Max Scherzer has signed with the Washington Nationals, leaving 33-year-old James Shields as the biggest fish left on the free agent pond. Shields' free agency has been bizarre; it seems that he has too many suitors to count, yet, at the same time, none at all.
ESPN's Jayson Stark broke down the likelihood of Shields signing with all the various clubs he's been linked to; the list literally includes half the league. Digging into the innuendo and rumors reveals that many of those teams' interest is merely passing, and few are seriously considering bringing Shields aboard because of his hefty price tag.
It is not as if Shields hasn't pitched well. He's earned a reputation as a durable workhorse by pitching 200-plus innings for eight straight seasons. He's been consistent, posting a sub-4.00 ERA in six of those eight seasons, and had a winning record in four consecutive campaigns.
He rates below the upper-crust elite starters like Scherzer though, and Stark speculated that his unique niche has been difficult for teams to properly value.
"Who's another 'innings guy' who was a free agent at 33 and had pitched 200 innings as many times as James Shields?" one executive asked. "It's pretty much only Mark Buehrle. But he's not the same guy. He's a soft-tossing left-hander."
Shields was rumored to have had a five-year, $110 million deal on the table but that hasn't been verified. Now, teams are rumored to be jumping back in on him as the price begins to tumble.
What I see now is a lot of teams jumping back in," another executive said. "But part of the reason is, they're saying, 'We know now he's not getting $110 million, so why not jump back in?' But the problem is, now everyone is bottom-feeding. And when you're someone like him, that's the last thing you want, is a lot of teams bottom-feeding on you in late January."
Even if these teams are "bottom-feeding," Shields is expected to strike a hefty deal. "I can't imagine he gets less than $80 million over four [years]," said one exec. "There's someone out there. You know that. I just have no idea who that is."
Stark believes that one team could be the San Diego Padres, arguably this offseason's busiest team. They re-vamped their whole outfield by adding Justin Upton, Matt Kemp and Wil Myers, and are believed to be aggressively shopping for rotation help.
That cavalry could be Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels via trade though. An unnamed executive said San Diego is "all over" Hamels, and does not want to give up a first-round pick, which Shields will cost.
[ESPN]
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