“A lot of teams jumping back in” on James Shields

By Jan 20, 2015, 6:52 PM EST
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Jon Lester signed a six-year, $155 million contract with the Cubs in December and Max Scherzer struck a seven-year, $210 million deal Monday with the Nationals, which leaves James Shields as the last remaining front-line starting pitcher on this winter’s free agent market. That can be seen as a good thing for Shields — he’s the best available player at any position and teams are still looking to spend — but it’s also a good indication that no offers have met his asking price. ESPN’s Jayson Stark spoke to multiple executives this week about Shields’ situation …

“What I see now is a lot of teams jumping back in,” said one of the execs. “But part of the reason is, they’re saying, ‘We know now he’s not getting $110 million, so why not jump back in?’ But the problem is, now everyone is bottom-feeding. And when you’re someone like him, that’s the last thing you want, is a lot of teams bottom-feeding on you in late January.”

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported over the weekend that Shields has been looking for a five-year, $125 million contact but that interested teams are making proposals in the four-year, $80 million range.

Shields, 33, registered a 3.21 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 180/44 K/BB ratio across 227 innings (34 starts) last season for the American League-champion Royals. He has topped 215 innings every year since 2007.

The Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, Tigers, and Marlins are among the clubs that have been linked to him.

Dodgers place pitcher Noah Syndergaard on injured list with no timetable for return

Associated PressJun 8, 2023, 9:19 PM EDT
dodgers syndergaard
Katie Stratman/USA TODAY Sports
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CINCINNATI — The Los Angeles Dodgers placed pitcher Noah Syndergaard on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a blister on the index finger of his right throwing hand.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the timetable for Syndergaard’s return is unknown despite the 15-day designation.

“The physical, the mental, the emotional part, as he’s talked about, has taken a toll on him,” Roberts said. “So, the ability to get him away from this. He left today to go back to Los Angeles to kind of get back to normalcy.”

Syndergaard allowed six runs and seven hits in three innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night, raising his ERA to 7.16.

Syndergaard (1-4) has surrendered at least five runs in three straight starts.

Syndergaard has been trying to return to the player he was before Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the better part of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Roberts said Syndergaard will need at least “a few weeks” to both heal and get away from baseball and “reset.”

“I think searching and not being comfortable with where he was at in the moment is certainly evident in performance,” Roberts said. “So hopefully this time away will provide more clarity on who he is right now as a pitcher.

“Trying to perform when you’re searching at this level is extremely difficult. I applaud him from not running from it, but it’s still very difficult. Hopefully it can be a tale of two stories, two halves when he does come back.”