Trade for James Shields confirms White Sox aim to contend in 2016
The Chicago White Sox have acquired veteran right-hander James Shields in a trade with the San Diego Padres, according to Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish.
Dennis Lin of the San Diego Tribune previously reported the two sides had been deep in discussions for the last week, exchanging prospect’s names and negotiating financial details. Those talks reportedly intensified on Saturday, leading to a deal getting finalized before Shields’ scheduled start against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday night.
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As part of the deal, Lin reports the Padres will receive shortstop prospect Fernando Tatis Jr., who’s the son of former major leaguer Fernando Tatis, along with minor league pitcher Erik Johnson. The Padres reportedly targeted bigger named prospects, such as Tim Anderson, early in the process. But the White Sox simply weren’t going to budge on that.
The deal says a lot about the direction both teams are headed, or at least in the White Sox situation where they’d like to go. After a fast start in April, they looked like a team capable of contending in the AL Central. At one time, the White Sox built up a five game lead, but that slipped completely away in May, leaving them as a fringe team in need of a boost.
General manager Rick Hahn hopes that will be provided by Shields, who if nothing else has been a tried and true workhorse over his 11-year career. Shields has made at least 31 starts and pitched over 200 innings in every season dating back to 2007. He’s also made 11 posteason starts, but hasn’t fared well, posting a 5.46 ERA.
Shields has struggled at times this season, posting a 2-7 record with a 4.28 ERA. He most recently allowed 10 runs over just 2 2/3 innings in a loss to the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday.
As for the Padres, they made Shields the highest paid free-agent signed in franchise history last February when they inked him to a four-year, $75 million deal. They also sacrificed a portion of their future.
Shields clearly fell out of favor even before Tuesday’s terrible outing, but that outing was the final straw. In fact, Shields was roundly criticized during top executive Ron Fowler’s now infamous rant., with Fowler calling Shields’ outing an embarrassment to the team and Shields himself.
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That doesn’t make for the most positive working environment, so perhaps the change of scenery will truly do Shields some good too, while helping stabilize the White Sox as contenders
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
