There is expectation and there is reality. The anticipation had been that the Yankees would court Jeff Samardzija. In actuality, they never even negotiated with the righty.
Instead, after finishing among the runners-up for Zack Greinke, the Giants pivoted quickly to reach a five-year, $90 million agreement Saturday with Samardzija, pending a physical.
The Yankees had been associated with Samardzija, in part because one of Brian Cashman’s most trusted lieutenants, Jim Hendry, drafted Samardzija when he was the Cubs general manager and is known to be an admirer of the righty.