The Chicago Cubs have made some big splashes in free agency and on the trade market so far this offseason, but they ended up missing out on a potential target Monday morning as free agent pitcher James Shields has reportedly agreed to terms with the San Diego Padres.
The report, which originally came from Chris Cotillo of SB Nation, puts to rest the idea that the Cubs were in play for yet another starting pitcher to add to Joe Maddon’s rotation on the north side. Adding Shields would have been an interesting play for the team, whose insistence on paying for future results over past performance would have been refuted a bit by signing the 33-year old pitcher with a ton of innings on his arm and declining strikeout numbers.
According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Cubs’ offer to Shields wasn’t quite up to snuff, as they offered around $60 million for the pitcher’s services. Shields’ deal with the Padres should pay him between $72-76 million over four seasons, and also included an option for a fifth year at the end of the contract.
While the potential of adding a guy like Shields to the rotation was an enticing option for the Cubs, there are reasons to believe that the pitcher could be slowing down. Shields just turned 33 years old in December, and he’s pitched nearly 2000 innings in his nine year big-league career. That’s an average of 227 innings per season since coming into the majors, and when you factor that wear and tear in with his 7.1 strikeouts per nine innings ratio last season (continuing a drop from his career high of 8.8 in 2012), there were warning signs that Shields may not be quite the pitcher that the Cubs need.
Even though they struck out on signing Shields, there are still options available to the Cubs if they want to upgrade their rotation. The Washington Nationals could be interested in moving a pitcher after signing Max Scherzer to a deal, and Jordan Zimmermann is a guy rumored to be on Chicago’s radar. Cole Hamels could also be a possibility if the Cubs want to work out a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies, and if the team wants to stick to free agency, next year’s class is loaded with talents as guys like Zimmermann and David Price will hit the market.
