THE SHIELDS DRAMA

There is more talk about James Shields almost as if it's the ultimate puzzle.  Bigger than Rubik cube... bigger than Jenga.  We're talking the ultimate... Which baseball analyst, sports guy, blogger will figure out the landing spot and amount of James Shields next contract first!  Here's my answer... who cares?

I do know this, if Jon Morosi of FOX Sports is correct, the Yankees are "in", despite what Ken Davidoff and Joel Sherman of the New York Post say.  Here's Davidoff from his piece:

"The Yankees, with their payroll close to last year’s number, don’t seem very interested."

Here's Sherman:

Like with Scherzer, I continue to hear #Yankees are not in play for significant fr-agt SP such as Shields
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) February 4, 2015

Maybe the Yankees weren't interested before. But with a price drop, I can guarantee you they are in now. Oh, and for the record... it doesn't matter.  As I've stated here numerous times, everyone has different sources, and the truth is, no one is right, until it's over.  That's usually when Jon Heyman shows up and Tweets, 'Look at me, I have the right answer!" That would then be followed up by a Ken Rosenthal tweet who then "tweaks" Heyman a bit, but is always courteous to give "bragging rights" credit.  He's nice.

Here's the thing, being a Yankee fan and reading Morosi, I knew it would be a risky story to put out last night.  After all, it's a comment from a "rival GM" and you know what? That's the rumor season. When it comes to us, the blogs, we try to be smart at what we put out there.  Truth be told though, the past 24 hours on BYB have been madness because of our report titled REPORT: YANKEES ARE IN ON SHIELDS.

Why madness, you ask? I'll tell you why; Because say what you will about James Shields... when he was first on the market, the idea of signing him for $110 million was silly and obnoxious.  Now, weeks later, Shields price has dropped. The asking price now is $60 million over 3 years, a Davidoff report. That makes more sense to us fans, but it's damn appealing to Yankees right now.  That's in the ball park. Having James Shields at that price... and Yoan Moncada too, will complete the winter and we can definitely look forward to Spring.

Davidoff writes more:

"Morosi mentions San Diego as a possible suitor, and signing Shields would make the Padres’ winter even more electric than it already has been. Milwaukee seems like an obvious candidate: Brewers owner Mark Attanasio has a history of late-offseason free-agent signings such as Matt Garza last year and Kyle Lohse two years ago.

 
The third-highest contract signed by a starting pitcher this offseason is the four-year, $55 million contract Ervin Santana signed with Minnesota. Santana is 32, just one year younger than Shields, and nowhere as consistent or accomplished.

So let’s set that number, $55 million, as the bar for Shields’ free-agency legacy. If he and his little-known agent Paige Odle can’t exceed that, Shields should join Reed in the annals of all-time Hot Stove underachievers."

In the end, and while I like Davidoff. I don't get it.  Is he talking to the fans because here's the thing... fans don't care about Hot Stove busts. All they care about is getting good players and having their team do it any way they can.  Some fans don't care if we spend high, and for us Yankee fans, if cheap is the way to go these days, so be it. 

Plus... look... the Yanks are in, and I guess there's amnesia. I guess certain reporters don't remember the Yankees and their stealth tactics when it comes to Free Agents. The Yanks are in... I'll put money on it.  In the back of Brian Cashman's mind, he is fully aware that the Yankees starting rotation isn't as solid as it may appear on paper.  One of the big reasons is uncertainty.  The other is injury.  If Cashman can sure up the rotation with a guy like Shields at the discount price, it's not only smart, it's borderline brilliant.  But they gotta do it right... they can't overpay.

We'll see what happens with the Yankees and James Shields.  Maybe nothing will happen, but remember one thing in this whole saga... it's only baseball.  Remember, James Shields prefers the west coast. But if the right deal and a chance to make it to the World Series and play for a big time franchise pops up, guess what else he'll prefer. Never count the Yankees out.

In the meantime, just chalk up the "baseball insiders" stumbling over each other as comedy.  And when the story comes out... we'll report it for you correctly. 

That IS why you come to BYB... right?

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