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Considered one of the top prizes on the free-agent market this winter, James Shields is in line for the first big payday of his career after nine quality seasons. Shields and the Padres reportedly have agreed to a four-year deal.

Continue for updates.

Padres and Shields Reportedly Agree to Four-Year Deal

Monday, Feb. 9

Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reported the Padres and Shields have agreed to a four-year deal:

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. [...] Shields, 33, is the last major free agent starter to sign with a club in a winter that has already seen Jon Lester join the Cubs and Max Scherzer sign with the Nationals on multi-year deals. His deal is expected to be in the $72-76 million range, according to sources.

CBS Sports' Jon Heyman later confirmed the deal.

This number falls in line with Jon Morosi of Fox Sports' previously report that the Padres offered Shields a four-year deal "between $72 million and $80 million.

On Feb. 6, Nightengale reported that the Padres were the favorites to land Shields, because he makes his home in San Diego. He also noted that "we will soon find out if they get him."

Buster Olney of ESPN backed up that sentiment Friday, saying, "There is a growing sense among some of the folks involved in James Shields conversations that he will probably land with the Padres."

Marlins GM Showed Interest in Shields

Sunday, Feb. 8

Jim Bowden of ESPN passed along comments from Miami Marlins general manager Dan Jennings on the club's pursuit of Shields after reports linking him to the Padres:

On Feb. 4, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reported that the Marlins remained in talks for the pitcher's services.

However, the asking price for Shields may cause the Marlins to reconsider, as Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported Jan. 4 that Shields could very well land a contract that will pay him over $100 million:

Though the front-runners for Shields are not known, a number of executives tell FOX Sports they expect the free-agent right-hander to land a contract of at least five years, $100 million. Two execs say it is their understanding that Shields has a five-year, $110 million offer and is looking for an even higher guarantee. But others say that if Shields actually has such an offer, he should take it. Shields’ agent, Page Odle, has consistently declined comment throughout the free-agent process and did not respond to an email on Sunday.

The Marlins have been aggressive this winter, and adding Shields would be another big splash.

Cubs Attempted to Sign Shields

Friday, Feb. 6

On Feb. 4, David Kaplan of CSN Chicago reported that the Chicago Cubs had an interest in Shields.

Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago reported that "Cubs brass would absolutely love to add him to their ever improving starting rotation."

D-backs Dropped Out on Shields Pursuit

Thursday, Jan. 22

Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Dave Stewart acknowledged that the team was not pursuing Shields, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com.

Rosenthal reported Jan. 12 that Arizona had emerged as a potential destination for Shields.

Based on what Stewart said Thursday, however, it appears that is no longer the case.

Blue Jays Expressed Interest in Shields

Saturday, Jan. 17

Rosenthal reported the Blue Jays have shown interest in Shields:

As the price for James Shields drops, an increasing number of clubs are renewing their interest in him. The Toronto Blue Jays are one of those clubs, according to major-league sources. While the Jays are not actively negotiating with Shields' agent, Page Odle, they are again discussing the pitcher internally, trying to determine a price at which they would be comfortable signing him, sources said. The team also is doing additional background on Shields, "digging" for information in the words of one rival executive.

Rangers Out on Shields

Friday, Jan. 16

Bowden provided an update on the Rangers' stance on Shields from general manager Jon Daniels:

Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine previously downplayed the team's chances of landing Shields, via Sean Tepper of TheScore.com:

He would be a great addition, but it would probably take us making a trade or two to free up some money to truly play on those types of players. (...) When we made the moves last off-season with Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo, we kind of knowingly did it in a place where we probably had to stand down on the big ticket free agents in the next cycle or two,' he said. 'So I think it's probably a bit of a longshot.

Shields Reportedly Had Been in Contact with Tigers

Friday, Jan. 16

Morosi reported that Shields had been in contact with the Detroit Tigers:

No Substantive Talks Between Red Sox and Shields Come to Fruition

Saturday, Jan. 3

Bowden has the latest on Shields:

Giants Out of Running for Shields

Friday, Jan. 2

Bowdenprovided an update on Shields' future:

Teams Turned Attention to Shields

Wednesday, Dec. 10

According to Rosenthal, Shields' market is starting to come into focus after leading the Kansas City Royals to a World Series appearance in 2014:

While not as dominant as other top available hurlers Jon Lester and Max Scherzer, Shields is the model of consistency at a position where it's so difficult to find that. He's pitched at least 200 innings every season since 2007 and has had an ERA of 3.52 or better every year since 2011.

Once the Royals' season ended in heartbreaking fashion, Shields' free agency immediately became a hot topic of conversation. He told Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com that it wasn't something worth dwelling on at the time: "The next couple of days, I'm going to go home and enjoy some trick-or-treating with my kids. I'm sure I'll be thinking about that a little later, but right now I'm not too worried about my free agency. We'll see what happens."

Shields told Dick Kaegel of MLB.com during the World Series that he "definitely would like to come back" before saying that they'd have to wait and see what the future holds. Certainly, that's a stock answer most players will give because they don't want to offend anyone or take away a potential bargaining chip.

It also doesn't help that Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reported through sources that the Royals aren't optimistic about re-signing Shields [sic]:

Shields might remain with the Royals beyond this month, but it is not likely. According to major league sources, although the team will make a genuine effort to resign him, it is not hopeful, expecting a rival like the Red Sox to offer four or five years. It is difficult to imagine the Royals matching such an offer.

Despite all of Shields' success, there are limitations to his game. His strikeout rates have gone down each of the last two years (8.8 to 7.7 to 7.1) and his hit rate has increased (8.2 to 8.5 to 8.9) during that span, per Baseball-Reference.com.

There is also the debate about the "Big Game" nickname that doesn't feel earned with a 5.46 ERA in the postseason. Marc Normandin of Over The Monster addressed that topic on Twitter during the playoffs:

While October isn't always the best way to evaluate a player because of the small-sample nature of it, Shields hasn't been good in the playoffs for a long time (11 starts dating back to 2008 with the Tampa Bay Rays).

There's also the danger of giving a pitcher who will play next season at 33 years old a contract that lasts four or five years. Shields has thrown a ton of pitches in his first nine seasons, hitters have timed him better in the last few seasons, and there's the danger of not having Kansas City's defense to bail him out.

Shields' resume justifies a major contract. He's been one of the most durable pitchers in baseball for nearly a decade, which is also worth a lot of money and years. It's just a matter of figuring out how much those factors are worth compared to some declining production.