Gary Sheffield Rumors

Odds and Ends: Springer, Sheffield, Bonds

How about some weekend odds and ends? Free agent reliever Russ Springer intends to pitch next year, and he prefers the Cardinals. The Cards haven't discussed a contract with him, though, and they might prefer their younger (and cheaper) righthanded relievers. Dave Cameron thinks Nate Robertson might be a sleeper, based on his peripheral stats. Boof Bonser is another pitcher whose ERA didn't match up with his other numbers this year. Peter Woodfork apparently bowed out of the Mariners GM job competition after his interview. The Ms could decide between Tony LaCava, Jerry DiPoto, Kim Ng, and Jack Zduriencik by...   Continue Reading

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Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Tigers, Teixeira, Burnett

A look at what is being written around the Blogosphere... MVN Outsider takes a look at some potential offseason moves for the Tigers, including trading Magglio Ordonez and Gary Sheffield and signing Brian Fuentes. Baseball Banter takes a look at the five teams most likely to go after Mark Teixeira this winter. River Ave. Blues wonders if the Yankees should consider signing A.J. Burnett because of his strong career numbers against the Red Sox. Pending Pinstripes takes a look at the Yankees 40-man roster and some potential offseason changes. Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.   Continue Reading

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Players Who Cleared Waivers

I will make this post a permanent sidebar link. This is a running list of players who have cleared waivers, based on published reports. Once a player clears waivers, he can be traded to any team (barring a no-trade clause). Updated 8-25-08 at 9:00am. Latest to clear in red. Paul Byrd - Byrd cleared waivers, but then was traded to the Red Sox. They were the only team willing to pay his remaining $2MM. Frank Catalanotto - Catalanotto, 34, is hitting .272/.337/.389 in 267 plate appearances. He's played first base and left field this year. He's not helpful against lefthanded...   Continue Reading

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Cafardo's Latest: Ausmus, Towles, Mariners, Giants, Sheffield, Salty

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has a few items in his Sunday column... Cafardo says that the Red Sox, despite being in the market for a catcher, are not interested in Brad Ausmus. They did inquire with the Astros about J.R. Towles, who is currently in Triple A, but were told he is unavailable. One executive told Cafardo that the Mariners continue to demand other teams take entire contracts and give up prospects for players like Raul Ibanez, Jarrod Washburn and Adrian Beltre. In the cases of Ibanez and Beltre, that position is defensible. Cafardo interviewed Brian Sabean about...   Continue Reading

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Rays Not Interested In Bonds

Just to hammer the point home, Barry Bonds' agent Jeff Borris told Ken Rosenthal today that Rays GM Andrew Friedman failed to respond to his text message. The Rays would like to add a hitter, but they've never had serious interest in Bonds. Borris believes his client has been "blackballed" by MLB. Rosenthal says the Rays would only consider Gary Sheffield if the Tigers picked up the majority of his contract, understandably. They're not interested in Kenny Lofton or Jose Vidro.   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Kendall, Laird, Giles, Manny

Today's linkage... A friend pointed out to me how strange it is that the Twins were willing to take on Jarrod Washburn's salary and give up Boof Bonser but chose to trade Johan Santana before the season. If Bill Smith could go back in time, would he still make that deal? A Gary Sheffield acquisition by the Rays is "unlikely but not impossible," according to one Buster Olney source. As expected, Jason Kendall's option for '09 vested. He's off the list! The Rangers were willing to trade Gerald Laird and a solid prospect to the Marlins for Chris Volstad. The...   Continue Reading

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Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Millar, Sheffield, Dunn, Rangers, Salty

A few random notes from around the baseball Blogosphere... Beerleaguer feels that Kevin Millar would make a nice addition to the Phillies' bench. MetsBlog says Gary Sheffield is the right-handed outfield bat the Mets need and this is the best time to add a player with something to prove. True Blue LA is angered that the Dodgers did not block the D'Backs' claim of Adam Dunn. Newberg Report discusses which players the Rangers must be willing to part with if they are to land an "All-Star level, legitimate number one" pitcher or even a pitcher from the next level of...   Continue Reading

