Kansas City Royals ace James Shields told Jim Bowden of SiriusXM on Tuesday that he is not open to in-season contract negotiations. Shields is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2014 season and the star pitcher hasn’t discussed a long-term deal with his current club.

Shields was 13-9 with a 3.15 ERA, 1.238 WHIP, and 196 strikeouts in 228.2 innings last season for the Royals. If the Royals can’t retain Shields, it will sting for a long time. He was acquired before the 2013 season in a trade that sent 2013 American League Rookie of the Year winner Wil Myers to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Shields has a reputation of being a big-game pitcher who often comes up big in clutch situations. Large-market teams such as the Yankees and Dodgers will probably be willing to sign Shields to a very lucrative contract. Nobody around Major League Baseball would be surprised if Shields landed a contract for upward of $20 million per season on the open market.

Should Royals fans already regret trading Wil Myers? Let me know on Twitter @briansflood