5 potential trade destinations for Sox starter Shields

At this time a year ago, it is extremely doubtful James Shields would have been claimed off waivers.

The Chicago White Sox's starting pitcher was definitely at a crossroads, and his name was never mentioned while general manager Rick Hahn was on the verge of accelerating the rebuild by trading one veteran player after another.

To his credit, Shields took a long, hard look at himself in the second half of last season and knew he had to make a change.

Instead of throwing over the top and trying to overpower hitters like he did for so many years, Shields dropped his arm angle and became an off-speed pitcher.

The transformation has been remarkable, and Shields is on a streak of pitching 6 innings or more in 12 of his last 13 starts.

As the 36-year-old righty showed while throwing 7 scoreless innings in Wednesday night's 6-1 win over the Twins, he's also become a legitimate trade candidate.

“He's certainly done enough to open a lot of people's eyes into how consistent he's been over this season,” Sox manager Rick Renteria said. “He's continued to evolve. His experience and the way he's managing the strike zone, the way he's commanding from the slots he's throwing from now, feeling more and more comfortable, he shows these guys how to grind through an inning, get through certain situations, remain calm, understand that no matter how much havoc occurs around you the next best thing is to try to execute pitches. That's what he's done.”

The feeling here is Shields (3-9, 4.29 ERA) has done enough to get the White Sox another prospect or two before the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline.

Here are five potential destinations:

Cubs:

Last July, Sox general manager Rick Hahn sought out Cubs team president Theo Epstein at the All-Star Game to make a face-to-face push for a Jose Quintana trade.

The extra effort paid off nicely for the White Sox, who got Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease in the July 13 deal.

This July, don't be shocked if Epstein comes looking for Hahn.

Newcomers Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood are not meeting expectations in the Cubs' rotation, so there is a need for a starter like Shields.

You can bet Cubs manager Joe Maddon would endorse a deal. He was Shields' manager in Tampa Bay from 2006-12, and the two remain close.

Yankees:

Locked in a fierce battle with the Red Sox in the AL East, New York needs one starter, maybe two.

Mashiro Tanaka is on the disabled list with injuries to both hamstrings, and rising left-hander Jordan Montgomery is out for the season following Tommy John surgery.

Brewers:

Trying to hold off the Cubs and Cardinals in the NL Central, Milwaukee might be more inclined to add a bat than a starter.

The Brewers are expecting Zach Davies (shoulder) to be ready to come off the disabled list before the all-star break, and Jimmy Nelson could be back in the second half after having shoulder surgery last September.

Freddy Peralta has stepped in for Davies and pitched well, but Shields is a good fit for Milwaukee if Davies and/or Nelson don't make it all the way back or Peralta falters.

Red Sox:

With Chris Sale, Rick Porcello and David Price, Boston is set at the top of the rotation.

But injuries to Drew Pomeranz and Steven Wright have left two gaping holes on the back end.

Red Sox general manger Dave Dombrowski won't hesitate to trade prospects for veterans, as he showed when he acquired Sale from the White Sox at the 2016 winter meetings.

Giants:

San Francisco has had a scout watching the White Sox throughout June, and Shields is undoubtedly on the Giants' wish list.

While they are running third in the NL West, the Giants are playing solid baseball and that should continue when Johnny Cueto (elbow) and Jeff Samardzija (shoulder) return from the disabled list.

If either of them fails to get back up to speed, Shields would certainly fit in San Francisco's rotation.