Jeff Samardzija

Jeffrey Alan Samardzija, known to many Cubs fans simply as "Shark", pitched for the North Siders for six-and-a-half seasons, earning an All-Star nod in his final campaign with the team in 2014.

Before plying his trade in Chicago, Samardzija was a two-sport star at the University of Notre Dame. He was the Fighting Irish's best wide receiver on the football team and best pitcher on their baseball team. He made numerous All-American teams in both sports, and ended his collegiate career in 2006 as the all-time record holder for receiving yards at Notre Dame with 2,593 (he has since fallen to third).

He was drafted by the Cubs in the fifth round (149th overall) of the 2006 MLB Draft. After finishing out his senior season with the Fighting Irish football team, Samardzija made the decision to forgo the NFL Draft in Jan. 2007, a full six months after he was initially drafted. In order to lure him towards turning professional in baseball, the Cubs handed him a historic five-year contract before he ever played a game in the system. The deal was for $10 million, included two club option years worth more than $6.5 million, and came equipped with a full no-trade clause, the first of its kind for a prospect. He would spend 1.5 seasons in the minors before making his MLB debut with the Cubs on July 25, 2008, against the Miami Marlins.

In his Cubs career, Samardzija totaled a 3.97 ERA (3.80 FIP) in 666.0 innings. He didn't establish himself as a starter until the 2012 season, as he made 128 appearances (five starts) from 2008-11. Once he did enter the rotation, he was one of the best players on a downtrodden team, and he took the bump on Opening Day in both 2013 and 2014. He was named National League Co-Player of the Week for August 19–25, 2013, after recording a 2–0 record and 1.59 ERA in 17 innings pitched. In 2014, he set a major league record for lowest ERA (1.46) by a winless pitcher through his first ten starts.

Samardzija's Cubs tenure effectively ended in June of that season when he rejected a five-year, $85 million extension offer. He was viewed as the best starting pitcher on the trade market that summer, with one-and-a-half years of club control remaining. Chicago notably rebuked multiple offers from the New York Yankees, among others, before deciding to deal him in July.

Samardzija earned his first and only career All-Star appearance in 2014 thanks to his work with the Cubs, though he wasn't allowed to participate in the game due to the trade that sent him to the then-Oakland Athletics (along with Jason Hammel) for Addison Russell, Billy McKinney, Dan Straily, and cash. He was excellent in his half-season in Oakland, accruing a 3.14 ERA in 111 2/3 innings, though the A's fell short of the ultimate goal when they lost to the Kansas City Royals in the AL Wild Card Game. After the season, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox (where he performed terribly for one year), and then struck it rich with a five-year contract worth $90 million with the San Francisco Giants in free agency prior to the 2016 season.

After the Giants released Samardzija at the end of the 2020 season, he retired shortly thereafter. He concluded his career with a 4.15 ERA in 1,645 1/3 innings across 13 seasons, accruing an 80-106 record and 1,449 strikeouts in that time.