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          Keith Law Blog

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          Giants needed a starter, but might have overpaid for Samardzija

          A year after posting a sub-3.00 ERA for the Cubs and Athletics, Jeff Samardzija's ERA jumped to 4.96 with the White Sox. AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
          • Keith Law, ESPN Senior WriterDec 6, 2015, 03:32 AM
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            • Senior baseball analyst for Insider
            • Was special asst. to Blue Jays GM
            • Wrote for Baseball Prospectus
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          The San Francisco Giants' five-year, $90 million deal with Jeff Samardzija appears to pay him for the pitcher he should be rather than the pitcher he is. He's moving to a very favorable environment for a pitcher looking to convert potential into performance, but the risk of ineffectiveness doesn't seem to be priced into this deal.