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Ben Sheets

Sheets Done As A Brewer?

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Some have suggested Ben Sheets’ recent elbow injury increases his chances of re-signing with the Brewers, as it may lower his price.  Beat writer Tom Haudricourt, however, says he will probably be allowed to leave via free agency.  The pitcher won’t rule out a return, but Haudricourt said "Sheets’ red eyes and solemn words told the story."

My guess is that Sheets will look more and more appealing as the offseason progresses and the other big names fall off the board.  The numbers are good, and he made 30+ starts for the first time since ’04.  Sheets has a muscle tear near the elbow, but will that prevent him from getting a four-year offer?

Odds And Ends: Cardinals, Astros, K-Rod

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Links for Saturday…

  • It doesn’t sound like Jon Daniels has autonomy in Texas.
  • Ian Hunter of Country 103.9 in Ontario recently talked to MLBTR about the Blue Jays. Click here to download the mp3.
  • Reds GM Walt Jocketty has talked to three or four of the Reds’ nine free agents.  John Fay speculates those players are David Weathers, Jerry Hairston Jr., Mike Lincoln, and Jeremy Affeldt.
  • The Padres’ grievance against shortstop Khalil Greene won’t be heard until spring.  The case of Doyle Alexander may be a precedent; the Yankees were not able to recover any money after Alexander broke a knuckle by attacking a dugout wall in ’82.
  • Matthew Leach of MLB.com takes a look at the Redbirds’ upcoming offseason.  Leach estimates that after all the contract and arbitration items are settled, the Cards will have around $25MM to look for a middle infielder, a middle reliever, and perhaps a new closer or #4 or #5 type slugger.
  • Likewise, earlier this week Astros MLB.com beat writer Alyson Footer reported on GM Ed Wade’s offseason plans. Wade is expected to make some tweaks to the roster, but it’s unlikely he’ll make any major moves. Footer suggests the Astros could look for a couple of rotation arms, and speculates on the possibility of signing Ben Sheets.
  • The O.C. Register’s Mark Whicker doesn’t see Francisco Rodriguez coming back to the Angels.

Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com and can be reached here: alexo05 {at} umpbump {dot} com.  Tim Dierkes also contributed to this post.

Mets Rumors: K-Rod, Castillo, Pedro

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Let’s collect some a few postmortem Mets articles floating around this morning. 

  • Ken Davidoff suggests the Mets patch up their bullpen with Francisco Rodriguez.  It’d be an obvious overreaction, and would ignore past history of big money tossed at relievers.  The Mets had a firsthand look with their own Billy Wagner signing.  $43MM for 193.3 innings – was it worth it?
  • David Lennon believes Luis Castillo is as good as gone, though I’d be surprised if eating half of his contract is enough.  Would Castillo get a three-year, $9MM deal on the open market right now given numerous palatable one-year options?  Adam Rubin sees the Mets trading Castillo, Aaron Heilman, and Scott Schoeneweis (he suggests eating 90% of Castillo’s contract).
  • As for the rotation, Lennon doesn’t see the Mets involved on C.C. Sabathia, Ben Sheets, A.J. Burnett, Oliver Perez, or Pedro Martinez.  I imagine the Mets will add one starter to follow Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, and John Maine though.  Freddy Garcia could make sense.  Rubin says Derek Lowe and Brian Moehler are rumored possibilities, though Moehler already re-signed with Houston for ’09.
  • Bob Klapisch wonders if the Mets should consider trading Jose Reyes, David Wright, or Carlos Beltran to shake up the team.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Cards, Sheets, Twins, Pirates, K-Rod, Sabean

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A few random notes from around the baseball Blogosphere…

  • Rockin’ The Red says one of the priorities for the Cardinals this offseason should be signing a left-handed reliever. They examine the upcoming free agent market and feel Will Ohman and Jeremy Affeldt are the most attractive options.
  • Was Watching explores the Yankees "lust" for Ben Sheets and notes that he may be a better option than A.J. Burnett and CC Sabathia.
  • Twinkie Town projects the Twins ’09 payroll.
  • Where have you gone, Andy Van Slyke? says it is better for the Pirates to wait and add payroll noting that a small increase now will not make the Buccos a contender. They believe it makes more sense to wait until ’10 or ’11.
  • One writer at Fanhouse feels Chris Perez could keep the Cardinals from signing Francisco Rodriguez, giving the Cards money to spend on the rest of the bullpen.
  • Another writer at Fanhouse wonders why Brian Sabean is going to be back in ’09.
  • El Lefty Malo says Brian Sabean’s plan has "more or less worked". The suggestion is that it has only been one year since the rebuilding process began.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

Sheets’ Elbow Likely To Affect Payday

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Brewers starter Ben Sheets dealt with a triceps strain in April but managed to avoid the DL.  After that, he made all his starts and was set to reach 200 innings last night for the first time since 2004.  However, Sheets was removed from last night’s start after two innings due to elbow pain.  He’s quietly been pitching through the pain since late August.

A healthy Sheets seemed primed for a payday north of $70MM this winter.  He says the MRI showed no structural damage, but the injury seems likely to cost Sheets millions this winter.

The Brewers pledged not to negotiate with Sheets until after the season due to the health concerns.  Sheets was eyeing the open market back in June.

Rockies Want To Add A Starter This Winter

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Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd says the young kids didn’t come through in 2008, so this winter he may go shopping for an ace.

"One of the bigger holes we still have is a pure No. 1," O’Dowd says. "Whether that can ever be accomplished without developing it ourselves, I still have doubts about. But in light of not having that, I think we obviously need to have another quality pitcher in our rotation, and not somebody that’s a bottom-of-the-rotation guy.

