KC Royals: Top Five Highest Paid Players In 2014

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher James Shields – Mandatory Credit: Elsa/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports

In hindsight, it is clear the Kansas City Royals have won the trade that sent Wil Myers and others to Tampa Bay for James Shields and Wade Davis. Luckily, I did not have to admit this, or apologize for being wrong. I thought it was a great move at the time – one much-needed by the organization.

For two seasons, James Shields did exactly what the KC Royals needed him to do. He was a leader for not only the rotation and the pitching staff, but the whole team.

He made every start, logging 68 for the Royals. He performed above his 162-game averages. He was a workhorse, in every way, and he led by example.

As a Royal:

• 68 Starts, 27-17 record
• 455.2 Innings
• 3.18 ERA
• 1.209 WHIP
• 376 K, 112 BB

His two seasons were very similar, offering the Royals terrific consistency. His $13.5 million salary in 2014 looks like a big bargain. When you figure in how Shields’ very presence appeared to change the mindset of the whole franchise, his presence was almost priceless.

Kansas City Royals pitcher James Shields holds the American League championship trophy – Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

In all reality, the Royals really couldn’t re-sign Shields, no matter how much he meant to the team. It is yet to be determined how much his next contract will be, but chances are it will be too long and too expensive for the Royals to take that financial chance.

There is a lot of mileage on Shields’ arm – he has pitched more than 203 innings for eight straight seasons, including 932.2 innings over the last four seasons.

For a perfect example of how Shields’ best days may be behind him, just look at his post season. While the Royals never would have had two winning seasons in row without his arm and leadership, he did not live up to his “Big Game” nickname for the KC Royals in the post season.

He made five starts for the Royals in the playoffs, throwing 25 innings, and allowing 17 earned runs. He only struck out 20 in those five games. He just looked a bit wore out. There is a decent chance, those stretches will be more common for Shields in the next few years.

Still, Shields was incredibly valuable  to the Kansas City Royals, Considering the Rays have already traded Wil Myers, and the emergence of Wade Davis as one of the best relievers in baseball, Dayton Moore’s gutsy trade was even more important.

There is no doubt James Shields earned every penny he was paid by Kansas City. He was so instrumental in bringing October baseball back to a fan base starved for success.

Next: Looking To 2015