Cubs to shut down Samardzija after Saturday's start

The Cubs have announced that they will shut down pitcher Jeff Samardzija for the rest of the season to prevent a possible injury. The team has decided that Samardzija has thrown enough innings, and he will make his final start on Saturday.

Samardzija has had a very up and down season, but has already racked up 165 2/3 innings, which is nearly the amount that he had in the big leagues coming into the 2012 season (169 2/3 innings.)

Analysis: This is a good call by Chicago. Samardzija has had a nice year for the most part, and will probably be a key piece in their future. Hopefully he can handle next year's heavy workload just like he did this season. There is also a possibility that the club is looking to trade Samardzija in the off-season, and shutting him down now will preserve his value. I don't think that is the case, but it remains a possibility.