Giants sign RHP Jeff Samardzija to a five-year contract

The San Francisco Giants have signed free agent right-handed pitcher Jeff Samardzija to a five-year contract through 2020, club Senior Vice President and General Manager Bobby Evans announced today. Per club policy, financial terms were not disclosed.

Samardzija, 30, went 11-13 with a 4.96 ERA (118er, 214.0ip) along with 163 strikeouts and 49 walks in 32 starts (two complete games) for the Chicago White Sox last season. He led the White Sox in innings pitched and tied Jose Quintana for the team lead in starts. He also eclipsed the 30-start mark for the third time in his career.

The 2014 All-Star is one of eight big league pitchers to record 30-plus starts, 200.0-plus innings and 160-plus strikeouts every season since 2013, joining Madison Bumgarner, Cole Hamels, Felix Hernandez, Jon Lester, Jose Quintana, Max Scherzer and James Shields.

He is 47-61 with a 4.09 ERA (451er, 991.2ip), seven complete games, three shutouts and 901 strikeouts in 254 career games (131 starts) in eight seasons with the Cubs (2008-14), Athletics (2014) and White Sox (2015).

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Samardzija is a native of Merrillville, Ind. and was an All-Big East pitcher and All-American wide receiver at Notre Dame (2003-06). Samardzija originally was drafted by the Cubs in the fifth round of the 2006 draft.