As the MLB offseason hot stove begins to come to an end with pitchers and catchers set to report later this month, one name still out there is James Shields.
Yankees 'Not in Play' For James Shields
Shields, who helped the Kansas City Royals win the AL pennant and get to the World Series last season, is still on the market and is drawing interest from a few different teams.
Shields said earlier this week that his decision is looming, so he is expected to sign somewhere soon.
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At the beginning of free agency, Shields was expected to garner at deal around $100 million, but as the offseason has progressed, his price tag has reportedly dipped to somewhere around $70-80 million and could even fall as low as $60 million.
Shields, 33, went 14-8 in 34 starts for the Royals last season with a 3.21 ERA in 227 innings pitched with 180 strikeouts.
Here are three possible destinations for Shields:
1) San Diego Padres: New general manager A.J. Preller has revamped the Padres this offseason with an expensive facelift of the outfield, but he may not be done just yet.
San Diego added Matt Kemp in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Wil Myers in a swap with the Tampa Bay Rays and Justin Upton in a deal with the Atlanta Braves in an attempt to revamp its roster.
Now, with their payroll at around $84 million, the team said it could very well get over $100 million by Opening Day.
CBS Sports reports that the Padres are one of the favorites to land Shields based on the fact that he wants to pitch on the West Coast and he makes his home in San Diego.
2) Toronto Blue Jays: Toronto is looking to add another pitcher, but their financial restrictions could stop them from inking Shields to a deal.
The Toronto Star reports that the Blue Jays are "kicking the tires" on Shields, though it's uncertain if they'll be able to reel him in.
Toronto signed catcher Russell Martin for $82 million this offseason by back-loading the contract and would likely have to do the same with Shields.
The Blue Jays are looking to compete in the AL East and would like to add Shields to a rotation that is led by Mark Buehrle and R.A. Dickey.
3) Chicago Cubs: It's been a notable offseason for the Cubs and the team may not be done working on improving just yet as it looks to finally be competitive in the NL Central.
Chicago's offseason is most notable for winning the Jon Lester free agent sweepstakes, but the team also brought in Jason Hammel this offseason and could now be looking to add Shields as a way to really round out a solid starting rotation.
CBS Chicago reports that Theo Epstein and the Cubs would love to add Shields, who has a history with new manager Joe Maddon, having pitched for him as a member of the Rays from 2006-12.
It is possible that the Cubs aren't quite done with their offseason moves just yet with two weeks to go until spring training begins.
Shields is 114-90 through 286 games (285 starts) in his career with a 3.72 ERA, 1.220 WHIP and 1,626 strikeouts.
Though his nickname is "Big Game James," Shields has struggled in the postseason during his career, posting a 3-6 mark with a 5.36 ERA.
It remains to be seen where Shields will end up, but these three teams are certainly interested in his services for 2015 and beyond.
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