Sheffield to the Tigers?

by cubsfan2883 on Nov 10, 2006 2:43 PM CST

Tigers Acquire Gary Sheffield
Jon Heyman reports that the Tigers have acquired Gary Sheffield for Humberto Sanchez and two Class A pitchers.

It's a great 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.

Courtesy of MLBTradeRumors.com

So much for Sheff in Pinstripes..

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.

Tweet Comment 58 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Also being reported by si.com

If true, the Yankees did a lot better than I thought they would.

by gravedigger on Nov 10, 2006 2:39 PM CST reply actions

WSCR

They just announced that there is pending news about a big baseball trade. They are looking into it and will be giving details shortly.

DmL

by dmlichte on Nov 10, 2006 2:39 PM CST reply actions

Gee......

I guess peddiling off our crap didn't work this time. People actually believed they could get Sheffield for Wuertz....LOL......

"Some advice: Stop worrying about being a good corporate citizen."-Phil Rodgers to Jim Hendry 10/6/06

by PriorandAramisfan23 on Nov 10, 2006 2:40 PM CST reply actions

Trade

George Ofman has confirmed the trade...also said that the Tigers extended Sheffield by two years.

DmL

by dmlichte on Nov 10, 2006 2:41 PM CST reply actions

Yikes

I don't think I'd extend him for two years but I guess since they gave up Sanchez they feel the need to keep him around for awhile. Too bad, I was one of the few who would've like to see him in Wrigley next year.

by pageian on Nov 10, 2006 2:44 PM CST up reply actions

aye

ESPN's got it.

TRAMMELL!

by Faith plus 1 on Nov 10, 2006 2:45 PM CST reply actions

So.....

can we chalk this one up as another that Hendry let get away?

"Some advice: Stop worrying about being a good corporate citizen."-Phil Rodgers to Jim Hendry 10/6/06

by PriorandAramisfan23 on Nov 10, 2006 2:47 PM CST reply actions

possibly...

...I liked the idea of Sheff, I never thought he was a necessity.

Depends on who Hendry gets instead.

PINIELLA!

by theprognosticator on Nov 10, 2006 2:48 PM CST up reply actions

Sheffield

I don't think so.

I look at Sheffield like Terrell Owens. An immense talent, but a cancer in the clubhouse. The Cubs had enough of those the last couple of years.

Listen to his comments about being traded. He already had said that if his new team didn't extend him, he would be very unhappy.

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. -- George Santayana (1863-1952)

by cubfred on Nov 10, 2006 2:51 PM CST up reply actions

No

Can't and won't agree with this line of thought.

Sheffield has a ring and has been to the postseason numerous times.

He produces.

There are quality arguments to be made for age and decline, but I don't go along with the character argument.

A lot of winning teams have had players who were jerks.

You can't sit around waiting to sign a bunch of boy scouts who can hit, just give me the guys who can hit.

PINIELLA!

by theprognosticator on Nov 10, 2006 2:55 PM CST up reply actions

Exactly!

Many teams have had terrible team chemistry and won the whole damn thing. Many teams have had great clubhouses and sucked.

Sheffield wasn't going to be the same guy he once was, but he was still a good player.

I'm sick and tired of people not wanting so and so because he's not a nice guy.

by Maddog on Nov 10, 2006 2:59 PM CST up reply actions

The......

"character" argument is the bastion of the loser. This isn't a tea party or Cub scouts.....its about winning. As you said there are plenty of teams and players filled with jerks who've won and will continue to win. The effect of someones character in the grand scheme of things is minimal. Some Cub fans will just never be satisified....."the Cubs have to win with a group of nice guys, who don't get paid too much without any clubhouse cancers of any kind." You'd think after 98 years people would just want to change their priorities to just wanting the best players possible.....imo having your cake and eating it too isn't a part of the equation.

"Some advice: Stop worrying about being a good corporate citizen."-Phil Rodgers to Jim Hendry 10/6/06

by PriorandAramisfan23 on Nov 10, 2006 3:02 PM CST up reply actions

exactly...

Gimme guys who can hit and pitch.

If you have to incarcerate them between games and put a Hannibal Lecter muzzle on them then do so.

If I want heroes I'll look to fiction. There are no real life heroes anyway.

PINIELLA!

by theprognosticator on Nov 10, 2006 3:04 PM CST up reply actions

Cops, firefighters, military

this might be the only time I disagree with you.

MUSKAT!

by smwojoz on Nov 10, 2006 3:18 PM CST up reply actions

I was thinking more sports-wise...

