Gary Sheffield Rumors

Cafardo On Lackey, Sheffield, Pavano

In his usual Sunday morning column for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo passes on some hot stove talk from around the majors. Let's check out the highlights.... The fate of John Lackey could potentially affect the offseason plans of each of the AL East powers. Both the Yankees and Red Sox have interest, and Cafardo suggests that landing Lackey would allow the Red Sox to turn around and move Clay Buchholz in a deal for a coveted bat, like Adrian Gonzalez. Cafardo relays this quote from an AL GM: "The Red Sox could be the major player this offseason if...   Continue Reading

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Mets Notes: Holliday, Barajas, Pineiro

Lots of newsbits swirling about the Big Apple's non-World Series winners... Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the Mets will meet with Scott Boras tonight to at least get an idea of what it will take to sign Matt Holliday. As reported earlier today, the Mets weren't interested in Jason Varitek but were considering Bengie Molina at catcher. Sherman (also via Twitter) added Rod Barajas and Chris Snyder to the New York catching "wish list." SI's Jon Heyman (via Twitter) reports the Mets are interested in Joel Pineiro, but not at his reported demand of a three-year/$30MM...   Continue Reading

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Mets Rumors: Bay, Holliday, Cameron, Delgado

A team insider suggests to Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News that Jason Bay and Matt Holliday may be too expensive for the Mets to consider. Rubin hears that the Mets expect to trade for a left fielder or spend on a second-tier free agent, since the top outfielders on the free agent market may be too pricey. A source close to Mike Cameron tells Rubin that the one-time Met wouldn't likely consider returning, since he wants to play center field (the Mets, of course, have Carlos Beltran in center). Gary Sheffield will not return to the Mets,...   Continue Reading

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Odds & Ends: Yankees, Varitek, Sheffield

A few links to browse while we watch to see if the Phillies can finish off the last of the Division Series.... Benjamin Kabak of River Ave. Blues wonders how Johnny Damon's recent slide and Hideki Matsui's hot streak will affect the New York Yankees' decisions this winter. Josh Beckett wants Jason Varitek back in Boston in 2010, according to Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com. MLB.com's Kelly Thesier writes that Joe Mauer has spoken to agent Ron Shapiro about his contract status, but that there haven't been any "serious discussions" yet. Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reports that Gary Sheffield...   Continue Reading

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Braves Notes: Jones, Vazquez, Hudson

The Atlanta Braves went 34-21 in the months of August and September. Unfortunately for them, their poor play early in the season meant that the playoffs were still out of reach. While their starting pitching was strong (Derek Lowe's underwhelming year not withstanding), their offense couldn't generate enough support. Chipper Jones had, arguably, the worst year of his career, posting an OPS of .818 - his lowest in nearly a decade-and-a-half. Jones' performance was a microcosm of the Braves' season as a whole: certainly not awful, but short of expectations. Buster Olney, Baseball Prospectus and the Insider Staff broke down...   Continue Reading

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Odds & Ends: Pirates, Mariners, Cubs

Because we know you aren't ready to go to bed just yet... With the Pirates looking to end their streak of losing seasons, Manager John Russell described the team's offseason plan this way: "To say what specific area, we'll see what the board holds," Russell said. "I don't know -- is it a left fielder? Is it a second baseman? Is it a pitcher? I don't know. We'll just have to look into it and see what's available. Offensively, we've struggled. It would be nice to find a bat that can be productive." According to Geoff Baker of the Seattle...   Continue Reading

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Mets Rumors: Sheffield, Marquis

The latest on the Mets' offseason plans from a pair of New York Post writers... Gary Sheffield tells Kevin Kernan that he will play at least one more season. Sheffield would consider returning to the Mets, but he's not ruling out other clubs. Kernan lists the Astros, Rangers, Rays and Marlins as possible fits. I find it hard to imagine the Rays making a play for him. Still, Sheffield, who turns 41 in November, has managed an .822 OPS in 309 plate appearances, so he can still hit. Jeff Francoeur tells Mike Puma that his friend Jason Marquis would "love...   Continue Reading

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Odds & Ends: Pirates, Schneider, Claggett

A few links to start the evening off... When asked if the Pirates might pursue a free agent this winter to address their lack of power, Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post Gazette said the team has indicated "that they will wait until they see which of the current players might take a step forward, then identifying needs." That sounds like a "no," or at least a "probably not." MLB.com's Bill Ladson said he would not be surprised if Brian Schneider returned to the Nationals as a backup catcher next year, but he would have to take a big paycut....   Continue Reading

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Crasnick On Sheffield, Smoltz, Giambi, Pedro

ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick presents some of the players, managers and executives who can start earning next year's job by finishing the season strong: Gary Sheffield is hitting well, but in the words of one NL official, "he has some explaining to do" if he wants a job next year after last week's drama. Barring a September collapse, Jerry Manuel seems likely to return next year. John Smoltz is "definitely interested" in pitching next year, according to his agent. Jason Giambi can prolong his career if he plays well for the Rockies this month. One NL exec believes Pedro Martinez can...   Continue Reading

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Gary Sheffield's Future

Gary Sheffield is just 313 hits away from becoming the fifth man in baseball history to have 3000 hits and 500 homers. He turns 41 this offseason, but he tells Danny Knobler of CBS Sports that he can still play every day. He wants as much playing time as possible and told Knobler that it will factor in when he's deciding where to sign as a free agent. Sheffield has made close to $10MM every season since 1998, so an executive who knows him wonders if he'd be open to taking an eight-figure paycut. Sheffield makes $14MM this year, but...   Continue Reading

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