Report: Cardinals expressing interest in free agent SP Samardzija

By foxsports
Published

It was reported the St. Louis Cardinals were all-in on signing David Price, offering him what would have been the richest contract in the franchise's storied history. 

Unfortunately, the Redbirds were outbid, by at least $30 million, according to reports, by the Boston Red Sox for Price's talents, leaving the Cardinals looking for a "Plan B" on the starting pitching front. 

According to USA TODAY's Bob Nightingale, the Cardinals are expressing interest in Jeff Samardzija. The club has been seeking another arm for the rotation since it was announced Lance Lynn would miss the entire season due to Tommy John surgery. 

If other reports prove to be true, Samardzija has been offered a $90 million contract by an unknown club -- a seemingly high contract for a pitcher coming off a disappointing 2015 season with the Chicago White Sox. He went 11-13 with a 4.96 ERA and 1.29 WHIP, though he has proved to be a valuable pitching asset in the past. 

While it is unknown if St. Louis is the mystery team in the bidding for Samardzija, signing the pitcher for multiple years for a relatively lower monetary amount (at least compared to other pitchers on the free-agent market) could be beneficial to the Cardinals, especially if Samardzija's 2015 season proves to have been a fluke in an otherwise steady career.