...not in terms of of the kind of people you mentioned.

PINIELLA!

by theprognosticator on Nov 10, 2006 3:20 PM CST up reply actions

OOOOOOOooooooooohhhhhhhhh.

nevermind.

MUSKAT!

by smwojoz on Nov 10, 2006 3:21 PM CST up reply actions

eh, I should have clarified better...

my fault.

PINIELLA!

by theprognosticator on Nov 10, 2006 3:23 PM CST up reply actions

I agree...

if you have a veteran team. My problem with bringing in Sheff to this bunch is that unless Hendry pulls a rabbit out of his ass, we may go young. I do not think he could handle the losses and would end up being a huge problem...

Winning does cure all....

No More Negativity! I am reborn!!!!!!

by timeforachange on Nov 10, 2006 3:23 PM CST up reply actions

Couldn't agree more

n/t

by wicubfan on Nov 10, 2006 4:54 PM CST up reply actions

They did?

They had enough guys with immense talent the last couple years? I must have missed that.

I don't care if all 25 guys are pieces of shit. If they produce...great. If it results in winning a championship I could care less. I don't care if they sign Osama bin Laden if he's a great baseball player. I want to win. I don't need to like the team or the players; most of whom are sacks of garbage anyway.

by Maddog on Nov 10, 2006 2:57 PM CST up reply actions

Yeah, I must have blocked out those...

...immense talent guys.

What I do remember is a bunch of cancers ON THE FIELD.

That is the problem, not a bunch of wedgie-pulling jerkfaces, screaming out O'DOYLE RULES all the time once they are off camera.

Because I don't see the clubhouse. What I see, is the abortion on the field that is Cubs baseball.

PINIELLA!

by theprognosticator on Nov 10, 2006 3:00 PM CST up reply actions

that.....

abortion is directly related to the immense lack of talent on the field.

"Some advice: Stop worrying about being a good corporate citizen."-Phil Rodgers to Jim Hendry 10/6/06

by PriorandAramisfan23 on Nov 10, 2006 3:03 PM CST up reply actions

Done and done...

Cross off one player we won't have to talk about anymore.

Nice deal for the Yankees.

PINIELLA!

by theprognosticator on Nov 10, 2006 2:47 PM CST reply actions

Good

Acquiring him wouldn't have helped us out in the long run.

"Incidentally, Colossus was right and I was wrong about Maddux being dealt." -Al Yellon

by colossus @ Bleed Cubbie Blue on Nov 10, 2006 2:49 PM CST reply actions

nothing we do is likely to help us in the long-run

...this offseason.

Doing nothing would be the best long-run thing the team could do.

PINIELLA!

by theprognosticator on Nov 10, 2006 2:50 PM CST up reply actions

I disagree

-Keeping A-Ram.
-Getting Matsuzaka.
-Sign or trade for another powerbat without trading Hill or Gallagher (Soriano, Wells, etc...)
-Signing a solid #4 guy to help make the bottom of our rotation more consistent.

"Incidentally, Colossus was right and I was wrong about Maddux being dealt." -Al Yellon

by colossus @ Bleed Cubbie Blue on Nov 10, 2006 3:04 PM CST up reply actions

lol...yes we'd probably be a lot better...

...if all of that went our way.

But looks like no Matsuzaka right now. Zito and Schmidt appear longshots at this point.

Soriano is a mistake imo, and I don't believe Wells will be traded.

Not to mention we are on the cusp of losing Aramis Ramirez.

So my contention is if we land none of the players you just mentioned (more likely than not), then we should do nothing and not make things worse by signing the Jeff Suppans of the world to multi-year deals.

PINIELLA!

by theprognosticator on Nov 10, 2006 3:10 PM CST up reply actions

Tigers

got ripped off. They gave way too much.

by cubfaninSTL on Nov 10, 2006 3:10 PM CST reply actions

How's that?......

they added another bat to their lineup and gave up a pitching prospect. Their rotation is pretty much set as is.....seems like a good deal for what they needed.

"Some advice: Stop worrying about being a good corporate citizen."-Phil Rodgers to Jim Hendry 10/6/06

by PriorandAramisfan23 on Nov 10, 2006 3:14 PM CST up reply actions

Sanchez

is a stud starting pitching prospect. We have been hearing this hole time about relief pitching getting traded for Shefield. They gave too much and probably didn't have to.

by cubfaninSTL on Nov 10, 2006 3:18 PM CST up reply actions

If I'm a Tiggers fan...

