Oct 9, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher James Shields (33) speaks with the media prior to workouts the day before game one of the 2014 ALCS against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
The Kansas City Royals might be headed to the World Series Tuesday with their ace “Big Game” James Shields on the mound but it is a possibility, depending on how long the series goes, that it could be Shields final start in a Royals uniform.
The day after the final game of the 2014 World Series Shields, like many other players, will technically become free agents. Of course the Royals have five days to give Shields a qualifying offer and Shields has another week to decide if he will accept the one- year $15.3 million offer.
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This seems unlikely as he could command up to a four or, more likely, a five-year contract on the free agent market. The Royals have said that they would like to attempt to resign him as a free agent but given their financial state that appears to not be in the cards for Kansas Ciry.
That said re-signing Shields is not a complete impossibility. Reportedly they are preparing a five-year $80 million deal to try to persuade the right hander to stay. If the Royals do win the World Series this year, that gives Shields another incentive to remain in Kansas City.
As the Royals remain in the race for shield, you can expect more teams to jump in and try to obtain Shields’ services. Including the Royals, here are five teams that are the most likely to be in mix to sign James Shields.
The bidding will likely begin a little over the week after the World Series ends. Expect the fight for Shields, also Max Scherzer and Jon Lester, to be quite entertaining.