The San Diego Padres are undergoing yet another overhaul under general manager A.J. Preller, but this time they are getting rid of expensive players rather than acquiring them. After moving Craig Kimbrel and Joaquin Benoit, rumors suggest James Shields could be next.
ESPN's Buster Olney has the latest on the situation:
Padres continue to try to push James Shields in the trade market. Owed $63 million over the next three seasons.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) December 3, 2015
Although trade rumors suggested in the past that Shields could be on the block, especially before August's waiver deadline, this is the first we've heard about him possibly being traded since early November, when Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune said Preller "might push the hardest" to move the right-hander.
Those efforts may intensify after the Pads acquired pitcher Drew Pomeranz from the Oakland Athletics yesterday. Preller said Pomeranz, a left-hander, gives the team flexibility since he has experience as both a starter and reliever. He obviously isn't a formidable replacement for Shields, but he can slip into the rotation if Shields is dealt.
So what MLB teams would consider making a trade for the right-hander?
The Chicago Cubs could be a potential destination. Rumors suggest the Cubs are interested in Tyson Ross, but the Padres want a "monster package" in return for him. What if the Cubs offered to take on the remaining three years and $63 million Shields' deal? That would likely lessen Preller's asking price for Ross.
Chicago was linked to Shields in trade rumors this past season, but the team has other needs and may not want to have another player earning $20 million per season on their payroll moving forward.
Nonetheless, it's a realistic scenario to consider if the Cubs really want Ross. Maybe the Cubs can include Jason Hammel in the deal and shed that $9 million salary from their 2016 payroll. Starlin Castro has also been linked to the Padres in previous rumors, so maybe the Cubs can send the remaining $40 million on his contract to San Diego.
Just a few things to keep in mind that aren't entirely out of the question. It may all depend on who the Cubs decide to chase in free agency.
And what about the Red Sox? Yes, Dave Dombrowski may have indicated the team is no longer making big trades/signings after trading for Craig Kimbrel as well as signing David Price and Chris Young. However, he left the door open for any possibilities moving forward.
"I feel good about the roster as it is. I think we've been able to address really our biggest needs," he told The Associated Press. "I think our major moves are done. But when you go into the winter meetings, you never know what happens."
He also did business with the Pads in the Kimbrel deal, so perhaps the two sides can work something out again. There's little chance they'd be able to move Rick Porcello (they may not want to, anyway), but perhaps Pablo Sandoval (assuming the Red Sox eat some of his salary) and/or Wade Miley could interest the Padres. San Diego tried to sign Sandoval last offseason and they could use Miley, an experienced left-hander in their rotation, under a team-friendly deal.
Such a move would deepen the Red Sox rotation with experience (Shields has pitched in the AL East for most of his career) and allow them to get rid of Sandoval, who did not have a good debut season with Boston. Hanley Ramirez is always another trade piece, but at this point he doesn't seem like a National League player and it'd be hard to convince the Padres to add him to their payroll when he doesn't have a clear position on defense.
Again, just spitballing. None of this has been speculated or even mentioned in rumors, but it's good to keep some potential destinations in mind with the Winter Meetings around the corner.