...I'm pretty much fine with the price paid, not so fine with the contract extension.

That is a substantial risk to take considering Sheff's age and if on the Cubs I wouldn't have wanted them to do that extension.

PINIELLA!

by theprognosticator on Nov 10, 2006 3:19 PM CST up reply actions

Why not Bonds?

Honestly, if the Tigers were going to go after an aging slugger with steroid questions, who had previously played for their manager... I don't see why they didn't go after Bonds inthe FA market.

Eamus Ursuli!

by WGNstatic on Nov 10, 2006 3:25 PM CST up reply actions

Because Sheffield, even at the headache...

...he can be, isn't anywhere near the circus that Barry Bonds is.

And because Sheff is right now in better shape physically then Bonds, Sheff is also a couple of years younger, and Sheff was being moved now by the Yankees.

Bonds's preference is probably to stay in San Fran and finish there. If the Tigers balk on Sheff, planning to get Bonds, and then Bonds returns to the Giants, then the Tigers miss out altogether.

And they can still get Bonds if they want.

PINIELLA!

by theprognosticator on Nov 10, 2006 3:31 PM CST up reply actions

And in other news...

looks like Biggio will sign with the Astros for his 3,000 hits season. Yes, they are in the same division as the Cubs but I root for some things that are just good for baseball. Biggio getting the 3,000 anywhere but Houston is wrong. Glad to see this appears to be happening.

by rlpete on Nov 10, 2006 3:14 PM CST reply actions

And in one of Al's pet peeves

The MLB.COM website is reporting than Craig Biggio is tied in career hits with Jake Begley.

Hmmm...is that that guy that used to be on St. Elsewhere? There used to be a baseball player named Jake Beckley.

Pretty bad for the MLB.COM site.

by rlpete on Nov 10, 2006 3:30 PM CST up reply actions

Agreed

Biggio is 70 hits away from 3,000, and from having his ticket officially punched into Cooperstown. Hard to argue with the type of gritty, solid performer Biggio has been throughtout his career. He's one of the good ones in baseball.

by BlueMike on Nov 10, 2006 3:34 PM CST up reply actions

Biggio...

... is also tied in hits with some guy named Hornsby, 2930.

by Al Yellon on Nov 10, 2006 4:27 PM CST up reply actions

Biggio

is a self-righteous, holier-than-thou, sanctimonious pompous jerk and so are his teammates. I hope his shoulder turns to mush just like his good buddy Bagwells did and he can't continue to play and finishes short of 3,000. It would serve him right.

Okay, maybe not but I just don't like the Astros. If you twisted my arm I'd probably say it is nice to see a guy who's been pretty good for a long time get some type of career achievement milestone in the city he's been at forever and that it's cool that it will cement his decidedly unspectacular HOF career. If I didn't dislike that Astros in general and Biggio in particular I might say that.

by pageian on Nov 10, 2006 7:29 PM CST up reply actions

I love the Tigers

First taking Neffi now this. Saving us from ourselves.

I love the ballpark. I love the city. I love the fans. Aside from how we've played this year, there's nothing not to like about Chicago." Greg Maddux 7/29/06

by jessica on Nov 10, 2006 3:16 PM CST reply actions

Peter Gammons

was wrong. Gee, there's a first.

by BlueMike on Nov 10, 2006 3:23 PM CST reply actions

But he captured the spirit of the deal...

n/t

by DudeVf1 on Nov 10, 2006 3:51 PM CST up reply actions

What's the spirt of the deal?

That he was going to be traded out of the division for good, young pitching arms? He nailed it alright. So did I. And BlueMike. And Al.

(I'm not a Gammons hater, just think that's a funny statement. Hopefully you were being sarcastic/ironic.)

"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth." -- Albert Einstein

by tyger1147 on Nov 10, 2006 4:00 PM CST up reply actions

Hey, what about TheBeerBaron??? :(

STEVE STONE!

by TheBeerBaron on Nov 10, 2006 4:43 PM CST up reply actions

Whew.

At first, I thought Steinbrenner had fed Sheffield to the Tigers.

"My uncle says you've got a screw loose." -- "Your uncle molests collies."

by jcub on Nov 10, 2006 3:36 PM CST reply actions

and this would be bad why?

Just thinking "Darn" rather then " Whew" would have been
the right header for that thought

I love the ballpark. I love the city. I love the fans. Aside from how we've played this year, there's nothing not to like about Chicago." Greg Maddux 7/29/06

by jessica on Nov 10, 2006 4:01 PM CST up reply actions

Fair enough.

