Jeff Samardzija is a Bay Area guy now, but still is never far from home

3:42 AM ET

SAN FRANCISCO — Former Chicago Cubs and White Sox pitcher Jeff Samardzija laughed at the notion that every time he leaves a Chicago team, it becomes a contender.

He can laugh because he’s finally on a contender now, too. But just because he plays for the San Francisco Giants doesn’t mean the Valparaiso, Indiana, native isn’t keeping up with his former teams in Chicago. He stays in touch with both sides of town, including Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo and pitcher Jake Arrieta.

Jeff Samardzija, who is happy to finally be playing for a contender, hopes to return to Chicago for some playoff baseball this October. Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports

“You don’t need to blow Rizzo’s ego up any more than it is,” Samardzija joked on Friday before the Cubs played the Giants. “I’ll send Jake a text here or there, but what can you say about Jake that hasn’t been said? He seems to be having …

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