I’m sure this will get a whole lot more attention tomorrow, but Dave Kaplan just dropped a serious rumor on the late-nighters among you:
Cubs may be looking to add top flight starter to rotation. Sources confirm they are kicking tires on James Shields. http://t.co/2PRkLT7DM9
— David Kaplan (@thekapman) February 5, 2015
Cubs have been waiting to see where market goes+Shields has interest. There are several others involved but history w/Maddon is a factor.
— David Kaplan (@thekapman) February 5, 2015
To me, that sounds like the Cubs are willing to swoop in if there’s a bargain to be had – which is absolutely the right approach, to me, and the right limit to their pursuit. Until now, however, I didn’t think it was realistic that Shields’ price would fall far enough to reach the Cubs’ comfort level without a number of other teams also pushing that price right back up. If that price does fall into the three or four-year, $15 to $18 million AAV range, it starts to become a deal that would be hard for any team to pass up, including the Cubs.
You can read Kaplan’s piece for more, but the upshot is really striking: the Cubs are interested at some level, and they are among the teams Shields is still considering. According to multiple reports, Shields could make a decision by the end of this week, so this could move quickly – be it with the Cubs or another team.
In these situations, you never quite know when there’s gamesmanship involved, and when a team is merely “involved” in order to impact the price for another team. So, tread lightly with respect to any excitement here.
As I said, I expect to hear a lot more on this tomorrow. For tonight, however, let your mind run wild.
Maybe not too wild:
Again, everyone getting excited but R-E-L-A-X. They're simply kicking the tires. No deal close. Shields could make his decision this weekend
— David Kaplan (@thekapman) February 5, 2015