The longer this goes, the more Dan Duquette is being made into some great baseball mind, which I don't think he is. I don't really understand the tunnel vision Rogers seems to have for him.
Two options:
1.
Zimmermann @ 1/16.5
comp pick when he walks
their own first round pick in 2015
2.
Scherzer @ 7/210
Zimmermann trade return
How much more value will Zimemrmann return than the two picks they miss out on by keeping him and not signing Scherzer? I'd much prefer scenario 1 and re-evaluate in 2016 with a loaded SP market.
Why now? Why not just let Zimmermann play out his contract and re-evaluate next year. You can always chase Price/Kuma/Cueto/Zimmermann/Samardzija/Greinke a year from now if you're inclined. A $200 M commitment to a pitcher just so you can move Zimmermann before he walk is pretty reckless IMO.
There really isn't much to suggest that Shields has started to decline. He's entering his age-33 season, so there's always that concern, but through 2014 his performance has held steady.
Four playoff berths in six years and an AL pennant. But my post was made to draw attention to the incredibly stupid idea that A) they were carried by their pitching, and even if this were true it would invalidate their success.