Pittsburgh Pirates Trade Rumors – Day 10 – Shields and Ross

Welcome to Rum Bunter’s 12 Days of Trademas! On each day between now and the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline, we will profile a player or two who may be a potential trade target for the Pittsburgh Pirates. We will highlight both the cases for and against that player in order to give you the full scope of what acquiring that player might entail.

On this the 10th day of our Pittsburgh Pirates 12 Days of Trademas, we decided to tackle two players on a team that may be doing a complete 180-degree turn in less than a year. We’re talking the San Diego Padres, specifically James Shields and Tyson Ross. But before we break down whether these two could be fits for the Pirates, make sure to check out our piece from yesterday on David Price here and give a listen to our brief podcast where we discuss Price and whether the Pirates should pursue him or not below.

The Padres are going to be aggressive sellers in the next few days. The latest rumors suggest that they desperately want to get rid of Shields and his big contract, and are open to trading Tyson Ross as well. Ross is being hotly pursued per John Heyman of CBS Sports, but it might require a significant package to pry him away from the Padres. Shields could fetch a decent return, but probably not as much as Ross considering his massive contract and the fact that he’s 33 years old.

I recently wrote a piece about how the Pirates need to add a starting pitching before the deadline. Both Shields and Ross would fit in as perfect three or four starters in the Pittsburgh rotation. But are they worth the prospects and money that they would require? First, let’s take a peek at each player’s career stats:

James Shields

As we can see, Shields’ career ERA of 3.72 doesn’t blow you away. But he’s known more for the massive innings that he eats and his durability over the years.

Tyson Ross

Ross didn’t start to round into form until he became a Padre, but he’s been an above-average pitcher during his time in San Diego.

The case for James Shields and/or Tyson Ross

The Pirates should add a starting pitcher, plain and simple. And there are only so many options being shopped. In terms of Shields, you know what you’re getting. He’s someone who’s consistent and can give you innings. He hasn’t had an ERA over 4.00 in a season since 2010, and he’s thrown over 200 innings in every season except for his rookie year, when he only made 21 starts. He also tosses close to 200 strikeouts every season while never walking an excessive amount of batters. He’s as reliable a middle starter as you can ask for.

Ross would be another great target for the Pirates. He’s five years younger than Shields, and has been an above-average pitcher during his time in San Diego. He had ERAs of 3.17 and 2.81, respectively, in each of the last two seasons, and is just entering his prime now. He’s also making less than $6 million this season and is under team control for the next two seasons. And in case you were curious, his FIP is 2.85 this season, much better than his 3.45 ERA, and he’s held FIPs of 3.24 in 2014 and 3.20 in 2013. Yeah, he’s not pitching over his head.

You can never have enough pitching, and by adding a quality starting pitcher, this team would hedge against A.J. Burnett and any regression he might have and would upgrade over Jeff Locke and Charlie Morton at the back-end. Shields also has almost 60 innings of postseason experience, which would be helpful to the young players on this team.

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The case against James Shields and/or Tyson Ross

Shields’ is making a lot of money. Especially for someone who has had an ERA under 3.00 for a season just once in his 10-year career. That number is a whopping $21 million in each of the next three seasons. That’s the kind of money you pay a true ace, not an innings eater. His career ERA of 3.72 doesn’t blow you away, and neither does his 3.77 ERA this season. His postseason ERA is 5.46, which is bad for someone who has about 60 innings of postseason work. I’d much rather pay prospects and $20 million a year to a pitcher like Cole Hamels, who is a certified ace.

Ross, on the other hand, is still finding his groove in the majors. Last year was his first full season as a starter, and he has no postseason experience to his name. He also hasn’t logged enough time in the majors to be considered an ace or a reliable pitcher come playoff time. Do you want to give up a potentially good package of prospects for a guy that could be looked at as a risk for a team that has World Series aspirations this season?

If the Pirates want to add a quality starting pitcher, they might want to target a proven major leaguer with a track record of success in the bigs, which isn’t Ross. At least not yet.

Conclusion

I can’t stress enough how important it is that the Pittsburgh Pirates add a starting pitcher before 3 PM on Friday. The Padres are listening on their starters, and James Shields and Tyson Ross headline that group. Ross is very talented and could blossom into an even better pitcher than he already is under the guidance of Ray Searage. And Shields would be a great veteran presence with a ton of postseason experience under his belt. But Shields isn’t worth his contract, especially for a team like the Pirates. Ross is more of an intriguing case, but the Pirates may need to give up a lot to get him, and he’s only in his second full season as a starter. I’d love Ross under the right circumstances, but not Shields.

What do you think? Let us know on twitter! You can tweet us here @rumbunter or use the #12DaysOfTrademas hashtag! You can also air your grievances in the comments section below or on our facebook page. Make sure to stay tuned tomorrow for the ninth day of Trademas!

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