James Shields rumors: San Diego Padres still front-runner

It appears – at long last – that the James Shields sweepstakes are nearing an end, with the San Diego Padres reportedly near a deal with the right-hander, although talks have hit an ‘impasse’ on Saturday afternoon.

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According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Padres have been informed that there are other interested suitors – which may or may not include the Chicago Cubs – a team that is known to have interest in the former Kansas City Royals ace.

Late this week, new manager Joe Maddon was a guest on MLB Network Radio and he spoke on the team’s definite interest in Shields, who played under him in Tampa Bay back in 2008.

"From day one, I’ve been talking about James. Wouldn’t that be a nice prize or present? Shieldsy — a tremendous competitor. You’ve heard me talk about him in the past. Even when Jon Lester came on board, we were talking (about him) even before that.”"

Earlier on Saturday, the Padres appeared poised to land the right-hander, who led Kansas City to a World Series last year – despite another disappointing postseason run. In his big league career, spanning nine seasons, Shields has made at least 30 starts in eight of those years, pitching at least 200 innings annually dating back to his rookie season in 2006.

His age, heavy workload and his struggles in the postseason (a 5.46 ERA across 59 1/3 innings) have all made him questionable to some Cubs fans, as well as the impending payroll implications – although Shields’ asking price has reportedly dropped a great deal from earlier this offseason.

While Shields weighs whether or not to accept what is believed to be the Padres’ ‘final’ offer, all the Cubs and their fans can do is wait. The ball is in the right-hander’s court and we may, finally, be nearing an end of the James Shields sweepstakes.