The Rays are suggesting to other teams that they will listen to trade offers for right-hander James Shields, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports. Rival teams have heard that the Rays intend to decide on a course of action after their upcoming home series against the Indians and Mariners, Knobler writes.
The Rays, now 46-43, have told teams they still expect to contend for the playoffs this year. The Tigers could have interest in Shields, Knobler suggests. Opposing scouts believe Shields has become frustrated and would pitch better in another environment, according to Knobler.
There’s no doubt that many teams would have interest in Shields given his age, durability and contract status. The 30-year-old earns $7MM in 2012 and his contract includes club options for 2013 ($9MM with a $1.5MM buyout) and 2014 ($12MM with a $1MM buyout). Shields, the third-place finisher in last year's AL Cy Young voting, has completed at least 200 innings in every one of his five full seasons. He has a 4.44 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 123 2/3 innings so far in 2012.
The Rays’ rotation currently includes Shields, David Price, Matt Moore, Jeremy Hellickson and Alex Cobb. Jeff Niemann, on the disabled list with a fractured fibula, and Chris Archer, now in the minor leagues, provide Tampa Bay with a pair of additional options.
MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes recently discussed trade candidates who could eventually be tied to draft pick compensation. Shields could net a compensatory draft choice following a trade, as long as the acquiring team exercises his 2013 option. For more on potentially available starting pitchers click here.
They should be able to get a couple really good prospects for him. I would think they would target a catcher and a 1B for him. Reds probably could have had him for the same deal as Latos.
How about this: Hinske, Gattis, and Hanson or Teheran for Shields.
They won’t want Hinske. Gattis is putting up good numbers but is old for the league. Hanson Or Teheran is nice but they’d want the centerpiece to be a C or 1B, not a pitcher
Eric Hinske?
should have been able to get*
too late now. the time to trade him was this offseason
He has 2.7 BB/9, not 4.4.
I’d do this in a heartbeat.
That’d look great going down the stretch. A 1/2 of JV/Shields would be nice
While I’m glad we traded for Latos over Shields, I will say that if we offered TB the same package and they declined, they have to be kicking theirselves right now. Grandal and Alonso would for sure be a boost for them offensively.
An interesting pitcher to go after but yet an incosistent one too.
que???
He’s still a work-horse that can lead a staff when hot. A change of scenery may be just what he needs. Depending on a stagnant Rays offense every start is very frustrating.
His ERA has been inconsistent, but he’s very consistent if you look at his DIPs stats. Over the past six years, other than last year’s 3.42, his FIP has been between 3.82-4.24 and he has thrown 200+ innings every season.
Inconsistent?
On his way to sixth straight season of 31+ starts.
Consistent xFIP, BB and K rates…
Honestly, isn’t he one of the MORE consistent guys around?
He isn’t nearly as inconsistent as his ERA would suggest, but he’s hardly one of the more consistent guys around. His xFIP has swung 75 points, his FIP and SIERA have both swung ~100 points, his BB/9 has swung more than a full walk, and his K/9 has swung more than 1.5 Ks.
And Verlander’s has swung 158 points. Take the last 3 years of Shields and you have 3.55, 3.25, and this year 3.47. Walks are up a little, but so are his strikeouts. Ground balls are way up and he’s been a little unlucky on balls in play given that his line drive rate is within his career norms. Just check out the metrics on the TB infield defense. Other than Pena, brutal.
I don’t know what Verlander has to do with anything, first of all. And I never said he was inconsistent (in fact, I specifically said he wasn’t nearly as inconsistent as his ERA would suggest), he’s just not one of the more consistent guys around. His peripherals aren’t any less consistent than the next guys, but they aren’t really any more consistent either, he’s just “normal.”
The “more consistent guys” would be guys like Sabathia whose FIP, xFIP, and SIERA have all only fluctuated ~50 points over the last 7 years.
FIP- (100 is league average), 2012-2009
100
89
106
95
ERA- (100 is league average), 2012-2009
115
72
131
97
SIERA, 2012-2009
3.49
3.29
3.57
3.99
tERA, 2012-2009
4.05
3.47
4.32
4.18
Given there need for 1B and C, how about a trade to Atlanta including catcher Chris Bethancourt or a trade to Anaheim including 1B C.J Cron or a guy like Jean Segura. This also probably means they will be willing to shop around B.J Upton.
I think Shields could put up some good numbers in Atlanta. Another thing people gotta see is his numbers are bound to improve getting out of the AL East.
Great point. A ton of people say he won’t net much of a return compared to last year which is 100% true, but this guy is AL East proven, 2+ years of control for a fair amount of money, and like you said his numbers will improve pitching in the NL facing a pitcher. I think he is a good fit for Atlanta given there starting pitching needs.
Well said.
I don’t want him to go to the Braves. I am a Braves fan, and for all the talk about him being better against the NL, well in 26 career starts against the NL, he has a 4.29 ERA
Take out the 14 games he has pitched against weaker teams (Marlins, Astros, Mets) the past few years, then it is 12 games against better NL teams with a 5.652 ERA
i could see the angels in on shields. something around Cron or maybe Conger + might get it done
Why would he be frustrated? Hes best friends with David Price and doesnt dislike anyone on the team, hes pitching on a pretty good team, nice area, with little pressure.
I think they mean frustrated by his performance.
they be lucky to get drew stubbs now though
Did I hear Drew Stubbs for James Shields? Who do I call?
Lucky? How so?
I would be willing to do turner and brantly for shields.
Under a reasonable team control til 2014? Blue Jays HAVE to go after him. No excuses. This isn’t a 20 million dollar sucker punch contract to the team.
No way he’s traded to the Blue Jays. Tampa doesn’t do trades within their division.
