Boston Red Sox Looking To Part Ways With ‘Panda’?

The Boston Red Sox are looking to make a trade in the final week of spring training, tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

A few teams have talked to padres about James shields. O's are one. Red sox have talked to SD about SP; shields logical

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 25, 2016

A trade for James Shields would make sense for the Red Sox. As the Boston Herald notes, the starting pitching rotation behind Sox free agent acquisition David Price (seven years for $217 million) features:

• Clay Buchholz, who missed significant playing time last year due to injuries;
• Joe Kelly, who has had a difficult spring;
• Rick Porcello, who as Yahoo Sports notes was inconsistent in 2015, going 9-15 with a 4.92 ERA and 1.36 WHIP;
• Stephen Wright, who at age 31 has only 26 big league games to his credit, according to Yahoo Sports.

A Return To The American League?

The Red Sox are looking to contend in 2016, as witnessed by their signing of Price and trading away strong minor league talent to the San Diego Padres for Craig Kimbrel last year, as reported by MLB.com.

Adding a veteran of Shields’ caliber to the mix would make their chances stronger, as he has been one of the most consistent starting pitchers in Major League Baseball since his debut in mid-season 2006. Every year since 2007, Shields has pitched above 200 innings, according to Yahoo Sports. Such durability is getting more rare in baseball and is highly coveted.

On the downside, Shields, 34, is owed $65 million over the next three years, according to Bleacher Report. And last year, his first in the National League, Shields gave up a league-high 33 home runs — even while he struck out 216 batters, his highest total since 2012.

In Exchange for “Panda”?

Boston Globe columnist Nick Cafardo adds that Shields and Price were previously teammates on the Tampa Bay Rays, a Red Sox rival in the competitive American League East.

But what makes the most sense, according to Cafardo, is that scouts for the Padres have been in the Red Sox camp, scouting Pablo Sandoval. Nicknamed “Kung Fu Panda,” Sandoval was Boston’s biggest off-season acquisition last year, agreeing to a five-year, $95 million deal.

So finances would play a major role if the Red Sox and the Padres were to agree to a Shields-Sandoval swap, says Cafardo.

“Shields, who is 127-97 lifetime with a 3.74 ERA, has about $65 million remaining on his deal, which includes a $2 million buyout on his 2019 $16 million option. The Red Sox are on the hook with the 29-year-old Sandoval for $77.4 million, which includes a $5 million buyout of his $17 million option season in 2020.”

Such a deal may have to be expanded, however. The Padres are rebuilding and may also want a prospect from Boston, as Cafardo notes. And Yangervis Solarte, who is probably better suited as a utility man, is their current third baseman.

While he signed with Boston, San Diego was a finalist for Sandoval’s services last year. But with the Red Sox, he was a huge disappointment, batting just .245 with a .292 on-base-percentage with only 10 home runs and 47 RBI. So a return to the west coast, where he played with the San Francisco Giants from 2008-2014 and won three World Championships, might be appealing to him.

Red Sox Hoping for a Rebound

We can't all be #BigPapi but we can try! Get your 500 bling on April 12th! #SoxPromos: https://t.co/l11RF1illo pic.twitter.com/4qj1OOnr9X

— Red Sox (@RedSox) March 29, 2016

The 2015 Red Sox were a disappointment, finishing last place in the East with a 78-84 record. Fault was placed upon their lack of a frontline starting pitcher and closer — both of which were addressed with the additions of Price and Kimbrel — but also by Sandoval’s poor season.

Should Red Sox General Manager David Dombrowski trade Sandoval, Travis Shaw has been having a strong spring training, thus putting “Panda’s” role in jeopardy, as the Inquisitr previously reported.

As a result, a late spring trade by Boston is all the more likely.

[Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images]