Someone get Barnum & Bailey on the horn.

Can I also choose other sports figures to "donate" to the Tigers. Ron Artest and T.O. seem like a good candidates.

"My uncle says you've got a screw loose." -- "Your uncle molests collies."

by jcub on Nov 10, 2006 4:46 PM CST up reply actions

AP Confirmation of the story

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061110/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bba_tigers_yankees_trade

Should I start getting excited about the off season roster moves now or wait till October?

by stelmodad on Nov 10, 2006 3:42 PM CST reply actions

I was against...

... acquiring Sheffield not because of the "cancer in the clubhouse" argument, although there IS something to be said for that -- look at how the 2004 Cubs, a talented team, imploded in part for that very reason -- but because he is 38 years old, coming off an injury season, and could be in line for a significant decline.

I cannot believe the Tigers gave him a two-year extension.

by Al Yellon on Nov 10, 2006 4:30 PM CST reply actions

"could be in line "

he's a could be in the same sense Maggs "could have" never come back from his injury. You don't win World Series taking your "big" risks on guys like Wade Miller and Ryan Dempster. They got a guy who can hit, and if he hits for one year and sucks the next, it won't matter if that one year is a WS year.

by mike b on Nov 10, 2006 5:05 PM CST up reply actions

Not comparable.

Ordonez was 30 at the time he signed his big deal. Sheffield is 38. Big difference.

by Al Yellon on Nov 10, 2006 7:38 PM CST up reply actions

you are right

one guy was feared to never be as good again, and the other is feared to never be as good again.

by mike b on Nov 10, 2006 8:43 PM CST up reply actions

I can't believe

they did either. My guess is that they want him to be happy and they want to keep him around for awhile since they gave up a good prospect for him.

I was for getting Sheffield. I think the clubhouse cancer thing is a little overblown with him. To me he seems like he's all business in the dugout and on the field. Seems to be a professional with his teammates too. In other words he's not a T.O. who doesn't care if he torpedo's his team. Maybe I'm forgetting something? Seems like most of his whining and complaining comes during the offseason of his contract year. Maybe that's selective memory on my part but I think there is something to it.

Anyway, not that it matters now.....

by pageian on Nov 10, 2006 7:35 PM CST up reply actions

Idiotic thinking

I'm dumbfounded by this statement, coming from you of all people. Penny wise and pound foolish. Look, I didn't advocate the acquistion of Sheffield. But have you looked at his numbers over the years? Or the winning ballclubs he has played on over the years? Or his inevitable appearance in the playoffs every year? And for crying out loud, if I have to hear just one more person go off the deep end as a result of a player's chronological age, then I'm going to puke. Its the same garbage some of you would have said seven or eight years ago about Roger Clemens and the Big Unit. "He's too old, he's too old!!! He's in for a steep decline in production!!!!"

Lets get real here. I want to win a friggin World Series. I could really care less if a good player that can be had reasonably is 39, 29, or 19.

by BlueMike on Nov 10, 2006 9:54 PM CST up reply actions

There is a big difference...

... between a player who has put up Sheffield-like stats at 29, and one at 38. The 38-year-old is MUCH more prone to breakdowns and declines, especially coming off a year where he was injured.

And do you think Sheffield was in the playoffs because of Sheffield? Or because he was on the Yankees and Braves, two great teams?

by Al Yellon on Nov 11, 2006 9:11 AM CST up reply actions

Why in the world...

did the Tigers give up so much?

I seriously believe they could have gotten a player like Miguel Cabrera, Mark Teahen, or Miguel Tejada for that. Instead they are now stuck with an aging, roid-raged jerk who is on the decline.

Am I far off on this one?

by nickler on Nov 10, 2006 11:31 PM CST reply actions

I haven't ...

... often agreed with you.

But I think you are right on the money here.

by Al Yellon on Nov 11, 2006 9:11 AM CST up reply actions

As Phil Rogers put it,

Doesn't this leave somebody as the odd man out in Detroit, possibly Craig Monroe? Is this a guy the Cubs would still be interested in? Didn't Al say last offseason that Monroe was a guy the Cubs were looking to get (along with Howry and Jones)?

Anybody here interested in a deal for Monroe? I don't know what the Cubs would have to give up, nor who Detroit would want.

by MerigoldBowling on Nov 11, 2006 3:44 PM CST reply actions