In an interview Tuesday morning on The Mighty 1090 AM, new Chicago White Sox pitcher James Shields said the way he left the Padres “is definitely disappointing.”

“Disappointing in the organization in itself,” Shields said. “And just because of the lone fact that everyone knows how hard I work every single day and what I put into the organization. I got asked to do a lot of things in the organization. I went above and beyond what I got asked to do.

“Hopefully, the fans know that when I went out there every fifth day ... and competed my butt off from the first pitch to the last pitch. That’s one of the things that my teammates understand and know that I compete every single pitch.”

Saturday, 16 months after Shields signed the largest free-agent contract in franchise history, the Padres traded the veteran to the White Sox for right-hander Erik Johnson and infield prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. As part of the exchange, San Diego agreed to cover up to $31 million of the $58 million left on Shields’ deal. Exactly how much money the Padres wind up absorbing depends on whether Shields, 34, exercises his right to opt out of his contract after this season.


His exit from San Diego, where he plans to continue living in the offseason, came three days after Padres executive chairman Ron Fowler in a Mighty 1090 interview called his team’s performance “embarrassing.” The day before, Shields had had one of the worst starts of his career, allowing 10 runs in a 16-4 loss at Seattle.

“To have a starter like Shields perform as poorly as he did yesterday is an embarrassment to the team, an embarrassment to him,” Fowler said.

When asked last week for his response, Shields clearly was unhappy with Fowler’s comments and reiterated that sentiment Tuesday.

“I think (Fowler) was wrong by singling me out specifically,” Shields said. “I think I had eight quality starts, and, going into the game (at Seattle), I think I was one behind the league leader. I was at, like, a 3 ERA. I wasn’t getting the run support that I would’ve liked. But if you look at one of my comments prior to that, any one of my losses, I always took the blame for my team. I never pointed fingers, I never called anybody out, I never singled any one of my teammates out like I was singled out right there.


“Is he frustrated with the team? Absolutely. Trust me, he says he’s the ultimate competitor? I’m definitely the ultimate competitor as far as playing baseball, and I was just as frustrated as he was. And I totally understand that part of it. But singling me out I think was definitely not the route to go.”

Shields, who went 15-14 with a 4.00 ERA in 44 starts for the Padres, said Fowler did not contact him after his comments on the radio.

“But (Padres managing partner) Peter Seidler, I talked to him and he wished me the best of luck,” Shields said.

Shields also praised Padres president and CEO Mike Dee and chief marketing officer Wayne Partello, saying he had “no qualms with the front office.”


Reached later Tuesday by the Union-Tribune, Fowler said he had no additional comment “except to wish James the best with the White Sox.”

“I definitely think that we could’ve used a little more time there to be able to turn (the Padres) around,” Shields said. “Obviously, it takes a little while once you get a bunch of group of guys together and start winning.

“I feel like I was pitching well, but our team wasn’t playing well, so I’ve got to take the brunt of that. ... The one thing I can tell you is the effort level that each one of our guys put in every day was there. It wasn’t lack of effort.

“The fans, the city — obviously, I lived there — was amazing. There’s no better city than San Diego as far as I’m concerned. That’s one of the reasons I reside there in the offseason, and the people there just treated me amazingly. The organization itself, the training staff, the coaching staff, the PR people, the clubhouse guys — they’re top-notch guys. I enjoyed my time there, and I wish them the best of luck.”


As for his latest destination, Shields is going from a last-place team to a club that began Tuesday 3 1/2 games out of first in the American League Central.

“I’m real excited, man,” he said. “I’ve been watching (the White Sox) this year. It looks like they’re just such an exciting team, a good, dynamic team. It looks like they’re having fun, they’re enjoying the game. They really root each other on. ... I’m excited to be here in Chi-Town and hopefully show these fans what I’m all about.”