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SAN DIEGO - Jeff Samardzija has played for Notre Dame and the Cubs and now will get to pitch for the White Sox.Being a Chicago guy, thats one of the craziest things Ive thought about, he said Tuesday after Oakland dealt him to Chicagos South Side. Im sitting here thinking, Now, do I really have to go get my cleats on and go play for the Bears? If I could skate, maybe the Hawks. My jumpers garbage, so the Bulls are out of the question.Trading an All-Star for the third time in less than two weeks, the Athletics sent the Samardzija and right-hander Michael Ynoa for right-hander Chris Bassitt, catcher Josh Phegley and first baseman Rangel Ravelo and infielder Marcus Semien.An All-America wide receiver with the Fighting Irish, Samardzija was 31-42 with a 3.97 ERA for the Chicago Cubs from 2008 until July 5, when he was traded to the As. He went 5-6 with a 3.14 ERA for Oakland.Its a gutsy move, White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. You look around at our division, and you see the starting pitchers out there, of what it takes to make it in your division of facing them all the time, and we feel like thats something we had to do.Samardzija, a right-hander who turns 30 on Jan. 23, made $5,345,000 this year and is eligible for salary arbitration. He can become a free agent after the 2015 season.Were going to make every effort to make this a long-term relationship, White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. We felt that this was a premium starter who fit, not just in terms of how he fit in our rotation, but how he fit in our clubhouse.Samardzija wasnt so sure he would want to miss free agency.Youre so close to it, you really want to experience it, he maintained. But like I said before, when the situations right, its right. When the numbers are right, theyre right.The White Sox have been a prominent team in the off-season. On Monday at the winter meetings, Chicago agreed to a $46 million, four-year contract with closer David Robertson, a person familiar with the deal said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because the agreement had not been announced.Even before that, Chicago agreed to a $25 million, two-year contract with first baseman Adam LaRoche and a $15 million, three-year deal with left-hander Zach Duke.Weve moved the chains to improve this club in what we feel is dramatic fashion, but we still have work to do, Hahn said. Its starting to get a little tight. We spent a pretty good chunk of what we had available to us, but at the same time it just means its time to get a little more creative.Samardzija joins a rotation that includes Chris Sale, who finished third in AL Cy Young Award voting, and Jose Quintana.I think were going to be the most competitive rotation in the league, and I mean that internally, Samardzija said. The best starting rotations are made when theres three or four guys that want to be the best and they want to go out there and clinch that three-game series or win that Sunday sweep game.While Chicago is adding after finishing fourth in the AL Central at 73-89, Oakland is subtracting.Following its loss to Kansas City in the AL wild-card game, Oakland traded third baseman Josh Donaldson to Toronto on Nov. 28 and first baseman/outfielder Brandon Moss to Cleveland on Monday.Oakland was 22nd in payroll at the end of the regular season at $92 million. Moss had a $4.1 million base salary this year and is eligible for arbitration. Donaldson is eligible for arbitration for the first time after Oakland renewed his salary this year at the $500,000 major league minimum.___AP Sports Writers Howie Rumberg and Andrew Seligman contributed to this report. Air Max Outlet Online . 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TSN platforms will broadcast 75+ live games per season – tripling the networks current slate of MLB games. With the new deal TSN retains rights to ESPNs SUNDAY NIGHT BASEBALL and, for the first time, acquires rights to ESPNs MONDAY NIGHT BASEBALL and WEDNESDAY NIGHT BASEBALL.HOUSTON -- Highly touted Houston Astros prospect Jon Singleton has agreed to a $10 million, five-year contract and will make his major league debut on Tuesday. The Astros announced the deal and his promotion Monday during an off-day. Houston hosts the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night. Singleton is rated by many as baseballs top first baseman of the future. The 22-year-old was hitting .267 with 14 homers and 43 RBIs for Triple-A Oklahoma City. He will receive $1.5 million in total compensation this year, and salaries of $2 million in each of the next four seasons. The Astros have a $2.5 million option for 2019 with a $500,000 buyout. If that is exercised, the club has a $5 million option for 2020 with a $250,000 buyout.ddddddddddddHouston also has a $13 million option for 2021 with a $250,000 buyout. The new deal replaces a one-year contract Singleton signed in February that called for a $500,000 salary while in the major leagues and $40,750 while in the minors. Singleton was acquired from Philadelphia in the 2011 trade for Hunter Pence. He was suspended 50 games last season for a second violation for a drug of abuse. Singleton told The Associated Press in spring training that he has an addiction to marijuana and had spent a month in a rehabilitation centre last year. First baseman Marc Krauss was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Singleton. ' ' '