Pumpkin Eater Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 If they limited his innings he may stay healthy the whole year. No one has signed him yet and maybe they can pull a Millwood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hammer Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 If they limited his innings he may stay healthy the whole year. No one has signed him yet and maybe they can pull a Millwood. He is going to command a much higher price now, than what we paid for Millwood a few years back. It would be too much of a risk for someone who gets injured as much as he does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Masters Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 He wants big money and multiple years. He just does not fit into CLE's economic budget. Love to have him. But asking for CLE to go get him is like asking for them to go get Manny. Love to have it, but it won't happen. Doesn't make financial since for the Indians organization. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beanpot Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 The simple answer is that he's a type A free agent who rejected arbitration. That's far more important than anything having to do with what he wants concerning a contract. What he'll cost, ignoring the financial investment, is a 1st round draft pick. A bunch of writers (Olney, Rosenthal and others) have suggested that it would be in Sheets best interest to hold out until the middle of the season before signing with a club. May not be a bad idea given the news that the Rangers have gone all cross-eyed while looking at his medical reports: Rangers cautious in pursuit of Sheets Free agent's medical history concerning team in need of pitching By T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com ARLINGTON -- The Rangers and free-agent pitcher Ben Sheets look like a perfect match. Texas needs pitching and Sheets needs a place to pitch. A marriage may seem inevitable, but the process is moving slowly and a resolution is not likely to come about anytime soon. The Rangers remain deeply concerned about the medical reports. Sheets had a right flexor tendon injury at the end of last season, and that has scared off a number of teams in their pursuit of a pitcher who otherwise would have been one of the top free agents on the market this offseason. Sheets' agent, Casey Close, is looking for a multi-year contract. The Rangers would prefer just a one-year deal, possibly with an option. The two sides have discussed financial parameters, but there hasn't been an official offer from either side. Close would like to get other teams involved, most notably the two in New York. That may not happen. The Mets are looking for one more starter and appear to be focused on left-hander Oliver Perez. The Yankees, having signed CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, could use one more starter, but seem more interested in bringing back Andy Pettitte. Both clubs have internal options. New York has already taken one risk on a pitcher with a history of injuries in Burnett, and may not want to double its risk by taking on Sheets. The Dodgers are also looking for starting pitching, but are looking at Randy Wolf and/or Jon Garland. There have been no indications that they have interest in Sheets. Texas is clearly far ahead of any other team in its interest in Sheets. The Rangers have repeatedly said that they don't have much money to spend this winter, but appear to be willing to make an exception for Sheets. Rangers owner Tom Hicks was among those who dined with Sheets and Close on Wednesday night in Dallas. Club president Nolan Ryan is high on Sheets and pitching coach Mike Maddux has been his staunchest advocate. The medical reports force the Rangers to tread cautiously. They are still gathering information. Sheets was 13-9 with a 3.09 ERA in 31 starts and 198 1/3 innings for the Brewers last year, but he had a partial tear in his right elbow at the end of the season and did not pitch in the playoffs. He has been on the disabled list five times in the past four years. The Rangers put 14 pitchers on the disabled list in 2008, crushing their chances of being competitive in the American League West. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20...8&fext=.jsp Beanpot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpkin Eater Posted February 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 OK, thanks for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beanpot Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 OK, thanks for the info. No problem. Next time I'll try and even give you correct information! I'd forgotten that our first round pick is protected this year (all teams finishing in the bottom half of overall major league standings are given this protection) and that we'd only have to surrender a 2nd rounder. Hoynes answered a question about Sheets in his mailbag this past weekend: Hey, Hoynsie: I have asked before, but still see the need and opportunity. Why not Ben Sheets? You know going in you will only get 23-25 starts, but 20-22 of those starts will be electric. Give the kid two years and $15 million, with an option that can vest. -- Charles Ambrose, Hudson Hey, Charles: You paint a rosy picture. My question is why hasn't anyone else signed Sheets? He has a history of injury and hasn't thrown over 200 innings in a season since 2004. In the past four years, he's made 22 or fewer starts twice. I'm sure that's scared a lot of teams away. Sheets would cost the Indians a second-round pick because he's a Type A free agent. Still, if the Indians had the money, he might be worth a look on for one year at $9 million to $10 million. Then again, the last time I looked, GM Mark Shapiro had spent his off-season allowance. ----------------------------------- http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2..._answer_30.html Beanpot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beanpot Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 Speaking of mailbags, here's the latest from Castrovince: Do you think that, in retrospect, Mark Shapiro regrets signing Kerry Wood for $10 million a year? I can't blame him for it, but with the way that market's taken shape since, it seems we vastly overpaid. Instead of signing Wood, they might have been able to sign both Ben Sheets and Juan Cruz for the same kind of money, or, depending on how much his price falls, they might have even been able to make a play for Manny, if they were inclined to. -- Seth P., Philadelphia Interesting, Seth. I doubt Shapiro regrets it, given how highly he regarded Wood in this winter's closing market. He viewed Wood as an elite arm, and he didn't want to risk losing him to another club (namely, the Tigers). Yes, the Indians could have saved money by waiting for the market to develop further, but, in doing so, they likely would have had to settle for a closer they don't regard as highly. Would you rather have Wood at $10 million a year or Brian Fuentes at $8.75 million a year? Personally, I'd side with Wood (and, obviously, so would the Indians), but some might disagree. I don't see the point in bringing up Cruz's name. He's not a proven closer, and whoever signs him will have to forfeit a top Draft pick. And Manny was never