After Jon Lester signed with the Chicago Cubs, many believed the next domino to fall in the free agent pitching market was that of James Shields. Multiple teams like the San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox were linked to the former Kansas City Royals ace, though neither seemed overly interested in paying his $100 million dollar asking price.
That has left Shields without a team despite the fact we’re only a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training.
Still, despite many teams dropping out of the running for James Shields, there are still plenty interested in signing the pitcher including the Arizona Diamondbacks. However they, like so many before them, are unwilling to meet James Shield’s current asking price.
Sources: #DBacks in mix for Shields, a strong indication that his market is not at $100M; AZ is not willing to spend for him at that level.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 13, 2015
There are plenty of question marks surrounding Shields, especially with that type of investment so it’s easy to see why so many front offices across baseball are hesitant to cough up so much coin. Add in the draft pick they’d currently have to forfeit and Shield’s become quite costly. Still, he’s very possibly the best arm on the market and he’s certain to find a home, even if it’s not at the price he’d prefer.
