San Diego Padres starting pitcher James Shields has once again cropped up in trade rumors with the regular season rapidly approaching.
Continue for updates.
Shields Back on Trade Block
Friday, Mar. 25
On Friday, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported that a “few teams,” including the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox, have talked to the Padres about dealing for Shields.
However, Dennis Lin of the San Diego-Tribune reported nothing is imminent.
In his first year with the Padres in 2015 after signing a four-year, $75 million deal (viaSpotrac), Shields went 13-7 with a 3.91 ERA, hardly the kind of numbers from a pitcher making ace money.
He was just one of a few big offseason deals the Padres made prior to the 2015 season that didn’t yield big rewards.
| Player | Acquired In | Deal | 2015 Stats | Current Team |
| Melvin Upton | Trade | 5-year, $72 million (Signed with ATL) | 87 G, .259, 5 HR, 17 RBI | Padres |
| Matt Kemp | Trade | 8-year, $160 million (Signed with LAD) | .265, 23 HR, 100 RBI | Padres |
| Justin Upton | Trade | 6-year, $51.5 million (Signed with ATL) | .256, 26 HR, 81 RBI | Detroit Tigers |
| Craig Kimbrel | Trade | 4-year, $42 million (Signed with ATL) | 2.58 ERA, 39 Saves, | Boston Red Sox |
The Padres hobbled to a 74-88 finish in 2015, which didn’t reflect the kind of roster the team had on paper.
Pitching had a lot to do with those struggles, as the team’s staff allowed over 4.5 runs per game. Only eight teams in the league allowed more in 2015.
Due to his sub-par performance in his debut season with the Padres, Shields found himself in the middle of trade talks in December, per Buster Olney:
This came after he cleared waivers in August when the team couldn’t deal him at the trade deadline.
With the kind of money that he’s set to make, the Padres probably won’t be asking for much in return for Shields. His re-emergence on the trade market could just be another attempt at dumping his salary, per Heyman:
If they can deal Shields, then the Padres could have an opportunity to reinvest their money into building their team to a contender in a loaded National League West with the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Teams around the league could look at the 34-year-old as a veteran arm that could bolster their respective rotations. The Orioles could put Shields toward the top of the staff to complement Yovani Gallardo, while the Red Sox could have him complement David Price.
Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com
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