Cubs among teams interested in free agent James Shields

It’s been awhile since the Chicago Cubs have had more than two ace proven quality pitchers on their roster, but if the chips fall in their favor by the end of the week – they could have themselves the best rotation in the league.

According to CSN Chicago’s David Kaplan, the Cubs are one of the many teams interested in free agent James Shields. You read that correctly, it appears that this team may not be done making huge moves just yet.

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It’s a bit surprising to know that no one has picked up the 33-year-old who helped the Kansas City Royals reach the World Series against the San Francisco Giants this past season. After having himself a stellar post-season run including one of the greatest head-to-head battles with now Cubs’ ace Jon Lester, Shields reportedly has multiple offers on the table.

A move to Chicago shouldn’t necessarily shock anyone considering the fact that Shields spent quite a bit of time under Joe Maddon as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays for six years.

In 34 starts with the Royals, Shields finished with a 14-8 record while recording 180 strikeouts, 180/44 K/BB ratio, 1.18 WHIP and a 3.21 ERA through 227 innings. Just like Lester, Shields has some experience when it comes to pitching in the post-season.

He’s started a total of 11 starts in the post-season as a member of both the Rays and Royals but failed to win a World Series.

As mentioned at the beginning of the article, Lester and Shields found themselves battling it out for the final spot in what would be one of the greatest wild card games in league history.

A game where the Royals would win on a Salvador Perez walk-off single in the 12th inning.

Despite his team winning in dramatic fashion to move onto the next round, Shields exited the ballgame after five innings of work. He would go onto give up a combined 13 earned runs in 20 innings against the Angels, Orioles and the Giants after getting past the Athletics.

Adding Shields would surely improve Chicago’s odds of winning not only the NL Central this season, but also the World Series. The team watched their Las Vegas odds increase after landing both Maddon and Lester during the off-season and could become the heavy favorite if this move just so happens to follow through.

Imagine this starting rotation: Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, James Shields, Jason Hammel and Kyle Hendricks. This would eventually make Travis Wood the odd-man out, making him a possible trade chip in a package that includes veteran catcher Welington Castillo.

A trade that appears to be inevitable. That is if the club is able to find someone willing to meet their asking price.

Next: Jon Lester already in Mesa

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