San Diego Padres Land Free Agent James Shields

By Cheri Cheng - 09 Feb '15 09:31AM

Free agent right-hander James Shields is off the market.

According to several reports, the 33-year-old pitcher has agreed to a four-year deal with the San Diego Padres. The contract has not been finalized yet. Shields reportedly had multiple offers on the table.

"The Padres have agreed to sign free agent right-hander James Shields to a four-year contract that includes a club option for a fifth season, according to major-league sources. The deal is currently pending a physical, and is likely to be announced early in the week," Chris Cotillo with SB Nation wrote. "The signing of Shields caps off a remarkable offseason for the Padres, who have revamped their club with the additions of Wil Myers, Justin Upton, Matt Kemp, Derek Norris and Will Middlebrooks. Shields joins Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross, Ian Kennedy and Odrisamer Despaigne in the team's rotation mix, pitching in a city in which he currently owns a home."

The contract is reportedly around the $72-76 million range.

In, 2014, Shields went 14-8 with a 3.21 ERA. He recorded 180 strikeouts over 227 innings. Throughout his long career, Shields has been a very consistent starter. He has pitched eight straight 200-inning seasons with at least 31 starts in each. Within his last four, he topped 225 innings in each season.

Shields has a career record of 114-90 with an ERA of 3.72 over nine seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays and the Royals.

According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, Shields ' consistency makes him a valuable pitcher.

Despite his consistency, Shields has not performed well during the postseason. In his career run of four postseasons, Shields has a 3-6 record with a 5.46 ERA. Last year, the Royals lost the World Series to the San Francisco Giants.

Shields was reportedly courted by the Chicago Cubs, the New York Yankees, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Miami Marlins as well. CBSSports.com baseball insider Jon Heyman reported that the Cubs and the Marlins had offered Shields a three-year contract with a vesting option, which he turned down.