The White Sox announced Monday that they’ve exercised their $4.65MM club option on right-hander Nate Jones and declined a $16MM option on righty James Shields in favor of a $2MM buyout. The Sox also reinstated Michael Kopech from the 60-day disabled list, filling a 40-man spot for the bulk of the offseason. Kopech underwent Tommy John surgery late in the season. Chicago’s 40-man roster now contains 34 players.
It’s the first of three club options that the White Sox hold over Jones, who turns 33 in January. His contract also comes with a $5.15MM option for the 2020 season and a $6MM option for the 2021 campaign. Both come with $1.25MM buyout figures attached to them.
Jones missed nearly three months of the 2018 season with a pronator strain in his right arm but was, as usual, a high-quality bullpen option for the Sox when healthy. In 30 innings of relief this season, he pitched to an even 3.00 ERA with a 32-to-15 K/BB ratio, four homers allowed and a 39.5 percent ground-ball rate. Control was a bit more of an issue for Jones than in a typical season, but he’s averaged a manageable 3.3 walks per nine innings in his career, making the recent blip a bit less concerning. Jones also maintained his premium velocity, averaging 97.2 mph on his fastball, which no doubt contributed to his strong 13.6 percent swinging-strike rate.
The veteran Shields has become synonymous with the ill-fated deal that brought him to Chicago in the first place (wherein then-unheralded but now-elite prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. went to the Padres), but the 36-year-old had somewhat of a rebound season in 2018. While his 4.53 ERA won’t do much to impress anyone, Shields started 33 games and pitched in 34 overall, racking up 204 2/3 innings while averaging 6.8 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9. He’ll turn 37 in December and may be a far cry from his peak seasons as “Big Game James,” but he displayed in 2018 that he’s still plenty durable and can provide some serviceable innings at the back of a thin rotation — likely at a highly affordable rate on a one-year deal.
Is this where we sign James Shields for on year and turn him into Big Game James 2.0?
I honestly wouldn’t be surprised to see him have a comeback somewhere next year
Padres fans say “thank you for Fernando Tatis Jr.”
Don’t get too excited he hasn’t done anything in the majors yet and nothing is guaranteed
Wise words from a man that was passed over for managerial jobs. Thanks stubby.
I know right. In all honesty a guy like him is very valuable considering managers in the minors where there first duty is getting players to work on certain things instead of concentrating on winning or someone’s rehabilitation, if they can win too that is a bonus. I don’t think minor league managers get enough credit or chances in majors especially when the name of a possible manager has an upper hand because names can put seats in the stands sometimes
James Shields was below replacement level during his White Sox tenure. All Tatis has to do is be replacement level. And even if he can’t do that, at least he won’t cost the Padres $10m/yr.
And the Red Sox say thank you for Sale.
At least the White Sox got Moncada and Kopech out of that and can re-sign Sale a year from now if they wish to do so.
Joan’s done nothing and MK is injury prone with suspect control. and even if they were to outbid by 100MM hed spit in Rick’s face and storm out after they set the rotation to screw him over so they could justify getting rid of him in what literally is, due to the lack of talent that came back, a salary dump.
Salary dump? He was on a 5 year 32 million dollar deal… that’s five years for one year Kershaw or Price or Greinke… he had the most valuable non-rookie deal in the game and no other was even close.
He was the most valuable established asset to ever be traded in the free agency era.
they didn’t him to dump salary… he brought back the #1 rated hitter and pitcher. Salary dumps are about teams taking on big deals for less in return. Stanton is a salary dump.
Sometimes lottery tickets pay off big. Every team has stories like that, draft picks they missed out on, horrible trades, bad signings, etc. It sucks, but oh well.
Shields’ contract was completely underwater. Why did they give up anything with any value (even potential future value) for it?
Tatis wasn’t even a top-30 prospect in the White Sox’ system when he was traded (he hadn’t actually even played a game for their system at all) and the Padres either scouted shrewdly or got lucky or, probably a little of both. As a Padres fan, I’m glad, but obviously, these kinds of moves have worked against SD as well (Trading Corey Kluber for Ryan Ludwick is an example that jumps easily to mind).
It was a terrible trade in all respects that should have resulted in Rick Hahn’s firing. I suspect we’ll now see more Hahn incompetence as he starts signing veterans to “go for it” as he’s been incapable of developing a young core despite assets to trade and numerous high picks.
Can someone with knowledge please educate me…..are the White Sox or any other team, under rule, obligated to reinstate someone from the 60 day DL at a given point? I understand that those on the 60 day DL are not counted against the 40 man. Is there a magical calendar sequence that requires reinstatement? Is there a Rule V impact? I would think that leaving an open spot as long as possible would be advantageous and I am pretty sure that Kopech could not have been on barely 60 days. I appreciate any good answer. Thank you in advance.
The 60-day DL doesn’t exist during the offseason. They had to either reinstate Kopech or expose him to waivers, which is an easy enough decision.
As far as him being on the 40-man roster in the first place, he was going to be Rule 5 eligible after this season so again, an easy call.
Thanks Rooster…I appreciate it. Obviously, an easy decision on multiple levels. I was pretty sure that any team wouldn’t just take up a spot if they had the flexibility to use the roster/DL differently and to their advantage. Thanks again.
Thank you. I also wondered that while reading the article
Please no one say the Pirates seem like a logical place, because it doesn’t
I think he will fit well with the Pirates
Pirates sound pretty logical. If Searage can’t fix him no one can.
Pirates sound like a logical place!
The Pirates are a logical choice for James Shields. Innings eater. Veteran leadership would benefit their young rotation. A.J. Burnett 2.0
I would imagine a one year 3 to 5 million contract gets him. If I’m the Pirates or Padres I take a chance.
Watch Shields rebounds with a bottom ranked club (not the White Sox)and he gets traded by trade deadline in July for some future phenom player. But If he signs with the O’s they’ll trade him for international slot $$$, which will go unused and they’ll bypass the potential phenom player.
James Shields to the Brewers…I’m calling it now
Bad idea. He needs a pitcher’s Park like Seattle.
He needs retirement. He’s terrible and has been for quite a while.
I guess both the padres and the White Sox can finally close the door on shields, but I think piece the padres ate ended last year? Is what like 5 mil or something?
Even though Tatis, Jr., was just a nobody prospect at the time, I hated the deal when they made it. I wanted to believe Cooper could save him, but it quickly became apparent that the White Sox’ fast start that year was a mirage and that Shields just sucked. That Tatis, Jr., went on to become a top prospect sucks, but the deal was dumb at the time it was made.
Padres paid him 10 mil of his salary per year
The day that shields broke was the day he gave up to gopher ball to colon
Which explains why in his next 3 starts he gave up 0, 2 and 2 earned runs.
I want to see big game shields again. Dude was a stud
Being a Royals Fan I often wonder where “ Big Game James “ came from? His family? He did nothing “ Big Game” for us in the playoffs or World Series.
Apparently in high school he was a huge fan of NBA superstar James Worthy, whose nickname was “Big Game James.” So his high school teammates named him after his favorite basketball player.
Yes, it had absolutely nothing to do with his baseball career, but for some reason people assume it did.