Former Royals starter James Shields is still holding out for a five-year deal reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
Shields is seeking a reported $125 million but interested teams are trying to land the 33-year-old on a four year deal.
While Shields is seeking $125 million, teams are only willing to pay $85 million. That’s a noticeable $40 million gap on the fifth season which means teams are not valuing the right hander as highly as he sees himself.
James Shields has been seeking a 5 year $125 million contract while teams have been discussing more in the 4 year, $80 million range.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 18, 2015
The good news for Shields is that Max Scherzer appears closer and closer to reaching a new deal which should drive up his market.
Shields made 34 starts last season going 14-8 with a 3.21 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Given the nickname “Big Game James,” Shields postseason performance left a lot to be desired a season ago.
The new report from Nightengale matches what Ken Rosenthal reported a week ago when he said the Diamondbacks were one of the teams who was in the mix to sign Shields. Other teams with known interest include the Tigers, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Giants. Two earlier options in the Marlins and Rangers appear to have fallen off the list.
