After two rough starts with the Chicago White Sox, James Shields could join a long line of pitchers who disappointed their new teams after a trade. Here are six notable examples in recent memory.
It’s a frequent occurrence in the unpredictable world of Major League Baseball. A team trades for an established starting pitcher to provide a boost to its rotation, only to watch him fall well short of expectations. The common thread in such scenarios is often an anxious team reaching a bit too soon for the panic button.
The latest example might be James Shields, who was acquired by the Chicago White Sox on June 4. With the club’s postseason hopes rapidly sinking, they swung a deal with the San Diego Padres for the former All-Star hurler in hopes that he would provide a spark from the mound.
Well, the only things sparking so far are opposing hitters’ bats. Shields’ first two starts in the Windy City haven’t exactly gone according to plan. In his first outing with the ChiSox, the veteran right-hander was torn to shreds by the Nationals, combusting to the tune of seven runs on eight hits (including three homers) in only two innings. His follow-up five days later wasn’t much better, as he surrendered six earned runs on nine hits across five frames. In those two starts combined, Shields walked six while striking out just three.
It should be noted that these are only two starts, and Shields still has plenty of season left to turn himself around. However, the various factors at play here aren’t very encouraging. Shields is 34 years old and has shown signs of decline for a few years now. Moving him from a pitcher’s paradise like Petco Park into a homer-prone venue such as U.S. Cellular Field probably won’t do him many favors either.
If the deal winds up a bust, the White Sox certainly wouldn’t be alone in making a trade for a high-profile starting pitcher that didn’t quite pan out. Not everyone can strike midseason gold like the Brewers did with CC Sabathia in 2008. Let’s take a look at six memorable instances of a hurler missing the mark after swapping uniforms. For the sake of scope, we’ll stick to the year 2000 and onward.
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