James Shields is still unsigned on the MLB free agent market and as the 2015 season gets closer, the San Diego Padres are looking like the favorites and according to recent reports they have signed him and this comes as teams like the Boston Red Sox, Miami Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays, LA Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels along with the NY Yankees as potential options after pitching with the Royals last year.
UPDATE: Hardball Talk reports that the Padres have a four year deal in place with Shields and that it will be for around $75 million. The Padres had emerged as the favorites, as Shields had been hoping to stay local and he has been living in San Diego.
Cole Hamels now may become the next target for the teams that missed out on Shields, the Yankees, Red Sox, Marlins, Blue jays and Cubs were also reportedly interested. Shields will be one of the top starters for the Padres and now he joins the team's new acquisitions in Justin Upton, Matt Kemp, Wil Myers, Will Middlebrooks, Shawn Kelley, Derek Norris, Brandon Morrow and Brandon Maurer. The 33 year old could be the ace of the rotation alongside Andrew Cashner.
Shields is the last big name left on the market, as he is left after Jon Lester and Max Scherzer signed mega deals as free agent pitchers. Shields has been getting interest from a number of teams, including the Marlins, Diamondbacks, Red Sox and Brewers and now it looks like the Padres have emerged as the top team to sign him. According to Bob Nightingale of USA Today, the Padres are considered to be the "favorites" to sign Shields, as he is looking to stay on the west coast and is living in San Diego.
Shields is from California and is hoping to sign out there and with the Padres making a number of significant moves this offseason, they now could add Shields. Reports have the Padres going over $100 million for their payroll this season and adding Shields likely would do that. The Padres have made a number of big trades, including for Matt Kemp, Wil Myers and Justin Upton and now they could add Shields.
The Padres rotation is solid, but they are looking for a deeper group and they have also been linked to a Cole Hamels deal, as he is also from the area. According to Hardball Talk, no free agent has received a deal over $50 million after February 1 and while Shields could be the first, it's likely he will get less than that. Shields came into the offseason hoping for a long term deal between $80 million and $100 million, but now he could end up signing a short term deal.
James Shields is the top name left on the free agent market heading into the 2015 MLB season and now it looks like the Padres will sign him. This comes as teams like the San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, Miami Marlins and San Francisco Giants all could be potential targets to sign him now that Max Scherzer has joined up with the Nationals.
