With a 2.68 ERA over his last seven starts, James Shields has seemingly turned the page on a disappointing end to the San Diego chapter of his career. Padres Executive Chairman Ron Fowler, apparently, has not _ and Shields isn't too pleased with his former employer again appearing to drag his name through the mud while addressing the trade deadline departure of Matt Kemp and others at a recent town hall meeting with Padres season ticket holders.
"I understand his reasoning and frustration," Shields told CSN Chicago's Dan Hayes. "With the situation with me, I felt it was unnecessary to call me out just for my one bad outing. I know his frustrations were more or less on the team. But to call me out individually _ he had no respect for me as a player."
To recap, Fowler said he was happy to jettison the likes of Kemp and others as the Padres turned the page on the offseason additions before the 2015 season as "a bad experiment" that has ended with the Padres eating tons of cash.
"We made a conscious decision to ship them out because we want people that are prepared to improve," Fowler said. "If you're making a lot of money and you think you're already there, you're not going to get better
"... They had a bad attitude. You saw Kemp's letter. Talk about a bunch of b.s."
The comments come on the heels of Kemp acknowledging his reputation as a "selfish, lazy and bad teammate." Two months earlier, Fowler took to the team's flagship radio station to single out Shields just days ahead of the Padres shipping him to the White Sox for Erik Johnson and prospect Fernando Tatis Jr.
The Padres are also on the hook for roughly half of the $44 million owed Shields _ the richest free-agent signee in Padres history _ the next two years.
Shields allowed 10 runs in 22/3 innings in the start that triggered Fowler's radio tirade and was 2-7 with a 4.28 ERA to start his second year in San Diego. Last year, the 34-year-old right-hander was 13-7 with a 3.91 ERA but allowed more homers (33) than anyone in the game.
"(Fowler and Kemp) have their own deal and he has his own thoughts about him, so I'm not going to comment on that," Shields said. "But one thing I do know is, I hope he's not putting me in that category as far as not trying. You can ask anybody around the league, let alone in the San Diego organization _ I worked my butt off every single day. I prepared myself the way I needed to prepare myself on a daily basis. And I pour my heart out every time I pitch on the mound."
