The Chicago White Sox pulled off what is being described as a shrewd trade with the San Diego Padres to acquire James Shields.
In a deal you'd typically see at the Trade Deadline, the White Sox gave away a couple of younger talents to acquire Shields from the Padres. White Shields hasn't been up to his old standards this year, he's still eating innings and is a good addition to any rotation.
"Nevertheless I love what the White Sox did here. Pitchers like Cole Hamels, David Price and Johnny Cueto are not going to be available to acquire via trade this season like they were a year ago. Sonny Gray was thought to be one of the best that might be available, but he just came off the DL and was not having a strong season.
The White Sox beat everyone to the punch, landing a key rotation piece much earlier than what is usually expected."
The White Sox beat everyone to the punch, landing a key rotation piece much earlier than what is usually expected."
Shields will slide right into the White Sox Rotation. He's an 84 ovr pitcher in MLB The Show 16, boasting some good stuff. He has a 4-seam fastball at 92mph alongside a 2-seamer and an 83 mph change-up. On top of that, he also features an 86mph cutter and a 78mph Knuckle Curve.
The White Sox are currently in third place in the AL Central, just three games back from the Indians. This is a trade intended to improve the White Sox rotation enough to make a run at a division title. At least on the surface, the new look rotation certainly seems to be capable of doing just that.
What do you think of the James Shields trade? Did the Padres get any value in return and did the White Sox make a smart move?
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