MLB

James Shields Should Be Pittsburgh Pirates’ Top Free Agent Target

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By @Tweets_ByJ

James Shields

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The Pittsburgh Pirates have never been seen as big spenders during the MLB offseason. The biggest contract the team has ever given a free agent was a two-year, $17 million deal to Russell Martin. But this winter, the team has a lot of money to spend and could look to make a big move. And this big move could be to sign star pitcher James Shields.

Shields is not your typical Pirates free agent target by any stretch of the imagination, but this is not a typical offseason for the Pirates. They don’t have a ton of holes to fill and they have a lot of money to spend. According to Pirates President Frank Coonelly, Pittsburgh’s payroll is expected to exceed $90 million. He also stated that he believes that money should go exclusively to the starting rotation. The Pirates are currently projected to have $70 million in payroll, meaning there is still at least $20 million to be spent. That is definitely enough money to sign a guy like Shields and not break the bank.

Shields is projected to sign a deal for around $16 million a year for five years. The money shouldn’t be a problem for Pittsburgh, because they would still have at least $4 million, likely more, to upgrade the first base platoon or add another pitcher. The years may be an issue, because Shields will be 38 years old by the end of it and the Pirates will want to spend his money on younger players. But a simple solution to this would be to trade Shields at a later date, maybe two or three years down the road. This would free up money and, if he is still pitching at a high level, give the team good prospects to work with.

And for this investment, the Pirates would be getting something they crave — a true ace pitcher. The team reportedly tried to acquire Jon Lester and David Price at the trade deadline this season but the deals fell through. Now they have a chance to do this in the offseason. Shields has pitched lights out since 2011, never having an ERA above 3.52 in any of those seasons. He also has a strikeout rate of seven per nine innings while only walking two in the same time frame. The most important stat, though, is that Shields has over 200 innings pitched in every season since 2007. That shows he is reliable and likely to pitch this well for a full season, every season.

Normally, signing a pitcher like Shields would be a crazy thought for the Pirates, but this is an abnormal offseason for them. The team has money to spend and has been seeking a pitcher that they can call on as an ace. The match doesn’t make sense in any other offseason, but while the big market teams try to court Max Scherzer and Lester, don’t be surprised if the Pirates swoop in and sign Shields.

Justin Broyles is a Pirates writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @Tweets_ByJ, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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