James Shields has made the final start of his career with the San Diego Padres.
The Friars traded Shields to the Chicago White Sox on Saturday, just days after Executive Chairman Ron Fowler put his highest-paid pitcher in the crosshairs of a “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!” rant that was heard all across the baseball world.
“To have a starter like Shields perform as poorly as he did is an embarrassment to the team, an embarrassment to him,” Fowler said.
The trade rumors were swirling around Shields even before he gave up 10 runs in 2.2 innings against the Mariners in Seattle and coaxed the response from Fowler. That one start, however, did not scare of the White Sox, who needed another starting pitcher with experience. Chicago is also getting some cash from the Padres to offset the $21 million Shields is owed each year through 2018.
In exchange Chicago is sending over 26-year-old right-hander Erik Johnson and 17-year-old infielder Fernando Tatis Jr.
Johnson has gone 7-6 with a 4.50 ERA and 77 strikeouts and 49 walks over 18 Major League starts across parts of four seasons. He’s made a pair of starts for the Sox this year and will likely be added immediately to the Padres starting rotation.
Tatis Jr. is only 17 years old and was signed by the White Sox as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic last July. He’s the son of former Major League infielder Fernando Tatis, who played for 11 years in the big leagues with the Rangers, Cardinals, Expos, Orioles, and Mets. Tatis Jr. has yet to make his professional playing debut but according to Baseball America shows the potential to be a power source at 3rd base or a corner outfield spot.
Shields was given the largest free agent contract in Padres history, a 4-year, $75 million deal, before the start of the 2015 season but never had the impact on the pitching staff the team was hoping for. In a year and a half with the Friars he had a 15-14 record with a 4.01 ERA in 44 starts.
