Cubs right in hard line offer to Shields

Pitcher James Shields is staying home after turning down the Cubs to sign a 4-year deal with the San Diego Padres. The cubs were late entrants into the Shields derby deciding to make an offer when the 33-year-old right hander's price dropped dramatically.

The Cubs drew a hard line in their offer to "Big Game James". Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports the Cubs final offer to Shields was for roughly $60 million. Speculation is that included a 3-year deal with a 4th year option. That is a far cry from Shield's initial 5-year $110 million asking price. It's also exactly where that line should have been drawn.

As I had mentioned in an earlier post, a $15 million average is a price that is easy to swallow for a number two starter at Shields' age. It would have allowed the Cubs to upgrade their rotation now and still stay relevant for next season's big free agent class. Anything more than that is simply not smart for a guy who is likely to start a sharp decline in the second or third year of that deal.

It would have been easy to look at the momentum built by this off season and the chance to become the favorite in the central and up the offer, but the Cubs front office showed a great deal of restraint and discipline. Shields was the right pitcher for the Cubs. He would have fit into the new clubhouse culture well and has a successful track record with manager Joe Maddon. But that only holds true at the right price.

The Cubs can now take the same approach they did with money left over from the failed bid for Japanese hurler Masahiro Tanaka, which they put toward the Jon Lester contract. Theo and Jed will have an extra $60 million in the bank to throw at Jordan Zimmerman or David Price next off season, or use for a mid season trade if the team is competitive and need an extra arm. A July pursuit of Phillies ace Cole Hamels could also resurface mid season.

So now it's back to the "quantity over quality" approach for the final spot in the rotation. The Cubs have a handful of options to fill that role led by former All-Star (though coming off a terrible season) Travis Wood. If Wood is dealt before the season starts Tsuyoshi Wada, Felix Dubront, Edwin Jackson or Jacob Turner could step in without the team losing much effectiveness.

Remember, sometimes the best signings are the ones that never happen.