TRANSPARENT CLOAKED

After trading away 40% of  his starting rotation year after year, it is not surprising that the leftover starters remaining with the Cubs would be uneasy about the front office.

Jeff Samardizja has been vocal about such deals. He is on a major league roster to win. Trading away his fellow pitchers for low level prospects is not a win-now plan. Fierce competitors don't want to be around teams that have no chance to win.

The Cubs and Samardzija's agent have danced around the idea of a contract extension for almost two years now. The Cubs said they were open to a contract extension. But they are no closer to getting a deal now then a year ago. Both sides have different views on the 29 year old pitcher's market value. As the Cubs sink in the standing, the gap appeared to grow between the two sides. Even though the Cubs still have Samardzija under contract control, it appears that Samardzija wants out. He recently put up his Chicago home for sale.

Mark Gonzales of the Tribune reports that Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said  he will no longer publicly address the team's plans regarding Samardzija.  Speculation has spun all offseason between the possibilities of a new deal or a trade of the 29-year-old hurler, who is under team control for two more years.

So the front office, who touts its transparency of their rebuild, has gone into the cone of silence in regard to Samardzija's future.

"We talked about it early in spring training," Epstein said prior to the opener in Pittsburgh. "We indulged the questions. Right now we're just focused on the games and just going out and winning."  Gonzales wrote that Epstein indicated that the club would be cognizant of its place on the win curve in considering its options. 

"All contracts collectively form a market and you have to be aware of the market and operate in the market when you're in free agency, and it affects everything you do, to a certain extent. But we have to make smart decisions for our situation, for the situation we're in now and the situation we're going to be in in a few years."

One interpretation of that quote is that the Cubs are "trying to beat the market," i.e. lock in players to cheaper contracts than the free agent market value.  The Cubs are also trying "to time" the market, i.e. when their prospects are ready to contribute greatly at the major league level. The team is apparently gun shy to sign any player, including Samardzija, to a long term deal with the prospects still in the minor leagues. As it stands, it seems that the Cubs are not willing to spend any money to lock in further control of their own players.

It also signals to the other clubs that extension talks with Samardzija are not a priority, so that trade offers would be greatly appreciated during the season. Several teams, including the Diamondbacks, have had a flurry of pitching arm injuries early into the season. After the Shark's good opening day outing, and the Cubs unwillingness to spend FA money to keep him, Samardzija appears to have "trade chip" sewed on to the back of his uniform.