Jeff Samardzija, who signed a five-year, $90 million deal with the San Francisco Giants, met with Theo Epstein in Chicago early in the offseason about a possible reunion with the Cubs.

The right-hander says he was never really close to returning to Chicago.

"We were in talks," Samardzija said. "From where we were at, it takes a lot more to get a deal done. I think Theo [Epstein] had an idea of what they wanted and what they were looking for this year."

The Cubs traded Samardzija to the Oakland Athletics for a group of prospects that included Addison Russell during the 2014 season. He spent his first six-plus Major League seasons with Chicago.

"Going through what I went through here, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't in that situation again," Samardzija said of Chicago's rebuilding years. "There's nothing wrong. They did what they had to do."