James Shields is about to become one of the richest free agents in the league, with a deal reportedly worth $110 million on the table.
Yahoo Sports reported that free agent pitcher James Shields is one of the most coveted MLB players available in the market. An anonymous group is apparently interested in acquiring the 33-year-old for a five-year deal valued at $110 million.
Fox Sports reported that the Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants are no longer expected to be in the running to acquire Shields. The Miami Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks are also backing out considering the high price tag. Although the most interested parties to get Shields are not yet known, executives stated that a right-handed free agent is expected to be offered a deal for at least five years, worth at least $100 million. According to two executives, they believe that Shields has been offered a deal for five years for $110 million, but a higher guarantee is still being sought.
Some believe that Shields should take the offer if he has one. Page Odle, Shield's agent, refused to give comments throughout the free-agent process. The $110 million contract is not yet certain until confirmed.
Some of the likely teams that might be interested in Shields include the Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays. The 33-year-old is among the last top free agents who have not signed a deal yet. Shields is the second-best pitcher in the list at No. 4. Max Scherzer, is at No. 1 and is expected to be more expensive. While Shields is looking to land at least $100 million, Scherzer is reportedly aiming for twice as much.
In the same Fox Sports report, Shields' previous team, the Kansas City Royals, also seem to be out due to his high price. The Royals already committed to six free agents for $68.3 million namely pitchers Edinson Volquez, Jason Frasor, Kris Medlen, Luke Hochevar, hitter Kendrys Morales and outfielder Alex Rios.
Any team who would acquire Shields for five years will also be paying for the twilight years of the pitcher's career, based on the same report by Yahoo! Sports. He was the top pitcher for the Kansas City Royals in the last MLB season. He threw over 200 innings in all his last eight seasons, which may equate to deterioration in the next few years. These are also the reasons why Shields should take a good offer like this one, if shown to be true.
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