Padres, White Sox in “serious” discussions about James Shields

UPDATE (5/29, 5:28PM): Bruce Levine of 670 The Score reports that the talks between the White Sox and Padres are “fluid”. It’ll all come down to the last $58M on Shields’ contract and how that’s handled. Levine also reports that top Sox prospect Tim Anderson will not be apart of a deal.

The Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres are reportedly in “serious” discussions about starting pitcher James Shields. It is unknown if a deal is imminent, but the talks have “significant momentum”, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Shields, 34, is 2-6 with a 3.04 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 64.2 innings pitched this season. Despite the bad record, he is still a dependable pitcher who is also really consistant. The one big problem with Shields is his contract. He signed a backloaded contract in 2015 with San Diego. He’ll make $21M in this year and in the next two years. His contract includes a $2M buyout or a $16M option for 2019.

Shields also has a tendency to give up a few long balls. He gave up 33 last year and has not given up less than 20 a year since his rookie season with Tampa Bay in 2006. U.S. Cellular Field, the home ballpark of the White Sox, is a home run friendly park. Could this play into whether or not the Sox pull off a trade like this?

Keith Law of ESPN reports that the Sox would be willing to move top prospect shortstop Tim Anderson for a “mid-rotation starter”. There is no indication that Anderson is apart of the Shields talks, but San Diego may be interested in the 2013 first round pick. They have Alexi Ramirez (34) and Alexi Amarista (27) at the shortstop position. Neither one seem to be long term solutions, and acquiring Anderson in a possible trade would give them that long term solution.

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