Samardzija and Hammel Have Been Shipped to Oakland

Chicago, IL- It was only a matter of time, but Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel were dealt to another team today.

Both Samardzija and Hammel were included in a trade to the Oakland Athletics for Addison Russell, Billy McKinney, Dan Straily, and a player to be named later.

So far this season, Samardzija and Hammel have had career years. Jeff Samardzija currently has an ERA of 2.83, which is the best of his career as a starter. He is under control until the end of the 2015 season. Meanwhile, Hammel has maintained an ERA of 2.98 and a WHIP of 1.02.

In exchange for the veteran starting pitchers the Cubs are sending, they get some young players in return. The key piece of this deal is Addison Russell, a shortstop who was taken eleventh overall in the 2012 MLB Draft. He is currently at AA, where he has hit .333 with 1 HR and 8 RBI in thirteen games. Another first round pick, Billy McKinney, has been included in the deal. The 24th overall pick in the 2013 draft, is an outfielder currently batting .241 with 10 HR and 33 RBI in 75 games at A+. Before this season, he hit .326 with 3 HR and 26 RBI in 55 games between Rookie and A-. Dan Straily, who won ten games for the Athletics in 2013, is currently at AAA. At the Major League level this season, he went 1-2 with a 4.93 ERA in seven starts. Currently, the twenty-five year old right-handed pitcher is 4-3 with a 4.71 ERA in ten starts for the Sacramento River Cats.

Adding Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel gives the Athletics some quality starters to go along with Scott Kazmir, Johnathan Gray, and Tommy Milone. This move could move could shift Jesse Chavez and Brad Mills to the bullpen. Acquiring Addison Russell gives the Cubs another talented shortstop behind Starlin Castro and Javier Baez on the depth chart. Billy McKinney could become an outfielder for the Cubs in a few years. Dan Straily is a pitcher similar to Jake Arrieta, as a change of scenery might help him stick at the Major League level.

-Daniel (DanielDoreCTC)
-(Stats courtesy of baseball-reference.com)