Kansas City Royals ace James Shields told Jim Bowden of SiriusXM on Tuesday that he is not open to in-season contract negotiations. Shields is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2014 season and the star pitcher hasn’t discussed a long-term deal with his current club.
Shields was 13-9 with a 3.15 ERA, 1.238 WHIP, and 196 strikeouts in 228.2 innings last season for the Royals. If the Royals can’t retain Shields, it will sting for a long time. He was acquired before the 2013 season in a trade that sent 2013 American League Rookie of the Year winner Wil Myers to the Tampa Bay Rays.
James Shields told us he has no interest in negotiating with the Royals once the season starts Sirius 209 XM 89
— JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) March 4, 2014
Shields has a reputation of being a big-game pitcher who often comes up big in clutch situations. Large-market teams such as the Yankees and Dodgers will probably be willing to sign Shields to a very lucrative contract. Nobody around Major League Baseball would be surprised if Shields landed a contract for upward of $20 million per season on the open market.
Should Royals fans already regret trading Wil Myers? Let me know on Twitter @briansflood
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