The San Francisco Giants signed Jeff Samardzija to a five-year, $90 million deal prior to the 2016 season.
It was a Plan B move for the Giants, who were hot on the trail of Zack Greinke before he signed a massive six-year, $206.5 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“It was helpful to put a significant piece in our organization,” general manager Bobby Evans told reporters of the signing. “This guy’s a horse.”
It was a fair assessment.
Samardzija was coming off three straight 200-inning seasons, during which time he posted a 4.