Samardzija DFA'd after final Giants start

SAN FRANCISCO -- Shortly before he took the mound in his final start for the Giants, Jeff Samardzija sat in the dugout for a few minutes and allowed himself to soak in the moment.

“It was definitely a little emotional,” Samardzija said following a 6-5 loss in the nightcap of Friday’s doubleheader against the Padres. “You take for granted, all those times you've done it. It’s like you're just always going to be there, you’re always going to have that opportunity, but I think we all know time goes by real fast.

“Sitting there looking at the stadium, it's tough. I had a lot of fun here. I very much enjoyed my time. It's been a first-class organization. I was just taking it all in.”

It sounded like goodbye, and it became official on Saturday morning when the Giants designated Samardzija for assignment and placed him on unconditional release waivers. The decision to cut Samardzija, who was in the final days of his five-year, $90 million contract, leaves the Giants with an open spot on their 40-man roster as they head into their final two games of the regular season.

Manager Gabe Kapler said the Giants felt Samardzija was no longer a fit for their roster, as they have no vacancies in their starting rotation, which already includes Johnny Cueto, Kevin Gausman, Drew Smyly, Logan Webb and Tyler Anderson. While Samardzija began his career as a reliever for the Cubs, his recent shoulder woes would have made it difficult to use him out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season.

"When you're thinking about a postseason roster, we just didn't have a start for him in the postseason," Kapler said Saturday. "Jeff is built up to be a starter. It's a real transition to go from being a starting pitcher to a bullpen arm, particularly given Samardzija's history. It would be a lot to ask to try to find a way to stick him in our bullpen. We just felt like this was the right decision."

Samardzija was reinstated from the injured list on Friday as the 29th man for the doubleheader and gave up three runs over three innings in his swan song with the Giants. Kapler said Samardzija flashed “the best stuff we’ve seen from him all season,” topping out at 93.8 mph with his sinker.

Samardzija established himself as San Francisco’s most dependable starter in 2019, but he missed the bulk of this season while rehabbing from a right shoulder injury. Before landing on the injured list, Samardzija struggled with diminished velocity and a blister on his pitching hand that prevented him from throwing his favorite pitch, his splitter. He logged a 9.88 ERA over his first three starts, creating questions about whether he would return to pitch for the Giants again in 2020.

But the 35-year-old veteran continued to rehab at the club’s alternate training site in Sacramento this summer to keep himself in the mix for another start with the Giants down the stretch. He credited the entire medical staff, particularly physical therapist Frank Perez, with helping him rehab his shoulder and stay ready.

That opportunity finally presented itself on Friday, which marked Samardzija’s first start since Aug. 7.

“One of the things that I respect most about Shark is how much he wants the baseball,” Kapler said before Friday’s game. “This is an opportunity that he has been pushing for, asking for and was very, very excited to get. I respect that about him. He wants the ball in the biggest moments. He’s happy to put a team on his shoulders if he’s capable of handling that.”

Samardzija’s final start didn’t end up playing out as he hoped, but he’s confident that he’ll be back pitching elsewhere in 2021.

“One hundred percent,” Samardzija said. “One hundred percent, without a doubt.

“It's always an honor play for the Giants … it was a dream come true. You can’t ask for anything other than that, and that’s what I’ll look for, that type of situation. It's just nice to be liked, to be loved, appreciated and know that we're working our butt off out there. I'm willing to give it all, and I think that's all that you care about as a player. You've got to be willing to sacrifice a lot to go out there and be good at this game. I love this game, and I feel great.”

Coonrod lands on IL
One day after he blew a save against the Padres, reliever Sam Coonrod landed on the 10-day injured list with a right shoulder strain. The Giants recalled right-hander Rico Garcia from the alternate training site to replace Coonrod on the 28-man roster.

"It just became an issue after he came out of the game last night," Kapler said. "He came in and reported some shoulder soreness and we have the obligation to take care of Sam."

The Giants took a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning on Friday before Coonrod surrendered a three-run walk-off homer to Padres center fielder Trent Grisham. Coonrod's velocity was down a tick in the shaky outing, which was his fourth in the previous five days.

San Francisco will end its regular season by playing 13 games in 12 days, a challenging stretch that has taken a toll on the club's bullpen. Garcia, who has posted a 5.40 ERA over 12 appearances this year, will be available to provide multiple innings if needed. Kapler said Webb will also be an option out of the bullpen on Saturday.