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Sheffield Clears Waivers

THURSDAY: Unsurprisingly, Sheffield cleared waivers today. WEDNESDAY: Sheffield's agent noted that he has not asked for a trade, but might be willing to waive his no-trade clause under the right conditions (perhaps the chance to play the outfield every day). Sheffield is expected to clear waivers tomorrow afternoon. It's often been said that Sheff thrives on controversy, and he bashed two home runs last night. TUESDAY: According to ESPN's Jayson Stark, the Tigers placed Gary Sheffield on waivers today. Sheffield recently expressed displeasure with his playing time. The 39 year-old DH is hitting .219/.321/.371 in 278 plate appearances this year...   Continue Reading

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Waiver Trade Possibilities For Red Sox, Rays

The Red Sox, three games behind the Rays in the standings, have the advantage when it comes to waiver claims. Both teams are dealing with injured third basemen for the next few weeks, and may choose to bring in some veteran assistance. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe names four players who may be of interest to the Red Sox and Rays: Rich Aurilia, Mark Loretta, Gary Sheffield, and Kevin Millar. Even after he clears waivers, a deal for Sheffield seems unlikely. The Rays have already expressed their disinterest. Sheffield doesn't expect a deal, noting that he's been put on...   Continue Reading

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Gammons' Latest: Sheffield, Pujols

ESPN's Peter Gammons has a new blog post up. The Tigers called the Rays, shopping perpetually unhappy DH Gary Sheffield. The Rays' baseball people were not interested. Albert Pujols' elbow is barking a bit, but he expects to finish the season. I wonder what a healthy Albert could do. Gammons notes a failed waiver trade back in '03. The Cubs acquired Rafael Palmeiro, but Raffy nixed the deal when they wouldn't add a year to his contract.   Continue Reading

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Odds And Ends: Guerrero, Sheffield, Wells, Lincecum

Here are a few tidbits from around the 'Net this morning. Vlad Guerrero wants to spend the rest of his days with the Angels. The question is, will the Halos pony up for a deal for the slugger's latter years? They hold a $15 million club option ($3 million buyout) for next year, Vlad's age-33 season. Will they work out an extension this off-season, or will they let Future Vlad and Future Reagins figure it out after '09? Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe mentions a player who wouldn't mind being traded: Gary Sheffield. The 39-year-old hasn't enjoyed his time...   Continue Reading

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Stark's Latest: Teixeira, Padilla, Sheffield, Beltre

ESPN's Jayson Stark has a new Rumblings and Grumblings up. You may want to grab a glass of water or something, because this is a beast of a column. If the Braves have a bad weekend and decide to trade Mark Teixeira, a deal could come together quickly. Stark says the Braves have already touched base with the Rays, Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels and Yankees. Where Tex fits on the Rays, I'm not sure. Additionally, interest in Will Ohman is said to be "massive." A Jorge Posada move to first base could affect the Yankees' interest in Teixeira this winter....   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal's Latest: Lidge, Daniel Cabrera, Bonds, Edmonds

Ken Rosenthal has a new column up. I put the Griffey info in a separate post; let's discuss the rest. Rosenthal suggests that Brad Lidge would be harder to replace than Pat Burrell, and for that reason the Phillies will make a bigger effort to re-sign him. I imagine Phillies fans would prefer that course of action. The problem? The Phillies have little chance of offering four years, according to Jayson Stark. The Rangers will face a delicate situation in coming years: moving Michael Young to a different position. The chain reaction could make Hank Blalock available. Blalock has a...   Continue Reading

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Retirement A Possibility For Sheffield

Because of shoulder woes, 39 year-old DH Gary Sheffield hasn't hit well since July of last year. He's an elite slugger when he's on but terrible when he's off. In the midst of a third cortisone shot, Sheffield suggested that retirement is not out of the question. He's dealing with all kinds of pain and won't undergo another surgery. Retirement sounds like a worst-case scenario though. After all, he is set to earn $14MM in '09. If Sheff retires or hits the 60-day DL, talk of Barry Bonds or Mike Piazza could heighten. The Tigers, however, have consistently denied interest...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Roberts, Garcia, Crede

Today's assortment of links. Gary Sheffield is not fond of Scott Boras. Arte Moreno and the Angels aren't closing the door on K-Rod yet. Turns out Brian Roberts left camp because of a possible kidney stone. From Small Ball To The Long Ball has all kinds of cool data that I haven't seen elsewhere. For example, average initial pitch speed for pitchers. Dustin McGowan's fastball: 96.11mph. Tim Wakefield's: 75.62mph. Seems that Freddy Garcia might wait a few months before signing. Andrew Baggarly says the Giants consider Joe Crede a possible long-term piece even with his impending free agency. So maybe...   Continue Reading

