The MLB World Series is about to start and teams like the NY Yankees are already looking at free agency and free agents for 2015 and names like James Shields, Jon Lester, Max Scherzer, Victor Martinez, Asdrubal Cabrera, Pablo Sandoval and Chase Headley all could be options, while teams like the Tigers, Mariners, Orioles, Dodgers, Cubs and Red Sox also could look at those players.
The Yankees come into the offseason after a disappointing year of missing the playoffs and while they spent a ton last offseason, they may have to do it again. The team added Masahiro Tanaka, but he got injured during the season despite pitching very well and they also signed Jacoby Ellsbury and Brian McCann to massive deals. The team allowed Robinson Cano to leave and the offense suffered, while the Mariners ended up one game out of the playoffs.
The Yankees are in a deep hole right now based on their payroll and the aging players on their roster and after spending themselves into this hole, spending may be the only way out of it. The team needs another starting pitcher badly, as Tanaka may have lingering elbow issues, while CC Sabathia is coming off of one of his worst years and he also was injured and many not have much of a career left.
Shields is the most obviously choice for the Yankees because Lester and Scherzer will likely commend so much money, they will not want to give another massive deal. Shields of course will cost money too, but not in the range of what those players will make and he also fits what they want. The Yankees need someone who can go deep into games and Shields has shown in the past that he can do that. The Yankees have faced him many times while he was with the Rays and now they could get a very good look at him this offseason as a free agent target.
Victor Martinez is looking like he will be the top offensive player on the market and while he is an old man already, he showed last season he can still hit. The Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros have all been mentioned as potential bidders, while the Detroit Tigers are also looking to re-sign him after another strong season.
Shields is a likely target for the Yankees and he is only 32 years old and he has some years ahead of him and that makes it a worth chase. Last season he was 14-8 with a 3.21 ERA for the Royals with 180 strikeouts and they likely are not signing him back. Michael Pineda, Tanaka and Sabathia all dealt with injuries and Ivan Nova had to get Tommy John surgery. A new pitcher in the rotation is needed and Shields is the type of guy that can eat innings and could be very good in the Bronx. Shields made $13 million last season and will be 33 in December.
