James Shields is still on the MLB free agent market as he waits for Max Scherzer to sign and teams like the Miami Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, LA Dodgers and Boston Red Sox could be in the mix for Shields and this comes as the Marlins may trade Dan Haren to Los Angeles or another team, as he wants to play on the west coast.
According to Hardball Talk, Ken Rosenthal reports that the Miami Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks have shown interest in Shields, who is one of the top pitchers on the market. Many expect him to get a contract near $100 million and Rosenthal reported last week that Shields was given a five-year, $110 million offer. That offer was turned down and the team was not identified and the report said that Shields "did not" want to pitch for that team.
Shields has been twisting a bit in the wind as Scherzer waits to get a deal, as many expect Shields to sign after Scherzer. Scherzer is looking for huge money and depending on where he signs, Shields could be in line for a major deal. Fox Sports reports that the Diamondbacks could be a player for Shields, as they are looking to bolster their rotation as they move into 2015. The Diamondbacks said they are not willing to go to $100 million, so if the interest is real the price for Shields could be coming down a bit.
Shields had a solid season in 2014 and while he is 33 years old already, he has been durable and is an innings eater. Shields once again had over 200 innings last season and had a solid 3.21 ERA for a team that made the playoffs. Making things harder for Shields is that he was extended a qualifying offer, meaning anyone that signs him must give up a draft pick. Shields won 14 games last season and had 180 strikeouts and he could be an option for the Yankees as well, although the team does not want to give up a draft pick.
Shields earned over $13 million last season and he will cost a solid amount for whatever teams that signs him, but likely less than Scherzer. Teams like the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres have been mentioned as potential options for Scherzer and/or Shields, while the Giants, Dodgers and Angels also could get involved if things continue along this way on the market. Shields is a durable player and while his nickname may not be totally earned, he would be a strong signing for any team that needs to eat up innings for their bullpen this season.
Cole Hamels is also on the trade market and teams that don't want to give up certain amounts of money to Shields could look at him instead. Hardball Talk reports that Padres are still looking at a Hamel deal, while the Boston Red Sox and Dodgers also could be options. Recent reports have Haren prepared to show up at spring training for the Marlins, but that could change over the next month. Haren said he hopes for a trade to the west coast and that could go down if the Marlins get back something decent in return.
