A. Money (as in Jim Hendry doesn’t have anymore dough to dish out)

B. We already have a solid starting rotation with depth (and that has already tied up a lot of payroll dollars)

C. Apparent league wide suspicion that Ben Sheets isn’t adequately healthy enough.

maybe during the year…but I think hendry is content.

if Sheets threw more innings than Peavy, just like he did in 2008.

30 major league clubs don’t take a pass on a pitcher the caliber of Ben Sheets unless they are scared off by his medical reports. Even in these awful economic times Sheets should have been gobbled up by a team. But there’s no team apparent willing to give him a 2 year deal???? That speaks volumes that something is amiss in those medical reports.

There are several reasons why Sheets isn’t signed, not just one or another. Some of them are the same reasons why other frontline players remain unsigned. The first of which is the draft compensation that would be required to sign these guys. Second, is the fact that teams don’t want to take needless risk on top of the draft compensation. Signing Sheets to a deal longer than one-year, even with an option, in this market, at this time, given the draft compensation and Sheets injury history is far too risky for most, if not all teams.

Third, we don’t really know for certain who has talked to Sheets and who he has told to find someone else. He himself may have limited his own options as a result.

But I will tell you this, all things equal, if Sheets were receptive to a straight one-year deal, without an option and without enormous incentives, and without Type A draft compensation being involved, for around the $6 million as originally suggested, the line would around the block. Lumping all of those “if’s” that are in play in this particular case, the line begins and ends with Sheets himself.

If Oliver Perez gets $36 million guaranteed over three years, Ben Sheets would easily get $6 million on a straight one-year deal….only if he’s receptive to it which may not be the case right now. Point being for the Cubs, take away the Type A compensation and it’s a done deal on a one-year deal. That they would have to wait until after the 2009 draft to avoid Type A compensation, Sheets will either remain in limbo or some team will have to bite the compensation and get him for a one-year bargain.

…is a China Doll, and teams are wising up to one simple fact; no matter how a pitcher is, they do you no good on the DL.

The guy is dominate when he is healthy and hell we could have him and Harden splitting starts in an attempt to stay healthy. Also, prior (hate using that word in a talk of durability) to the last couple seasons, he made all his starts for a few years in a row, so who knows. That being said, he is THE definition of HIGH risk, HIGH reward, not low risk, high reward as you said. Even in a slow market and with someone who would take a shorter contract with the lack of offers, it would be high risk and probably some pretty good money. Not going to happen, for sure.

Because, unfortunately for this talented pitcher, his medical file sends chills down the collective spines of all that have looked at it (and I assume all teams have).

to sign Sheets for one year with a 2nd year option, then to give up the farm for Peavy and his huge contract?