Boston Red Sox Rumors: James Shields a likely target
By Josh Hill
The Boston Red Sox are almost 18 games out of the wild card chase and are now looking ahead to next season and how the team can improve in the winter.
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Boston was hoping to get Jon Lester to return next season but that seems unlikely now that they have money sunk into other assets and the Chicago Cubs are hot on his tail. The deep pockets of the Cubs, coupled with the relationship that Lester has with Theo Epstein, may lead to Chicago inching out Boston as the place Lester sign in 2015.
But Red Sox fans need not be discouraged as according to Ken Rosenthal in a report on FOX Sports, the gossip around baseball is that the cubs will land Lester while the Red Sox counter but going cheaper with Kansas City Royals pitcher James Shields.
He’s not Lester and he’s definitely not Max Scherzer, but James Shields is a solid option who won’t command the price the latter two names will. Boston may very well sink their teeth into a run at getting Lester back, but Shields represents a much cheaper option and one that harbors just as much talent as the other two options on the table.
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