SAN FRANCISCO – Theo Epstein’s front office and Jeff Samardzija both won the game of chicken, the Cubs getting a franchise shortstop in Addison Russell and Shark scoring a five-year, $90 million contract with the San Francisco Giants.
Samardzija hasn’t entered Jake Arrieta’s stratosphere or won a Cy Young Award – and the win-now Cubs are in such a different place as an organization – but this is right around the time when the two sides had to pick lanes in 2014.
Less than 18 months away from becoming a free agent, Arrieta is betting on himself, the same way Samardzija did, at a table with even higher stakes.