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          The GM's Office

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          And the next dominoes to fall will be ...

          With Jon Lester unavailable, teams in need of starting pitching can now focus in on James Shields. Jamie Squire/Getty Images
          • Jim Bowden, ESPN Baseball AnalystDec 10, 2014, 04:12 AM ET
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            • Senior baseball analyst for ESPN Insider
            • Former GM of the Reds and Nationals
            • Author of "The GM's Office" blog
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          Now that Jon Lester has decided to call Chicago home, agreeing to a six-year, $155 million deal with the Cubs, it's time for the next dominoes to fall.

          What's next on the agenda? The players below have been waiting patiently for one of the "big fishes" on the MLB free-agent market to decide on a destination, and now have a bit more clarity on what the market looks like.

          James Shields, SP, free agent

          lastnameSo why isn't Max Scherzer the next domino to fall? Well, Scherzer is the top free agent on the market, but he's also a client of Scott Boras, who is notorious for waiting on the market to fully establish itself. Besides, the Tigers and Yankees are still the overwhelming favorites for him.

          So Shields would be the next domino.