MLB All-Star Game: Jeff Samardzija Left Off Roster For Being Too Good

The MLB All-Star game roster was announced on Sunday night and Jeff Samardzija discovered he will not be playing in this year’s game in Minneapolis. Samardzija, who was traded this week to the Oakland A’s from the Chicago Cubs, was voted to the National League all-star team. But because Samardzija is now playing for Oakland, who is in the American League, MLB has declared him ineligible to pitch in the game.

When asked by the Chicago Sun-Times how he felt about the decision, Jeff Samardzija said, “I won’t get to pitch, which is a bummer, but that’s all right. I’ll just go through whatever ceremonies they have and just jump over to the AL dugout with an NL jersey on and have some fun with the six other dudes we have over there, which is exciting.”

According to ESPN, Samadzija is allowed to attend the MLB all-star festivities. It will be an odd spectacle as Samardzija may even be seen wearing his former Cubs jersey. There is still a chance with a week remaining that he could be picked up as an injury replacement for the American League all star team.

A similar occurrence in 2004 saw Carlos Beltran selected to the American League all star team as a member of the Kansas City Royals after he had been traded to the Houston Astros. Thanks to an injury replacement, Beltran was added to the National League roster.

The Jeff Samardzija trade was already showing dividends prior to the all star game selections on Sunday. Samardzija got the win in an impressive seven inning, one run A’s victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. Although Samardzija’s 2-7 record prior to coming to the A’s was not impressive, his 2.74 ERA and 108 strikeouts showed that run support was his real problem in Chicago.

The American League all-star pitching staff appears to be loaded this season, including Jeff Samardzija’s Oakland teammate Scott Kazmir. The Oakland A’s received six all star selections this year and are now considered heavy favorites to win the American League. Many analysts speculate that the Samardzija deal put them over the top and the A’s will be hard to beat in a best of seven series.

For now, barring any injuries, Jeff Samardzija was too good to find his way on to the MLB all star game roster.

[Image via Google]