The rumors are back. Philadelphia Phillies' ace Cole Hamels is being pursued by the San Diego Padres and free-agent starter James Shields is garnering interest from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The NL West is showing no signs of slowing down. The Padres, who have been the most active team in the offseason, is said to still be in pursuit of Hamels, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The possibility became a reality after general manager A.J. Preller acquired Matt Kemp, Justin Upton and Wil Myers in December, which immediately propelled the team into discussions of playoff contention.
If they're willing to surrender the young talent the Phillies want, the Padres appear to be one of the top clubs to acquire Hamels because the left-hander is from San Diego. Earlier this offseason, Hamels made it known if Philadelphia were to trade him he would prefer a team on the West Coast or in the Midwest because his family is from San Diego and his wife's family is from St. Louis. He said it was important for his children to see their families as they get older.
However, he also noted that Philadelphia is where he wants to be because his immediate family has been there for the duration of his career.
"But while nothing appears imminent, or even necessarily on the front burner, one executive with another team suggested the Padres may be more likely than some others to land Hamels, based on their decent prospect list and obvious resolve to contend in 2015," Heyman writes.
Heyman also said Padres' outfielder Wil Myers is not included in these trade talks, since it was rumored he was involved in previous discussions.
Also in the division, the Arizona Diamondbacks are said to be in the mix for Shields, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal, who also notes that the right-hander's market is not at $100 million as previously thought. However, last week it was noted Shields had a $110 million offer on the table from an undisclosed club, but Rosenthal and Jon Morosi were told by a source today that the "did not want to go to that team."
The D-Backs are in need of a No. 1 starter and Shields could be that guy if he can be signed at the right price. The right-hander is also from California, so he would be a lot closer to his hometown if he were to land in Arizona. The 33-year-old Shields has tossed over 200 innings in each of the last eight seasons and was 14-8 with a 3.21 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 34 starts with the Royals in 2014.
There are likely a number of teams looking to sign Shields, but the fact that the Diamondbacks aren't known to hand out $100 million contracts reveals that even mid-market teams have a chance at landing him.
