Yankees News: James Shields free agency update, New York an option if price drops?

The New York Yankees aren't outwardly willing to break the bank for free agent righty James Shields, but could very well be tempted to negotiate if his asking price drops from the $20+ million range down into the teens.

Per Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com, "something has clearly gone wrong in the Shields camp for him to still be lingering in the open market this late in the winter, and somebody's going to pounce on the discount one of these days. I've long thought that a guy with past success in the AL East and experience on the postseason stage (albeit varied experience) would fit in well with the Yankees, provided he comes at the right price."

Injury questions are dogging the Yankees heading into Spring Training, with CC Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, and Ivan Nova combining for just 45 starts in 2014.

Adding a proven, durable arm like Shields to the top of that list would serve as major insurance for an injury-prone rotation, along with giving the Yankees a legitimate ace at a discount provided the former Kansas City Royals #1's price tag is actually on the decline.

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