Could we finally be nearing the end of the James Shields free agency marathon? Jon Morosi of Fox Sports is reporting that the San Diego Padres final offer for Shields is between $72 and $80 million over four seasons.
Shields, 32, is the last big-name free agent on the open market and hasn’t drawn the interest he expected after struggling big time for the Kansas City Royals in the postseason this past October.
San Diego’s offer, which would average anywhere between $18 and $20 million per season, can’t be seen as much of a surprise. General manager A.J. Preller has been extremely busy during his first offseason in that role.
After bringing in the likes of Matt Kemp, Wil Myers and Derek Norris, San Diego is said to be focusing on starting pitching. And after a potential trade with the Philadelphia Phillies for Cole Hamels never materialized, it makes sense that they would look at the free-agent market.
The Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays, and St. Louis Cardinals have also been mentioned as some of the teams in the market for Shields.
Considering this is viewed to be San Diego’s final offer to Shields and a decision is expected by Monday, we could very well be nearing the end of the drama.
Shields recorded a 14-8 record with a 3.21 ERA in 34 starts this past season in Kansas City. He also put up 220-plus innings for the fourth consecutive season and posted a 4/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Photo: USA Today