The Royals have extended a qualifying offer to free agent righty James Shields, the team announced (Twitter link). Shields has until 4pm CT on November 10 to decide whether or not to accept the one-year, $15.3MM offer, though it is universally expected that he’ll reject the QO in favor of a larger deal in free agency.
In making the qualifying offer, the Royals stand to receive a first-round draft pick as compensation if and when Shields rejects the QO and signs with another team. It has been presumed that K.C. wouldn’t be able to re-sign Shields given the high price tag he’ll command this winter, though the team will at least attempt to bring him back, perhaps buoyed by extra revenues from their postseason games.
I can see Shields rejecting the QA, but last year it came back to bite players like Cruz and Drew. Which players should accept a qualifying offer this year?
“Which players should accept a qualifying offer this year?”
Of the players rumored to get them, Ervin Santana easily comes to mind. I think David Robertson should too but I don’t see him accepting it, even though I think he should.
Ervin Santana.
They have to place that offer to get a draft pick. He will probably decline.
Yes and Yes.
Not a surprise. He’ll probably sign with another team so the Royals will get a supplemental pick when he does.
You mean the Royals.
Oh, so the Brewers don’t get anything through this deal? They should get something for giving up Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar with nothing to show for it…
The Brewers have plenty to show for it, they got Zack Greinke in 2010 and then flipped him for Jean Segura and pitchers Ariel Pena and Johnny Hellweg in 2012.
Yeah, I know. That was the joke. He said the Brewers instead of Royals. I know they got Greinke. Royals got Cain, Escobar, and Odorizzi. Flipped Odorizzi along with Wil Myers for Shields and Wade Davis. Greinke is the gift that just keeps on giving for the 2014 American League Champion Royals.
…the have Greinke to show for it. ..oh wait, I mean, Betancourt, Pena, Hellweg, and Segura. Brewers FTW!
My bad. Thank you I’ll correct it.
Hopefully this means the Red Sox will pass on him.
If the Red Sox plan to compete in 2015, they’ll need as much starting pitching possible. When Clay Buchholz, maybe a #3 pitcher is your best pitcher, you got a problem.
No doubt, but IMO Shields isn’t fit for Fenway and, I don’t know if he can handle the pressure. I think it’d be best lay off of him and sign somebody else, maybe Lester or Scherzer. Especially if it’s gonna take 5 years, and 100 million dollars…..
5 years for 100MM won’t sign Lester or Scherzer though, so it’s either going to cost more money (guessing 25-30MM/season @ 6+ years), or you’re going after aces via the trade market.
And the only ace I can think of that MIGHT be on the trade market would be Hamels.
Who has been good in the NL East, which means nothing one way or the other transitioning to the AL East other than weather…
I know that, and if I’m the Red Sox, I’d strongly consider getting one of Lester or Scherzer. Both will be aces for hopefully the foreseeable future, probably 3-4 years while I view Shields as an ace for next year, and a good no.2-3 after that. I don’t wanna pay 20 million for a no.3, two years down the road.
It becomes worse when you have two #3 pitchers in Buch and Shields as your best pitchers.
Shields is a #2 I’d say.
I don’t know how I feel about assigning number 1-5 to pitchers. Part of me thinks you need a good number one to succeed but then you say Shields is a 2 which I agree with and yet the Royals made the World Series with him as their “ace”. Meanwhile the Dodgers with the best number 1 in the game didn’t advance past the first round.
No reason why a team of above average pitchers say 5 pitchers with ERA+ of 105-115 couldn’t lead your team to a championship if you got lucky in the playoffs.
Not really sure who will sign “Moderately Adequate Game” James.
Red Sox. He knows the AL East, he will be a reasonable cost in dollars and years, eats innings, and the Sox are starved for veteran pitching
The problem is Shields isn’t an ace, and I could see the Sox touting “Big Game James” as their best pitcher if they land him instead of actually going after a better option. Veteran pitching is easy to come by – quality veteran pitching (i.e. #1 and #2 starters) is very difficult and expensive (either through free agency or trades) to find.
Exactly… I really think that Lester and Scherzer are going to be out of the Red Sox comfort zone due to the amount of dollars and years they are going to command. They need SP desperately and Shields would fall in to their most recent free agent signing strategy.
Unfortunately, I agree. However, I can only see the Red Sox signing Shields if they somehow get another better pitcher via trade or FA, most likely trade as you’ve accurately mentioned the Lester and Scherzer expected contracts and the recent Red Sox philosophy. I can’t see going into the year with only Shields and Buch being acceptable after coming in last place.
Probably 2 lower value signings. Shields for 4 years and Ervin Santana for 2-3 years.
“Will totally help you get to the big game” James might be more apropos.
Then self destruct…
Yep, im really not sure where the moniker “Big Game James” came from as hes never really performed in the post season, that said hes still a fine pitcher who will probably command a nice 4/5 year deal this winter.
Shields doesn’t have good postseason number but people are really over blowing his small postseason samples. Hes one of the top 25 pitchers in the game today.
OK.. a solid $13MM pitcher then… not a $20MM pitcher.
WAR is rumored to be around 7 million per with this offseason so you think Shields will produce less than 2 war per season?
Shields is 100% going to decline. Make fun of him all you want, but he’s at least a fringe ace. He’s going to get 5 years from someone (hopefully not the Yankees). And I don’t care about choking in a miniscule sample size.
Every player will decline, it a question of when. Shields’ FIP, WAR, IP and velocity have all remained very consistent. He is a no bigger risk on a 4-5 year deal than Sherzer and Lester are on a 6-7 year deal.
Royals should let him walk get the pick and sign a mid tier SP.