There's been plenty of ink spilled over the Padres signing of James Shields, with more than a few hot takes. But the hottest take of them all came from the Padres' own Wil Myers this afternoon.
But before we get to that, it helps if you know a little bit about what brought Shields and Myers to San Diego. Shields was picked by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 16th round of 2000 draft before making his debut in 2006. Three seasons later, the Rays signed him to an extension that ran through 2011, with club options for the 2012 through 2014 seasons. Meanwhile in Kansas City, the Royals picked Myers in third round of the 2009 draft. But before he could ever don the uniform, the 2012-2013 offseason saw him sent to Tampa Bay with Patrick Leonard, Mike Montgomery, and Jake Odorizzi in exchange for Shields, Wade Davis, and a player to be named later.
Following the trade, Myers is named the AL Rookie of the Year and the Rays make the playoffs, while the Royals finish third in the AL Central and miss the playoffs by 6 wins. The Rays won the trade! You blew it, Royals! And then the next year Myers spends a bunch of time on the DL and looks awful when he actually does manage to play. On the other hand, Kansas City goes to the World Series. Royals win the trade! Suck it, Rays!
And that brings us to the 2014-2015 offseason, and, well, you know this story. A.J. Preller sleeps for two hours a night, remodeling the 77 win Padres into a playoff contender, bringing on Myers and Shields. Everybody has their hot take on the deal. And here's the hottest take of them all, straight from Wil Myers.
Probably safe to say Padres are the final winner in the Shields trade. Should be an exciting year in San Diego!
— Wil Myers (@wilmyers) February 11, 2015Bravo, Wil. Bravo.