Report: Tigers In Contact With Agent Of James Shields
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - General manager Dave Dombrowski said the Detroit Tigers are not actively pursuing starting pitcher Max Scherzer, but the team may be going after the second-best starter on the market.
Jon Morosi of Fox Sports reports Detroit has been in contact with the agent of James Shields, the pitcher who spent the last two seasons as ace of the Kansas City Royals. Morosi notes that Shields and starting pitcher David Price, whom the Tigers acquired at the trade deadline last year, are close friends.
Known as Big Game James, Shields recorded a 3.18 ERA over 68 starts and 455 2/3 innings during his two years in Kansas City. Shields struggled in the 2014 World Series, however, which Kansas City lost in seven games. A nine-year veteran, Shields turned in an ERA of 4.25 over his first five seasons, but his ERA over the last four years is 3.17.
Dombrowski has said the Tigers are comfortable with their starting rotation as it is - Price, Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez and newcomers Shane Greene and Alfredo Simon - but as recently as before the 2014 season Detroit was willing to spend $144 million over six years to keep Scherzer around.
As Morosi noted, the Tigers could likely snag the 33-year-old Shields for significantly less than that amount. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports wrote Jan. 4 that two executives told him Shields had an offer of $110 million over five years.
