The Toronto Blue Jays added a veteran depth piece to their starting rotation when they traded for Oakland Athletics righty Jesse Chavez on Friday. However, rumblings around the club have it that the Blue Jays may keep their options open when it comes to finding another starter on the free market.
One name that has popped up in recent days is free agent righty Jeff Samardzija -- a name that Blue Jays fans may be quite familiar with when it comes to recent rumors.
Via Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star:
The Jays have long been linked to Samardzija, going back to the 2014 season when he was dealt from the Cubs to Oakland at the deadline. Like Zimmerman, Samardzija turned down a qualifying offer, so any team that signs him will have to give up a pick.
The problem here is that Samardzija posted the third-highest ERA (4.96) among qualified starters in 2015, including an alarming 6.29 ERA in 14 starts after the All-Star break. Also, Toronto is in need of a lefty arm considering that their projected 2016 starting rotation is exclusively right-handed -- making Samardzija a potentially redundant signing from a rotation-planning standpoint.
However, if the Blue Jays decide to work Drew Hutchison out of the bullpen exclusively, Samardzija may still fit the team's overall approach to this offseason's trade and free agent markets.
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