Padres find good value in Shields

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In most offseasons, the winter of the San Diego Padres has more in common with a bleak, snow-filled New England winter than the winters of their home city's Southern California climate. The hot stove league for Padres fans typically has consisted of wondering what prospects the team will land for one of its terrific players who is scheduled to be a free agent.

Not this winter, with new general manager A.J. Preller ripping out the back pages of this story, giving San Diego its most exciting offseason since 1997-98. The topper hit this weekend, with the team agreeing with free-agent starter James Shields on a four-year deal worth $75 million guaranteed.

Shields took a secondary role in this year's free-agent hoopla, expressing a desire for a five-year deal in the nine-figure range, and only became a source of real interest once Max Scherzer and Jon Lester were off the market. Even then, Shields' price had to come below $100 million before he became a real hot commodity.