The Nationals signed Max Scherzer and now James Shields is the top free agent pitcher on the market and teams like the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox could be interested in signing him, as he is the biggest name left available into 2015.
The Nationals paid over $200 million for Scherzer and now teams that missed out on him could look at signing Shields. According to Hardball Talk, the Blue Jays have shown interest in Shields, while the Milwaukee Brewers also could be an option after trading Yovani Gallardo to the Rangers. The Cardinals were considered a long shot option for Scherzer and they could jump in for Shields, while the Yankees, Tigers and Red Sox also could be potential landing spots.
Shields is coming off of another solid season with the Royals and he has been as consistent as anyone in his career, usually going over 200 innings and never dealing with serious injuries. Shields is 33 years old and that hurts him a bit, but he is still basically in his prime and is a strong option for teams in need of starting pitching. The Yankees have a stacked bullpen and adding someone like Shields could help them keep from overworking it.
The Yankees rotation could be great, but it also has as many question marks as anyone. CC Sabathia and Masahiro Tanaka are coming back from injuries, while Ivan Nova had Tommy John surgery and they also will be without Hiroki Kuroda. The team has some young arms, but the bullpen likely will get taxed with Tanaka and Sabathia coming back from injuries and that means a player like Shields could be key. Shields will help save those innings for the bullpen, as he is a six-to-seven inning pitcher on a consistent basis and went for 227 innings pitched last season.
Shields comes in after going 14-8 last season and helping the Royals make it to the World Series and now he is poised to get a deal soon. Reports had Shields waiting for Scherzer to sign to set the benchmark and now he could be in line for a $100 million deal. The Yankees have some young arms, but they surely could use a veteran, while the Cardinals have some questions marks with Michael Wacha and Adam Wainwright.
Shields made a $13.5 million salary last season and had 180 strikeouts and a 3.21 ERA, all of which would be solid had it been for the Yankees, who struggled last season in the rotation. Shields has thrown for at least 200 innings in all eight of his "full" seasons in baseball and that is one reason why teams will look to sign him.
According to Hardball Talk, the Toronto Blue Jays are an option, as Fox Sports reports that they could be in the mix if Shields ends up signing a four year deal worth about $80 million. The Blue Jays have been making big moves, including signing Russell Martin and Shields could be a good option. Some have suggested the Tigers would be in the mix now that Scherzer is gone, as Shields would be cheaper, while the Diamondbacks have also shown interest.
