The New York Yankees had a fairly low key offseason for the New York Yankees. The signings and trades they made weren't major, but now they may have to make a significant acquisition if their starting rotation isn't healthy. Can James Shields be that signing for general manager Brian Cashman?
Shields was, and probably still is, seeking a five-year deal, but based on what's been said by a number of anonymous executives, it looks like he'll get four years at the most and an average annual salary below $20 million. At 33 years old and having thrown at least 200 innings in each of the past eight seasons, the demand for Shields has appeared to steadily decrease as the offseason went on.
According to Bill Madden of the New York Daily News, a potential deal for the right-hander is unlikely to be in excess of three years and will probably be worth a third of what he was initially seeking. If that's the case, he would be deemed affordable by most MLB clubs, especially those who have any question marks in their starting rotation. Enter the New York Yankees.
With C.C. Sabathia (knee surgery), Ivan Nova (Tommy John surgery), Masahiro Tanaka (partially torn UCL) and Michael Pineda (13 starts in past three seasons) headlining the team's starting rotation, there's no guarantee their health will hold up for a full 162-game season. Cashman can provide New York with some insurance if he can land Shields on a bargain deal, and although the nine-year veteran doesn't have great numbers at Yankee Stadium (4-9 with a 4.85 ERA), he has a lot of experience pitching against American League East teams. Additionally, he won't be pitching against the stacked Yankees' lineups he was facing when he was a starter for the Tampa Bay Rays.
"I think the Yankees will be well served for the long run by what they've done here this winter," writes Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com. "But I also think that in what could be a wide-open American League East, the Yanks would be remiss not to make every effort to shore up their greatest weakness -- starting-pitching stability -- before Opening Day. The most logical way to do that is to sign James Shields."
This is of course assuming Shields is not commanding a five-year deal in the $100 million range because Cashman noted, "Typically, when we're aggressive in the winter with a lot of big-time contracts is when big contracts are coming off (the payroll). This winter wasn't that case," via this NJ.com article.
"If we're evaluating Shields not as a $20 million-plus-per-season arm but more like a guy whose salary falls in the low-teen range over a shorter term, that's a scenario the Yanks can swallow," Castrovince added.
New York added a number of bullpen arms this offseason likely assuming the starting rotation won't be carrying the team deep into games. The addition of Shields will bolster the rotation, provide some stability and give some of those bullpen arms a break.
