It is a foregone conclusion that the Cubs will trade Jeff Samardzija. It is just when and for how much.
Many believe that the Cubs should be able to get as much as the four players in the Matt Garza-Rangers deal: Edwards, Grimm, Ramirez and Olt.
Olt was once an untouchable third baseman in the Rangers system. Since becoming a Cub, he has become a Cub: horrible batting average, high strikeouts, some power, and below average defense. He is bad.
Edwards is a young string bean starter who got hurt this season in Class A. Every pitching prospect is a long shot but his mechanics and body type increase those odds.
Grimm was once a starter who now finds himself in middle relief. He has consistency and control issues. When the trade was made, he was once considered a replacement starter not a reliever. He has been average on his best days.
Ramirez was also a hot starting pitcher who would be a fixture in a future rotation. But he has been promoted to late relief to vie for the closer duties with Rondon. The jury is still out on Ramirez's long term future as a closer.
So the Garza deal has yielded the major league club one potentially good relief pitcher in Ramirez. Trading quality starters for good relievers is not a sustainable practice for any general manager.
Since Garza's trade, he has made 27 starts with a record of 8-9, 170.2 IP, 174 H, 54 BB, 140 K, 81 ER, 4.28 ERA, 1.324 WHIP. He is averaging 6.1 IP/ start for an overall disappointing Texas squad.
At the beginning of the year, many people thought the Cubs got a treasure trove of talent in the Garza deal; that the Rangers were hoodwinked. But clearly that is not the case. The Cubs got three fringe chips on a last place team.
If Samardzija is traded, the Cubs need to do better than the Garza trade or it is not worth it.