If the Jays offer the Rays what they need, they won’t care about trading in their division. If the Jays were willing to trade Halladay in their own division, I am sure the Rays can part with Shields. JPA and Adam Lind.
Are you suggesting J.P and Lind for Shields?
Braves should be a favorite
What would it take to get him? At least Teheran I’m sure.
Should be give them Hanson for Shields as a win now move?
i think the rays ought to hold on to james shields. they will eventually overtake the orioles and be one of the wild card teams at the end of the season. they might be having a tough tme now,but i think they will right their ship.
You need to get ahold of yourself.
“You’ve got to be able to handle your own intensity!”
How can you say this? Especially with Longoria all busted up?
O’s get to the playoffs by default this year. :p
They’re not giving up lol……I can assure you
Rays need a bat or a catcher/shortstop. If you don’t have any, you aren’t getting Shields
Should have done it last season when his value soared. They’ll be offered almost half of what they were offered then.
This time last year most rational baseball fans and insiders would have known the Rays could’ve got a kings ransom for Shields. They instead hold on him and 12 months later are going to get a small fraction in return.
Andrew Friedman is, imo, the best GM in baseball but he really dropped the ball with this one.
Hindsight has perfect 20/20 vision
His value was very very high last season, was there a chance he could improve on that, but what are the chances of it happening. Instead he regressed and lost that value. Hindsight may be 20/20, but at some point you have to realize that it’s going to be very difficult to beat that years stat line.
I don’t think anyone in their right mind (and Friedman is by all accounts in his right mind) expected Shields to repeat last year’s performance.
What he was expecting, in my opinion, is for the Rays to field one of the best teams they have ever had this season, and make a real shot at winning another pennant and getting to the WS. Having even half of what Shields was last season should have been a huge factor in that push, but all of the unexpected injuries and general stroke of bad luck has derailed that plan to some extent.
Exactly. Spot on.
Since the Rangers are in on everyone and targeted him last year, they probably have interest
I’d prefer he go to an NL club.
Tigers: Turner, Brantly and a low-level guy would probably get it done. Dare I say Porcello could be offered instead of Turner? As a Tigers fan I would be OK with this. Always a big fan of Shields. Contract looks manageable for a #2 type guy.
My gut instinct tells me Friedman is looking for big bats, so I would toss Turner out of the deal and Brantly doesn’t have a lot of pop.
If that were what it’d take, I’d jump in on that in a heartbeat.
Don’t get me wrong, I still think Porcello/Turner are going to grow into 2-3 type pitchers. Solid middle of the rotation guys. But if I could get Shields behind JV and in front of Fister/Smyly/Scherzer. All day. It’d be a scary rotation
I could see the cardinals interfere
What would you suggest the Redbirds offer for Shields?
It’d be tough because I don’t think they’d include Taveras or Wong for different reasons. They would probably include Miller this year, but that’s probably selling low on a very young pitcher who is still striking out a lot of people at a level he’s even a little young for. Cox is expendable, but they have Longoria so not sure they’d be interested in him.
I would do something like Shelby Miller, Matt Adams, and Jordan Swagerty….really don’t know how close that would be.
Edit: Looking again, I doubt that’d be enough. maybe add in a live bullpen arm like Sanchez
I don’t think this will be enough and Detroit will probably
have to add some B- type prospects or switch out Castellanos for Turner.
I know Tiger fans don’t want to hear that, but we’ve already seen the market
for TOR, cost controlled SP. Oakland received 3 top 100 prospects for Gio
Gonzalez. Cleveland and San Diego each received 2 top 50 prospects for
Ubaldo Jimenez and Mat Latos. The Rays
received two top 100 prospects plus for Matt Garza and James Shields will
receive a similar type of return. I think
it will take either 2 top 100 prospects plus some lower guys or a stud, top 20
type of prospect plus a C+ guy like Brantley to make it happen.
i didnt know the indians traded ubaldo jimenez.
This was supposed to be in response to the Tiger fans saying Turner and Brantley.
I doubt Friedman is slow enough to accept a “quantity” trade like the one the Tigers used for Fister.
Hmm, this is interesting, considering there are two kind of darkhorse teams that I think will try and pick up Shields considering they have what the Rays want: a decent MLB ready catcher, and that of course is the Rangers and Mariners. Not so sure if the M’s will go for it considering they are not going to be in the run for the playoffs, but Shields would give them a strong chip for a team that could easily be ready by next year, and easy trade bait is Olivio (or however he wants his named spelled) and maybe a few other B- prospects that the M’s seems to not want to really use in AAA. And I could see the Rangers easily trading Torrealba and maybe Kirkman or some okay prospects in AA or AAA, instead of going after Hamels and Grienke. Dunno, but this might be interesting.
I thnk Atlanta would be an ideal landing spot for him, with probably the best OF defense in the NL, plus better than average defense on the IF wih Simmons & freeman.
I say build a deal like this
Braves get: James Shields & Jake McGee
Rays get: christian Bethancourt, Joey terdlosavich, Zeke Spruill, and Carlos Perez.
Just don’t worry about the deals here. Friedman will get the deal he wants, and if not, the Rays keep him and wait next year. They are more likely to shop Upton this year, but if the Rays are serious about contending this year, they should trade Shields for major league level catching and shortstops, and maybe 1-2 prospects. Their system is already loaded.
Garza or Shields as a Tigs fan would be fantastic. The issue is that they will likely not be able to hold one of Porcello/Scherzer after 2013 due to rising costs…so do you hold onto Turner and backfill Porcello? Or does Illitch say ‘I’m 82 and I wanna win” and do something like Turner and Brantley…Brantley won’t be a 30 HR guy but he’s a good hitter with some pop…Lucroy/Doumit type w/o the injury issues….Go get em DD!