly that he wants to remain with the Cubs but would like to see how things pan out after a full season in the starting rotation. Samardzija reportedly has an excellent relationship with the Cubs’ coaching staff and front office.
Carrie Muskat asked Samardzija about Heyman’s report shortly after his outing against the Rangers on Saturday. Samardzija said he and the Cubs are on the same page. Samardzija was surprised by the report and said that everything is the same that it was before camp began.
Samardzija went onto explain …
“We were under the assumption that in the offseason, we’d talk, nothing serious, we were just going to discuss things, but once Spring Training got going, they had things they needed to do and I needed to get ready for the year. There really hasn’t been any talks. We were on the same page. Everything can handle itself in a couple years.”