Report: Diamondbacks interested in James Shields

The Arizona Diamondbacks may not be able to afford right-hander James Shields, but the club is nonetheless interested in the 32-year-old free agent who helped lead the Kansas City Royals to the World Series one month ago.

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Diamondbacks attempted to trade for Shields two years ago - under then-general manager Kevin Towers - but a proposed three-way swap with the Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers never materialized.

Under new general manager Dave Stewart, however, there appears to be renewed interest in acquiring the former All-Star, though the Diamondbacks may not have the requisite funds to sign him. Chief baseball officer Tony La Russa recently said the club's payroll could range anywhere from $80-110 million, but the Diamondbacks will have committed roughly $90 million to player salaries after calculating arbitration raises.

Shields, meanwhile, could command a nine-figure deal, after a second consecutive strong season with the Royals in which he authored a 3.21 ERA (124 ERA+) with a 1.18 WHIP over 34 starts.