Giants cut Samardzija with 2 days left in season
SAN FRANCISCO — Before taking the mound at Oracle Park for the final regular-season start with the San Francisco Giants, Jeff Samardzija sat on the dugout bench and thought about the memories he made during a fiveyear tenure with the club.
“It’s like you’re always going to be there, always going to have that opportunity,” Samardzija said. “But we all know time goes by real fast. Looking at the stadium, it’s tough.
“I’ve had a lot of fun here. I very much enjoyed my time here. I was taking it all in.”
Samardzija didn’t have much time to reflect after a 6-5 walkoff loss Friday. The Giants designated him for assignment and placed him on unconditional release waivers with two days left in the regular season.
When the veteran righthander returned from a sevenweek stint on the injured list to face San Diego, he knew his Friday start against the San Diego Padres would be his last with a team that still has hopes of playing into October.
Samardzija understood the Giants only brought him back to the roster for Friday’s doubleheader because their pitching depth was depleted, but he spent several weeks keeping his arm in shape at the team’s Sacramento
alternate site because he hoped to contribute to a team in the playoff race.
“It’s not easy watching these guys grind and go through all the tough parts of the season and pick up innings here and there, and you’re not helping,” Samardzija said. “It was just great to see these guys fight all year.”
The outing was better than what Samardzija showed early in the season, but his three-inning stint left the Giants trailing 3-1 after Fernando Tatis, Jr. hit a 458-foot home run into the leftcenter-field bleachers.
Samardzija said he absolutely plans to pitch in 2021, but it’s hard to know what the free-agent market will hold for a pitcher who signed a five-year, $90 million deal the last time he had the choice to play anywhere.
After shoulder injuries hampered him in 2018 and 2020, it seems Samardzija’s best hope of finding a new home in 2021 might come on a minor-league deal that includes an invitation to spring training for a club in search of starting pitching depth.