James Shields remains on the free agent market as the best pitching option available.
He was expected to sign a nine-figure deal despite a rough postseason, but his value appears to have decreased.
"What I see now is a lot of teams jumping back in," said a Major League executive. "But part of the reason is, they're saying, 'We know now he's not getting $110 million, so why not jump back in?' But the problem is, now everyone is bottom-feeding. And when you're someone like him, that's the last thing you want, is a lot of teams bottom-feeding on you in late January."
Shields had a 3.21 ERA in 227 innings last season.
"I can't imagine he gets less than $80 million over four [years]," said one executive. "There's someone out there. You know that. I just have no idea who that is."