Though it remains unclear how the Cubs' rebuilding efforts will culminate, it seems to be a foregone conclusion that Jeff Samardzija will not be around when the baseball becomes compelling on the north side of Chicago.
The 29-year-old remains arbitration-eligible through the 2015 season, and has buoyed his market value with his tremendous performance through the nascent stages of the 2014 campaign.
Samardzija's success could even compel the Cubs to trade their prized right-hander in advance of July's deadline in an effort to maximize their return. With that in mind, let's take a look at three potential landing spots for the mulleted hurler.
Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles floundered in 2013, finishing third in the division just one season after earning a trip to the American League Division Series. Last year's failures were largely due to the club's lacklustre rotation - scoring runs certainly wasn't a problem, as the Orioles finished fifth in the majors with 4.6 runs per game.
General manager Dan Duquette tried to supplement his starting corps this winter, but his offseason exploits haven't proven all that fruitful thus far. Ubaldo Jimenez, who inked a four-year, $50-million deal in February, owns a 4.98 ERA with a ghastly 1.54 WHIP across 10 starts amid unrelenting control problems.
With J.J. Hardy poised to hit free agency this winter and Chris Davis to follow in 2015, Baltimore's window for contention continues to narrow, and the club may be inclined to part with prospect Hunter Harvey - a 19-year-old righty with a 1.89 ERA in Lo-A this season - to make a push for Samardzija.
Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto's explosive offense has compensated for a decidedly suspect rotation that currently features both J.A. Happ, the erratic left-hander who made his season debut out of the bullpen, and Liam Hendriks, who was designated for assignment by the Minnesota Twins last year.
The Blue Jays have been linked to Samardzija for some time, though general manager Alex Anthopoulos reportedly balked this winter when the Cubs asked for Drew Hutchinson along with either Marcus Stroman or Aaron Sanchez in exchange for the 29-year-old right-hander.
However, with a division title looking increasingly attainable, the Blue Jays may be willing to part with at least one their prized minor leaguers to fortify their starting corps. Sanchez, a first-round pick in 2010, continues to struggle with his control - he's averaging 6.3 walks per nine innings in Double-A -- while Stroman was hardly impressive across five relief appearances with the Blue Jays earlier this month.
Colorado Rockies
Much like the Blue Jays, the Rockies have surged to respectability by virtue of their potent offense, averaging a league-best 5.02 runs per game to go along with a 108 wRC+. That's hardly the only similarity the two teams share, as the Rockies also boast an impressive cadre of young pitching prospects that could prove attractive trade assets.
Selected third overall in last year's draft, right-hander Jonathan Gray has quickly emerged as Colorado's top prospect, authoring a 2.79 ERA in nine starts for Double-A Tulsa this season while showing good command of a plus-plus fastball. Eddie Butler, meanwhile, has been equally impressive in the Texas League, posting a 2.39 ERA while yielding just three home runs in 64 innings. Both players would help bolster Chicago's core of minor leaguers, which remains noticeably devoid of high-ceiling pitching prospects.
It's possible the Rockies opt to simply promote their talented youngsters to replace the likes of Franklin Morales and Juan Nicasio in their rotation, but a hard-throwing veteran with pronounced ground-ball tendencies would almost guarantee improvement in a starting corps that owns a 4.62 FIP, the worst mark in the majors.