Chicago White Sox: James Shields Won’t Use Opt-Out
James Shields will not use the opt-out in his contract this offseason. The move ensures he will be with the Chicago White Sox in 2017 and 2018.
On Thursday Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish broke the news that James Shields would not use the available opt-out clause in his current contract. Shields could have become a free agent this offseason, but he has chosen to remain in Chicago for 2017 and 2018. The Chicago White Sox have a team option available for the 2019 season.
As Cotillo notes, this move “was a formality” as Shields was coming off the worst season of his 11-year MLB career. He opened 2016 in San Diego but was traded to Chicago in June for Fernando Tatis and Erik Johnson. The trade was essentially a salary dump for the Padres according to Mike Axisa of CBS Sports. San Diego will continue to pay Shields $10 million (of $21 million total) each of the next two seasons.
Shields struggled prior to the trade, but his time with the White Sox was a disaster. He went 4-12 with a 6.77 ERA in 22 starts. Home runs were a major problem for Shields throughout the season. He gave up a league-leading 40 long balls and had the third worst HR/FB rate among qualified pitchers (17.8 percent). Clearly the White Sox are hoping that Shields can bounce back in 2017, but at age 34 it is fair to suggest that he has reached a point of diminished productivity.
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From 2011-2014, Shields went 58-39 with a 3.17 ERA for Tampa Bay and Kansas City. The Rays shipped Shields and Wade Davis to the Royals in December of 2012. Kansas City sent back Patrick Leonard, Mike Montgomery, Wil Myers and Jake Odorizzi in return. At the time, this was viewed as a “win now” move by Kansas City, and it was partly justified by their 2014 trip to the World Series. It also didn’t hurt that Wade Davis unexpectedly became one of the most dominant relievers in baseball.
What has been the biggest factor contributing to Shields’ struggles? His diminishing fastball velocity seems to be the main culprit. Both Jeff Sullivan and Chris Towers addressed how hitters were feasting on Shields’ fastball offerings in recent seasons. While his off-speed pitches have remained effective, Shields is now struggling to keep hitters honest.
The White Sox enter this offseason with several important questions surrounding the future of their pitching staff. The biggest question mark is the status of Chris Sale. Sale is coming off another impressive season (3.34 ERA, 233 SO), but he experienced several highly publicized conflicts with Chicago’s front office in 2016. The team has club options on Sale through 2019, and some have suggested the starter could have a new home at the start of next season.
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Jose Quintana and Carlos Rodon round out a solid top of the rotation, but there are questions about the back-end. A productive Shields would obviously be a help in this regard. It’s hard to believe he could be as bad as last season, but at this point in his career the White Sox have to expect that the best days of “Big Game James” are behind him.