RADIO
James Shields has finally found a home, reportedly agreeing on a deal with the San Diego Padres, said to be worth between $72M and $78M, pending a successful physical. Chris Cotillo was the first to break the news of the signing.
This ends a long offseason for Shields, who also reportedly had offers from the Marlins, Blue Jays and Cubs. Shields, a California native, had stated that he was interested in pitching in San Diego. He'll now anchor a Padres rotation that includes Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross, Ian Kennedy and Odrisamer Despaigne. The Shields signing is another big splash made by the Padres this offseason, after acquiring Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, Wil Myers, Will Middlebrooks and Derek Norris.
Shields had been seen by many as the third biggest name available this winter, behind Max Scherzer and Jon Lester, yet the top two guys managed deals of seven years for $210M and six years for $155M-- substantially larger than what Shield ended up with here. The mismatch is due to a number of factors, including age. Shields, 33, has thrown at least 200 innings over each of the last eight seasons, and at least 227 over each of the last four years. Even though he's managed to avoid any long stints on the disabled list, all that usage could be a cause for concern.
During his two seasons in Kansas City, Big Game James had a 27-17 record with a 3.18 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and a 3.36 K/BB rate. He also brought a veteran leadership to the Royals, leading them to surprising 2014 run at the World Series. Despite his postseason struggles, which include a career 3-6 record and 5.46 ERA in October, Shields has a reputation for being a solid, durable pitcher. Padres fans will be hoping that he brings a similar level of success to the West Coast, as the NL West is likely to be one of the toughest divisions in baseball over the next few seasons.
