James Shields couldn't resist the appeal of pitching at home.
The San Diego Padres finalized a four-year, $75-million deal contract with Shields on Wednesday that includes a $16-million club option for the 2019 campaign, according to multiple reports.
A source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that Shields will earn $10 million in 2015, followed by $63 million over the next three seasons. Shields' option reportedly includes a $2 million buyout.
Shields was reportedly mulling offers from several teams, including the Miami Marlins and Chicago Cubs, before settling on the richest contract in Padres history.
Related: Padres find another potential bargain in Shields
The Cubs, in particular, appeared to make a late push to land the coveted right-hander in a bid to reunite him with his former Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon.
In the end, the California native favored the Padres, who cap their unbelievable offseason by securing an established frontline starting pitcher.
Padres general manager A.J. Preller has already spent nearly $200 million in overhauling his roster this winter, and with the notable exception of Shields, most of it has been through trade.
Related: Red Sox, Marlins, Giants miss out on Shields
The first-year GM stunned the baseball world in December when he acquired Matt Kemp, Wil Myers, and Justin Upton in three blockbuster deals in one week. Preller's offseason also included trading for All-Star catcher Derek Norris, team-friendly deals for pitchers Brandon Morrow and Josh Johnson, adding bullpen depth, and taking a flier on third baseman Will Middlebrooks.
But none of those moves carry quite the same weight as Shields' record-breaking contract.
Shields is coming off two productive years in Kansas City, where the right-hander pitched to a 3.18 ERA over consecutive 200-inning seasons. The 33-year-old saw his strikeout rate decline in back-to-back years, though his velocity remains at a career-high level and he issued his fewest walks since 2008.
| YEAR | IP | K/9 | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 249.1 | 8.12 | 2.82 | 1.04 |
| 2012 | 227.2 | 8.82 | 3.52 | 1.17 |
| 2013 | 228.2 | 7.71 | 3.15 | 1.24 |
| 2014 | 227.0 | 7.14 | 3.21 | 1.18 |
Despite consistently providing above-average results during his nine-year career, Shields found himself a distant third among the crop of free agent pitchers this offseason. The top two arms, Max Scherzer and Jon Lester, secured $210-million and $155-million deals respectively, but neither has made more starts or had a better ERA and WHIP than Shields since 2011.
Although most of the attention this winter has been on Preller's offensive makeover, the Padres managed to improve their team without dismantling a solid starting rotation.
Shields now headlines a staff that includes Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross, and Ian Kennedy. The club also boasts plenty of back-end depth that could allow it to move one of the aforementioned pitchers - Kennedy, for instance, is a free agent at the end of the 2015 season - in an effort to shore up one of its many pre-existing holes, which include shortstop and third base.
The Royals will receive San Diego's first-round draft pick this year as compensation for Shields rejecting the club's $15.3-million qualifying offer earlier this offseason.
San Diego designated right-hander Aaron Northcraft for assignment to make room for Shields on the 40-man roster.
