Jeff Samardzija was impressive in his big league debut with the Cubs, and he could remain with the club for the remainder of the season. "If you see a young man throwing the ball like that, I don't think he'll be the guy leaving, I'll tell you that," Manager Lou Piniella said Saturday. "If he continues to throw the ball [well], it's almost like trading for a reliever." One reliever will have to be trimmed when closer Kerry Wood returns, probably late this week. "We'll see how it unfolds and evaluate it," said GM Jim Hendry, who gave Samardzija $10 million over five years in 2006. Hendry doesn't mind that Samardzija is in the bullpen and not starting. "It doesn't matter," he said. "He has had a lot of starts this year. You get to August and September, you worry about winning games in the big leagues. It's certainly not going to hurt his arm. And there's only another month left of the minor league season."