Colorado Rockies should do all they can to nab James Shields
By Andrew Dill
The Colorado Rockies have done virtually nothing this offseason, except sign power-hitters Daniel Descalso and Nick Hundley (joking). I am willing to give new general manager Jeff Bridich a little leeway here since it’s his first time running a club, but at some point you have to make a bold move. Which is why Colorado should take a run at James Shields.
It may seem unrealistic and the question would be what would entice him to join Colorado, but the Rockies need pitching to compete in a pitchers-friendly division. According to a NBCSports report, the Padres have been ‘sniffing’ around James Shields. Wouldn’t that be a shot to the hearts? San Diego has done everything in their will this offseason to make their ball club better, which Colorado has done the exact opposite.
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According to USA Today’s Bob Nightendale, Shields would be demanding a five-year contract worth about $125 million. He probably won’t get that, but he will get paid.
Shields was a key part of the Kansas City Royals rotation which helped them to the World Series. ‘Big Game’ James Shields made 34 starts last season, earning a record of 14-8. The 33-year-old pitched over 227.0 innings, walking just 44 batters while striking out 180. Colorado could use a little of that, huh?
Colorado has two pitchers on the current roster who I’m looking forward to watching in 2015. Lefties Jorge De La Rosa and Tyler Matzek. Matzek had a good rookie campaign, earning a record of 6-11 while finishing with an ERA of 4.05. Issuing walks were a topic of conversation which followed Matzek throughout his minor league career, but he walked just 3.4 per nine innings.
Then there are the two highly touted prospects, Eddie Butler and Jon Gray. Butler made his debut last season, a rocky one at that. Butler gave up six runs on 10 hits, striking out two over 5.1 innings vs. Dodgers. Gray on the other hand pitched well in the Texas League. Gray made 24 starts for the Tulsa Drillers, recording a record of 10-5, with an ERA of 3.91. Over 124.1 innings pitched, Gray stuck out 113 batters while walking 41. Expect to see both of these players sometime this season.
In the grand scheme of things, James Shields would be an excellent addition to the Colorado Rockies. I can’t see Colorado allocating money to bring him in, but it’s worth the risk to do so. They need someone atop the rotation alongside De La Rosa to be consistent.