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James Shields Rumors: Giants, Red Sox, Yankees In On Shields

By Hayden Kane

Oct 26, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher James Shields throws a pitch against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning during game five of the 2014 World Series at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 26, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher James Shields throws a pitch against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning during game five of the 2014 World Series at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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Starting pitcher James Shields has a nice market shaping up for him in MLB Free Agency, with the San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, and New York Yankees among the teams interested. 

There is something fascinating about the market for free agent starting pitcher James Shields. In an off-season robust with quality starting pitchers, the notion seems to persist that signing Shields will be some kind of bargain for the winning team.

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With Jon Lester and Max Scherzer seen as the true aces that will command huge paydays, Shields has long been viewed as the top of the rotation guy who teams will pursue while looking to save some money. But all of this raises a pressing question: if you’re going to overpay a starting pitcher, would you really rather pay James Shields $110-120 million or Max Scherzer $180-190 million?

Considering how much better Scherzer is than Shields, is that extra year and extra money for Scherzer really so cumbersome for teams when they are going to spend big anyway?

As of now, the answer is apparently yes, with some of the biggest players in free agency remaining focused on signing James Shields. This morning Nick Cafardo reports that the Giants, Red Sox, and Yankees are all interested in signing Shields.

"The final Shields numbers are expected to be close to the five years and $110 million remaining (if the option is picked up) on the Cole Hamels deal, according to one major league source who was privy to Shields’s demands. The Giants and Red Sox are in the picture, and the Yankees may be another suitor."

Shields went 14-8 last season with a 3.21 ERA and a 7.1 K/9 mark. At age 33, there are certainly some questions about how well he will age on a five-year deal, but teams like the Giants and Red Sox will sign him with 2015 in mind and will worry about 2019 when they get there.

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