The Chicago Cubs were very close to signing James Shields this winter. How close? Well, according to Shields himself, Chicago was the runner-up to the Padres for his services.
James Shields just said on @Mighty1090 that his decision came down to the Cubs and Padres.
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) February 12, 2015
Earlier reports had the Cubs’ offer for Shields at three years and roughly $60 million with a vesting option.
cubs offered shields 3 years plus vesting option late. they spent 175M on SP (lester 155), werent going to be in mid 70s.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 9, 2015
Imagine the winter that the Cubs would have if they managed to add Jon Lester, Jason Hammel, *and* Shields. 25-year old Kyle Hendricks, who had a 2.46 ERA in 80 1/3 innings over 13 starts in the second half for Chicago, wouldn’t be guaranteed a spot in their rotation!
The Cubs are probably better off missing out on Shields, though. An outlay of nearly $240 million on three starting pitchers over 30 would be quite a risky investment. As it is, $175 million on two starters is risky. Adding a third, even older, pitcher to the mix? C’mon.
