The Rundown: White Sox Reportedly Discussing Trade for Jeff Samardzija

It’s fairly likely we see the A’s trade RHP Jeff Samardzija this winter, but could their trade partner be the White Sox?

Sounding like a possibility, as Daryl Van Schouwen of the Sun-Times writes that the two teams have had “serious” discussions.

I’d be pretty excited about this development, not because I’m a huge Shark fan (not a hater, either, just kind of indifferent toward him for some reason), but it would give the White Sox a very interesting starting rotation.

Imagine Chris Sale, Shark, Jose Quintana, John Danks and eventually No. 1 draft pick Carlos Rodon. It would be a fun rotation to watch, that’s for sure.

Schouwen seems to think shortstop Alexi Ramirez would be part of the return for Oakland, although he says that’s not known for certain.

Ken Rosenthal chimes in on the impact of a Samardzija trade and notes that a team trying to acquire him would likely not be able to negotiate a contract extension as a condition of the trade. Because of this, teams could find themselves in a tricky situation because Samardzija may not want to extend with a team he is traded to. Despite this, four teams contacted the A’s about Shark early Saturday, Rosenthal said.

Paul Sullivan writes that, according to a source, Samardzija would prefer to come to Chicago in a trade, but likely wouldn’t sign an extension.

I’m thinking he’ll be traded this winter. I can’t wait to see where Samardzija ends up, as trades involving the A’s are usually pretty interesting.

Other notes

* The Cubs confirmed that reliever Pedro Strop is doing fine after being involved in a car crash in the Dominican Republic on Thursday. It sounds like he only need a few stitches on his left arm. So that’s good news.

* Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer confirms the Cubs have shown interest in RHP Justin Masterson, but so have the White Sox, Tigers, Royals and Twins. I would still like to see the Cubs throw the dice with Masterson. He’s looking for a one-year deal to prove he can recover from a disappointing 2014 in which he suffered issues related to a previous oblique injury. Why not take a chance?