Just days following what was said to be just a rumor from discussions, the San Diego Padres have now agreed to the principals of a trade which would send veteran right-hander James Shields to the Chicago White Sox, according to Jon Heyman of Today's Knuckleball on Saturday afternoon.
Not long after, Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com reported that the two sides were closing in while awaiting an approval from the league to go ahead with the transaction.
As of now, neither of the clubs have made a statement to confirm what could be a done deal as soon as Sunday.
Chris Cotillo of SB Nation and Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago have both since confirmed that the deal is being locked up while also mentioning that players involved include minor league, RHP Erik Johnson.
Per a report from Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres will also receive minor league shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. to go alongside Johnson from Chicago. Tatis Jr. is a former No. 27 rank on MLB.com's International Prospects list while having stood at a total price of $825,000.
It is said that San Diego is also set to receive cash considerations from the White Sox which will pay out the remaining salary on Shields' contract after he had signed a four-year, $75MM deal with the club back in February of 2015. The contract also included an opt-out after the season's conclusion.
As noted by Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports, Shields, 34, is due to receive a total of $56MM through the 2017-18 seasons and the White Sox are expected to pick up $27MM from San Diego which saves them a total of nearly $29MM as long as he sticks around afterwards.
How did Shields first come up?
Looking back to the start of his career, Shields was originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 16th round of the 2000 amateur draft. He later signed in August of that season.
What did 2015 look like for the former all-star?
Shields completed what was not exactly a strong 2015 season while having appeared in a total of 33 games played while pitching with an ERA of 3.91 to go alongside a record of 13-7 and 216 strikeouts.
Looking at his time in total with the Padres, Shields exits with an ERA of 4.00 to go alongside a record of 15-14 in 44 total games played.
Hopefully, a change of atmosphere could be the key to success as he looks for a fresh start in the windy city while pitching in the friendly confines of U.S. Cellular Field.