RADIO
With spring training rapidly approaching, the offseason is almost complete, but there are still some attractive names available on the free agent market. Surprisingly, the most prominent one left actually happens to be veteran ace James Shields, who has unquestionably been one of the most consistent pitchers in all of baseball over the past several years.
Recent reports indicate that the San Diego Padres -- arguable the most active team in the majors this offseason -- are the frontrunners to win the Shields Sweepstakes, but Bob Nightengale of USA Today is saying that several teams still remain “heavily involved” in the pursuit for the 33-year-old right-hander.
It’s been mentioned that Shields has a preference for pitching in southern California, and the Padres reportedly have made their final and absolute best offer to the nine-year veteran, so a resolution to these long drawn-out talks appears to be imminent. His market has been slower to develop than anticipated, which is why exactly he is still without a home only weeks before pitchers and catchers are to report to spring training.
Shields has been a model of durability and consistency throughout his outstanding career, having made more than 30 starts and registering double-digit win totals in each of the past eight seasons. Furthermore, he has topped the 200-inning plateau in all eight campaigns as well. Most recently, Shields finished 14-8 in 2014 -- his second and final year in Kansas City -- while posting a 3.21 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 180:44 K:BB ratio in 227 innings of work. The perennial Cy Young candidate spent his first seven seasons as a member of the Rays.
