Reports: San Diego Padres new favorites to sign James Shields

The James Shields roller coaster might finally be coming to a stop.

Per multiple reports, Shields is expected to make a decision “soon.” The San Diego Padres “badly” want Shields and are the favorites to sign him and finally put all the speculation to rest.

While the #Padres badly want James Shields, and are the favorites, they're being told several teams remain heavily involved in the bidding.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 7, 2015

While it’s unclear which teams are still bidding, the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox among others have been previously linked to the Shields sweepstakes. The Marlins also were rumored all offseason to be in on Shields, but we’ve read ad nauseam that Shields signing with Miami is a long shot.

can confirm #Padres indeed are favorite, if not a lock already, to sign #JamesShields as @ScottMillerBbl reported
— Joe Frisaro (@JoeFrisaro) February 7, 2015

Realistically, the Marlins were probably never going to sign Shields. But it was fun to think about the possibility of the Marlins inking one of the elite pitchers in baseball, and easily the best starting pitcher left on the market.

Then, every time we thought the Marlins were completely out of the Shields sweepstakes, a report would surface that they were kicking the tires. And then, someone would chime in and say there was “zero chance” that the Marlins acquire Shields. At the very least I suppose the never-ending James Shields rumors made this one of the most interesting offseasons in Marlins history, especially after the flurry of trades and signings the team already made to improve.

It's unknown which teams are left in the bidding process for James Shields, but one team was told that a decision is expected soon.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 7, 2015

If money is the reason this saga has been dragged out so long — which, let’s face it, it is –then it’s looking like Shields is going to get paid.

Sounds like Shields and his agent are backing the Padres up against themselves to get as much money as possible out of a deal.
— Ehsan Kassim (@Ehsan_Kassim) February 7, 2015

If the Padres indeed sign Shields, they would be instantly catapulted into contender status. They might have already been a playoff team after almost completely reshaping what had been one of the worst offenses in baseball last year. This offseason, the Padres added Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, Wil Myers, Derek Norris and Will Middlebrooks. They also acquired Shawn Kelley and Brandon Maurer to solidify the bullpen.

Shields would join a rotation featuring the likes of Andrew Cashner, Ian Kennedy and Tyson Ross. All three featured ERA’s in the 3-or lower range last season.