SB Nation Tampa Bay - MLB Rumors: James Shields Confident He Will Remain A Rayhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49019/tb-fave.png2011-10-28T09:36:35-04:00http://tampabay.sbnation.com/rss/stream/22844592011-10-28T09:36:35-04:002011-10-28T09:36:35-04:00James Shields Rumor Update: Pitcher Hopes To Be Back With Tampa Next Season
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<p>James Shields was arguably the best pitcher in a very strong rotation for the Tampa Bay Rays this year, and with that, he has made himself a pretty hot commodity in Baseball's hot stove season. But <a href="http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/rays/content/james-shields-i-believe-im-going-be-back?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+tampabaycom%2Fblogs%2FTheHeaterFeed+%28The+Heater+Feed%29">according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times</a>, Shields is hoping that the Rays pick up his option and he remains with the team next year.</p>
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<p>"I believe I'm going to be back next year, and I think (executive VP Andrew) Friedman feels the same way," Shields said. "Obviously there's a lot of offseason to go. As far as my opinion, I believe I'm going to be back. But it's a business and you never know what's going to happen. As far as I'm concerned, I want to be back, I definitely want to be part of the team."</p>
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<p>The Rays can buy Shields out of his contract for $2 Million, at which point he would become probably the biggest name available on the free agent market. But I can't imagine that they won't pick up his option because it only pays him $7.5 Million this year. Which means the difference between having Shields on the roster and not having Shields on the roster is only $5.5 Million dollars. I think that's a pretty fair deal for one of the best pitcher in the A.L. last year, particularly if he really wants to play there.</p>
https://tampabay.sbnation.com/2011/10/28/2520425/james-shields-rumor-update-pitcher-hopes-to-be-back-with-tampa-nextJordan Ruby2011-10-24T11:59:11-04:002011-10-24T11:59:11-04:00MLB Rumors: Marlins Interested In James Shields, Willing To Trade Logan Morrison
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<p>According to Buster Olney from ESPN, the Marlins are interested in acquiring SP James Shields and are dangling OF Logan Morrison.</p> <p>In his <a target="_blank" href="http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog/_/name/olney_buster/id/7140296/mlb-texas-rangers-lost-game-3-many-mistakes-not-just-missed-call">Sunday column over at ESPN</a>, Buster Olney passed along a juicy tidbit concerning the Florida (erm, Miami) <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/florida-marlins" class="sbn-auto-link">Marlins</a> and <a href="https://www.draysbay.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Tampa Bay Rays</a> starting pitcher <span>James Shields</span>:</p>
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<p>Heard this: Among the possibilities the Marlins are considering is a serious run at <a href="http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/28474/james-shields">James Shields</a> -- and they have some natural matchup on a trade, because they could dangle <a href="http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/30536/logan-morrison">Logan Morrison</a> as part of any package for the right-hander.</p>
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<p>Considering this rumor comes so early in the offseason, odds are that nothing comes of it. However, if the Marlins are looking to add starting pitching, then the Rays <i>would</i> make perfect sense as a trade partner. They have a wide collection of affordable starting pitchers and need to trade at least one this offseason to create room for top prospect <span>Matt Moore</span>. Also, the Rays desperately need to add more offense, and <span>Logan Morrison</span> would be exactly what they're looking for: a cost-controlled impact bat.</p>
<p>But would a Shields-LoMo trade make sense for both sides? As I <a target="_blank" href="http://www.draysbay.com/2011/10/24/2510164/mlb-rumors-logan-morrison-james-shields">stated over at DRaysBay</a>, SB Nation's Rays blog, the Marlins would need to include more in the package to get Shields. The Rays traded starter Edwin Jackson for <span>Matt Joyce</span> back in 2008, and Joyce is a very similar player to Morrison:</p>
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<p>In his age 23 season, Matt Joyce hit 12 homers in 277 plate appearances and posted a .355 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.fangraphs.com/library/index.php/offense/woba/">wOBA</a>. He had a walk rate similar to Morrison's (around 10-11%), and he struck out just a tad more. The Rays ended up acquiring him for <span>Edwin Jackson</span>, and we all know how Joyce has progressed since then. He's a powerful hitter and one the Rays' best offensive weapons.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, in <i>his </i>age 23 season, Logan Morrison hit 23 home runs in 525 plate appearances and posted a .344 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.fangraphs.com/library/index.php/offense/woba/">wOBA</a>. Even if you don't expect his power to regress going forward, his hitting profile looks very similar to Matt Joyce: above-average power and plate discipline (10% walk rate) from the left-hand side. Joyce strikes out a tad more often, but he also runs the bases better and plays better defense.</p>
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<p>So the Marlins can try and acquire Shields, but they would likely have to give up even more than Morrison to make it happen. Either that or they could instead focus on one of the Rays' other starting pitchers like <span>Jeff Niemann</span> or <span>Wade Davis</span>, and ask for the Rays to toss in a bit extra to the package.</p>
<p>But the Rays and Marlins do seem like natural trade partners, so this will be an interesting rumor to follow as the offseason develops. If you'd like updates to this story as they happen, follow along with SB Nation Tampa Bay on either <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/sbntampabay">Facebook </a>or <a target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/#!/sbntampabay">Twitter</a>. </p>
https://tampabay.sbnation.com/tampa-bay-rays/2011/10/24/2510613/mlb-trade-rumors-marlins-james-shields-logan-morrisonSteve Slowinski