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Tigers Acquire Gary Sheffield

Jon Heyman reports that the Tigers have acquired Gary Sheffield for Humberto Sanchez and two Class A pitchers, Kevin Whelan and Anthony Claggett. It's a superb deal for New York at first glance, as Sanchez has great stuff and profiles as at least a middle-rotation starter for years to come. Baseball Prospectus's Kevin Goldstein ranked Sanchez as the 11th best right-handed starting prospect in the game, holding him back only because of elbow concerns. The Yankees should have young guys comprising 60% of their rotation by the end of '07. And Whelan, if things break right, could be setting up..   Continue Reading

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Where's Sheffield Headed?

The Detroit papers this morning seem to see Gary Sheffield wearing a Tigers uniform in 2007. On the other hand, Peter Gammons appeared on Mike & Mike this morning and saw the Cubs as the favorite with a deal that would include Mike Wuertz. Gammons thinks the deal will be done soon. And don't forget the Padres and A's on the fringes of this thing. You have to think the J.D. Drew situation weakens Sheffield's market value a bit   Continue Reading

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Sheffield And The Mets

Word from Gotham Baseball's Mark Healey is that the Mets might be a good fit for Gary Sheffield. Apparently the team's COO Jeff Wilpon is quite fond of Sheff. There are several other reasons why this could work; check out Healey's post. On a related note, Newsday reports that Brian Cashman has a Sheffield deal in place but has yet to pull the trigger. A trade is described as "inevitable," with the Cubs, Phillies, Rangers, Indians, Padres, Giants, Braves, and Astros as possible suitors. The Cubs would have to find a new spot for Jacque Jones; perhaps he would be..   Continue Reading

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And The Offseason Begins

The Cardinals have been crowned the unlikely world champs, so now it's time for all baseball fans to offically focus on 2007. Here's a roundup of the latest rumors. With the Tigers' season over, the consensus among local papers seems to be that they will trade some of their excess starting pitching for a slugger, possibly a first baseman. Some folks think Jeremy Bonderman's postseason performance (3.10 ERA in 20 innings) was a sign that he will take it to the next level in '07. Others think it's time to trade him with his value so high. Possible trade targets:..   Continue Reading

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Cubs To Target Hiroki Kuroda, Gary Sheffield?

Some interesting rumors coming from Cubdom, ideas that surprisingly don't seem too foolish. At least compared to last year, when the budget was spent on middle relievers, Jacque Jones, Glendon Rusch, and Neifi Perez. The first one comes from the Chicago Tribune. Paul Sullivan indicates that the Cubs may turn their focus to Japanese hurler Hiroki Kuroda instead of Daisuke Matsuzaka. Not that Matsuzaka isn't the better pitcher; he certainly is. But Kuroda won't require a posting fee, and he posted the best ERA (1.85) in Japan's Central League. Kuroda also posted a 6.9 K/BB ratio, which is awesome. If..   Continue Reading

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Sheffield A Hot Commodity

One name that didn't make my list of available impact hitters is Gary Sheffield. Sheff was, of course, out for most of the year because of surgery on his left wrist. Using his 2005 work Sheffield would be maybe the 10th best hitter available, whether through trade or free agency. According to Bill Madden of the New York Daily News, the Yankees plan to pick up Sheffield's $13MM option for 2007 and then trade him. He mentions the Angels, Orioles, Cubs, Giants, Astros, and Rangers as suitors. One year, $13MM is a fine low-risk contract for a possible .900ish OPS..   Continue Reading

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Olney: Would Yanks Exercise Sheff's Option?

With Bobby Abreu now under contract for 2007, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the Yankees would not exercise Gary Sheffield's $13MM option. He seems poised to head up a small group of free agent right fielders. However, Buster Olney makes a good argument for the Yankees to exercise his option even with Abreu in the fold. Remember, the Yankees are a team Olney knows well; he wrote a book about them. Sure, Sheffield may not be worth the full $13MM next year. But one of New York's competitive advantages is its ability to take on salaries. How many..   Continue Reading

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