The Los Angeles Dodgers might have missed out on Max Scherzer, but there's still another high-end free agent starter on the market.
Hometown kid James Shields (born in Newhall, CA) is now the best remaining pitcher available, and while the Dodgers certainly aren't the only team interested, we'd been hearing over the past few days that they've consolidated their position as one of the clubs leading the race for his signature.
Not so fast, though.
ESPN's Jayson Stark says the market situation has lowered Shields' price, and he lists reasons why over a dozen teams might not be interested in Shields at the moment. The Dodgers would have to give up a first-round draft pick in any deal for Shields thanks to baseball's free agency rules...and since Stark is hearing the team isn't interested in doing that, they're given no real shot as a result.
Is the first-round pick really a dealbreaker? Only the Dodgers know for sure (and GM Farhan Zaidi could always change his mind), but Stark has traditionally been very reliable on this kind of thing in the past. While we wouldn't say the Dodgers are 100% out of the running for Shields, we certainly wouldn't hold our breath.
Back to the Los Angeles Dodgers Newsfeed