O’Dowd doesn’t make any promises, and speculates that a pitcher could come "through trade, free agents or somebody internally stepping up." There will be a couple of top-of-the-rotation guys available via free agency in CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets, but both may be too expensive for the Rockies. There is lots of speculation that Matt Holliday could be dealt, and he could potentially bring a starting pitcher in a trade. Or the Rockies could dangle Garrett Atkins and hope that Todd Helton is able to return to play first base next season. But leaning too hard on Helton, who has seen his power numbers drop precipitously and who has been out since July 2 with back problems, is a real gamble.

Coley Ward writes for Umpbump.com. He can be reached here.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Mets, Brewers, Astros

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Ken Rosenthal has a lot to offer in his latest Full Count video:

  • The Mets will prefer to pickup Carlos Delgado’s $12MM option rather than buy him out for $4MM. That’s a guarantee for a guy who should finish the year around 35-100 despite not contributing for the first two months.
  • According to sources, Manny Ramirez is unlikely to go the Mets. They will more likely focus their spending on pitching. John Maine has a bone spur in his right shoulder. Pedro Martinez and Oliver Perez are free agents. The Mets will need to go after starting pitching.
  • If the Mets go after Francisco Rodriguez, would they dangle Billy Wagner on the trade market in his contract year?
  • If the Astros sign Ben Sheets and Randy Wolf, they’d become immediate contenders, if not division favorites.
  • To recoup the loss of Ben Sheets and C.C. Sabathia, the Brewers might want to trade J.J. Hardy or even Prince Fielder for a pitcher to join Yovani Gallardo, Manny Parra, and Dave Bush. I can’t see them trading Fielder and a lot will be determined by how they fare in the playoffs.
  • Casey Blake will be in high demand this offseason. As a third baseman, his only real competition is the fragile Joe Crede. Blake can play 1B, 3B, RF and LF. He’s a good fit for the Dodgers to re-sign but, according to Rosenthal, he may want to go closer to his Iowa home.

Stark’s Latest: Teixeira, Lamb, Ibanez, Blake

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Hot stove highlights from Jayson Stark’s latest…

  • Stark sees the Mets picking up Carlos Delgado’s $12MM option for ’09, taking them out of the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes.  He sees the Yankees in the mix for Tex.  Will Teixeira top the $140MM the Rangers offered him?
  • The Yanks will also pursue a top flight starting pitcher, with C.C. Sabathia and Ben Sheets as Plans A and B.
  • Stark does not see the Braves diving into megadeals for Sabathia, Sheets, or A.J. Burnett.  They’ll have payroll room, but could pursue trades or mid-tier free agents.
  • Stark says friends of Tom Glavine and John Smoltz indicate they both want another go at it in ’09.  They’re hoping the Braves will offer low-base incentivized deals.  If the Braves spurn Glavine, I wonder if he’ll sign with the Nationals.
  • Mike Lamb and the Phillies have mutual interest.  A trade might make more sense than awaiting his release, so that he’d be eligible for the postseason roster.
  • A friend of Raul Ibanez says the Mariners are unlikely to convince him to re-sign.  They’ll snag a couple of draft picks if they offer arbitration and he signs elsewhere.  The prospect of losing a draft pick makes Ibanez less attractive to other teams though.
  • The Dodgers are considering re-signing Casey Blake and moving Blake DeWitt to second base.

Week in Review: 8/17 – 8/23

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Another week in the books, and we keep seeing big names moved after the July 31 non-waiver deadline. Let’s look back on the past week:

  • The Dodgers acquired Greg Maddux from the Padres for two minor league players to be named later. Nice acquisition to bolster their rotation, and does anyone want to place bets on how excited 20-year-old Clayton Kershaw is to get tips from Maddux every day for the rest of the season?
  • The Pirates are exploring the idea of trading Jack Wilson this offseason more and more. Given the slim free agent market for shortstops, he would likely gather a lot of interest.
  • Nate Robertson’s struggles this season have lost him his spot in the rotation, but have they also lost him a spot with the Tigers after 2008?
  • Orlando Hernandez needs surgery on his foot, and that could likely mean that El Duque’s career would be over.
  • Lots of speculation lately about where Ben Sheets is going to land after 2008. And while there’s no way to tell right now, Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman have stepped up and said they would like the Astros front office to go out and sign him in the offseason.
  • A lot of minor-league deals signed this week: Kip Wells signed with Kansas City, the Mets added Al Reyes, the Astros signed Jose Castillo, the Red Sox signed Dave Ross, and the Braves took a flyer on Rodrigo Lopez following his Tommy John surgery last year. The Jays made a trade to acquire Jose Bautista for a PTBNL as well.
  • The Rangers would like Milton Bradley back in 2009, and the feeling is mutual, though negotiations will wait until after the season. Similarly, Frank Thomas would prefer to stay with the A’s in 2009.
  • Eric Gagne, David Riske, and David Weathers all cleared waivers this week. The first two make sense to me, but given Weathers’ success this year, his affordable contract for the rest of the season, and all of the teams desperately seeking bullpen help, it seems strange that no one would place a claim on him. Here’s an updated list of all the players who have been confirmed to have cleared waivers this year.

Astros Players Hope To Recruit Sheets

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According to Jose de Jesus Ortiz, Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt plans to make a recruiting pitch to Ben Sheets.  Sheets will be a free agent after the season.  Lance Berkman would love to see Sheets sign with the Astros as well.

Pairing Sheets with Oswalt would certainly change the look of the Astros, who could slot Wandy Rodriguez at #3 or #4 and sign an additional free agent starter.  As with most free agent signings, Sheets carries plenty of risk.  He’s already thrown 162 innings this year, his best since ’04.  Has he shaken off the injury bug?

Sheets should get at least three years, and four is feasible.  $16-17MM per year sounds about right.

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