James Shields is a risky investment -- ESPN

Denny Medley/USA TODAY Sports

This is a particularly good synopsis of the pros / cons of the Giants signing James Shields by ESPN.com's David Schoenfield. So now that I'm leaning more NO than YES, does that mean that somewhere out of the blue the Giants find some coin under the seat cushions in the front office and sign "Big Game" James?

Probably....but stay tuned. Who else signs him? We might be negotiating against ourselves at this point. Put your best offer on the table and fix a deadline to it where you tell Team Shields that afterward you are going in another direction. You're out!!

from ESPN:
James Shields is a risky investment - SweetSpot Blog - ESPN:

Again, this doesn't mean Shields isn't a good pitcher. But any team that's willing to make a big investment in him would have to view him as a difference-maker in 2015 and 2016, a guy it needs to push it over the top. I'm just not sure there's a team that applies to. Depending on the ballpark and the quality of defense behind him, his numbers might drop a little, and his new team might be getting more of a No. 3 starter than a No. 2.

Jim Bowden rates the Giants as the team most likely to sign Shields. That makes some sense, as Matt Cain is a question mark coming back from elbow surgery and Shields would bump Tim Lincecum from the rotation. But wouldn't it make even more sense for the Giants to wait a year and go after one of those young aces, when Lincecum's $18 million comes off the books? Do you want to build a rotation around Madison Bumgarner, a guy coming off an injury and three starters (Shields, Tim Hudson and Jake Peavy) in their mid-to-late 30s?

Sure, Shields could help in 2015. But it's not as if the Giants are going to have trouble selling tickets if they don't sign him. They have a little goodwill to play with after winning the World Series. They have a strong team, with or without Shields, and play in a weak division. I'd pass on Shields, go with Lincecum and/or Yusmeiro Petit in the fifth slot, then go all-in next year on Price or Zimmermann. 

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