going to happen. Finding a closer was the Indians' No. 1 offseason priority. They picked their favorite arm in the lot, they were aggressive in their pursuit of him and they left themselves enough room in the budget to address their other concerns. Every article I read lists Dave Huff or Aaron Laffey as the likely fifth starter for the Tribe. I like both pitchers a lot, but I thought Scott Lewis did a tremendous job for the Tribe at three levels last year. How does he fit into the Indians' plans for 2009 and the future? -- Elia F., Hillsboro, Ore. No doubt, Lewis did a tremendous job. Of course, sometimes teams don't put as much weight in September performance because it's a time when rosters are expanded and many teams are out of the race. But what Lewis did was nothing to scoff at. Still, I don't think the Indians are on high on Lewis, at this juncture, as they are on Laffey and Huff. That's merely the perception I'm getting, and Lewis obviously is considered to be in the mix for that fifth spot. But I think he's more likely to start the season at Triple-A Columbus. He's only pitched 24 innings at that level, and I'm sure there's some thinking that he still has a lot to prove before landing a full-time role in the big leagues. I saw a picture of Juan Rincon pitching for his Venezuelan Winter League team. Any word on how he's doing down there and if the Tribe is possibly going to throw him a Minor League contract and an invite to Spring Training? -- Cody S., Scranton, Pa. Rincon signed a Minor League deal with the Tigers. Apparently he's going to try out every team in the AL Central before all is said and done. The Indians never showed any interest in bringing him or Brendan Donnelly back. When the Tribe traded Jason Michaels, it was announced -- as well as written by you -- that Michaels was traded along with cash considerations to the Pirates for a player to be named later. After doing a net search, I could not discover any player having been named. Is it possible that the amount of the cash consideration was subsequently adjusted in lieu of the PTBNL? -- Jennifer, no location given Yes, that turned out to be a cash deal. One concern of mine -- or perhaps more of a slight irritation -- is that our beloved Tribe is one of the slower teams in baseball (save Mr. Sizemore). This fact was strengthened when we traded Franklin Gutierrez, who had base running potential. I think Ben Francisco has the potential to do so as well. He did a bit of base stealing in Triple-A, with much success. Will we see a more nimble Tribe in '09? More importantly, with Garko discovering his new versatility with a chance in the outfield, maybe we can see him extend this versatility a bit further with some base stealing. (Tongue inserted firmly in cheek.) -- Jacob K., Claremore, Okla. You can't teach speed, and you can't miraculously inherit it over the winter, either. The Indians haven't done anything to improve on that front, unless Francisco inproves his on-base percentage. I think it's certainly an area worthy of concern, and it would have been nice if the Indians could have addressed it while simultaneously filling their infield hole. Brian Roberts would have been a perfect fit, but the Orioles' asking price was too high. Shapiro has said that speed is perhaps the easiest area of the game to overpay for. Clearly, he has not made the acquisition of speed a priority in his free-agent and trade acquisitions. With the Tribe's Triple-A team moving to the great state of Ohio, any chance they'll get TV time on SportsTime Ohio? -- Adam S., Wadsworth, Ohio That is reportedly in the works, though I have not heard anything concrete on how many games will be broadcast. And finally... I wanted to let you know about a Spring Training/"Major League" party that is going to take place at Stampers Bar and Grille in Fairview Park on Thursday, Feb. 12th, starting at 4 p.m. This party was started years ago at a place called Jerry's, where they gathered at the start of Spring Training as they watched "Major League" and hoped that this was our year. I am trying to get the word out, so if we could get your help it would be greatly appreciated. -- John C., no location given Thanks for the heads up, John. Hopefully some of the readers of the Mailbag will take interest in this event. http://castrovince.mlblogs.com/archives/20...ct_scott_l.html Beanpot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG71097 Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 Well the Rangers signed him but he had a physical and whoops the deal is cold Sheets might need elbow surgery Deal with Rangers called off; Brewers may pay for procedure By Adam McCalvy and T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com MILWAUKEE -- Finally, an answer to one of this winter's most puzzling questions: Why is the National League's All-Star Game starting pitcher still looking for a job? The answer is that free agent right-hander Ben Sheets may need surgery to repair the torn flexor tendon in his elbow, and his former employers may be asked to pick up the tab. Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash said on Thursday that the team has been in discussions this week with Sheets' agent and officials from Major League Baseball about who would pay for the procedure. "We're working our way through all of the details and we don't know the answer yet," Ash said. "Major League Baseball has regulations related to workers comp and there are procedures and protocols that have to be respected. We're working our way through those so I can't give you much insight other than that." The Texas Rangers and Sheets reached an agreement on a two-year contract late last week and only a physical stood in the way of the deal being completed. But everything changed once it was determined that Sheets had a torn flexor tendon that might require surgery. The Rangers could still pursue Sheets with a deal that would allow him to do his rehabilitation work with them in hopes that he would eventually pitch at a high level again. But that doesn't appear to be the case. "We've maintained contact but I'm not optimistic at this point," general manager Jon Daniels said Thursday morning. Daniels declined to discuss Sheets' physical and health situations. Sheets is a free agent who declined an arbitration offer from Milwaukee on Dec. 8, but he was injured while a Brewers employee. He worked much of the second half of the 2008 season with elbow pain and was left off Milwaukee's postseason roster, then revealed to reporters that he had torn the flexor tendon near his right elbow. At the time, according to Ash, the medical prognosis was that, "with rest and exercise and rehab, he should be fine." Asked if there was any talk of surgery at that time, Ash replied simply, "None." The team was so comfortable with that diagnosis that it extended a Dec. 2 offer of arbitration to Sheets, who is a free agent for the first time in his career. Had Sheets accepted that offer, he would have been considered a signed player for 2009 at a salary to be determined, almost certainly higher than the $11 million he earned in 2008, when he finished 13-9 with a 3.09 ERA in 31 starts. The Brewers had dispatched assistant athletic trainer Dan Wright to Louisiana to examine Sheets and that visit did not reveal any red flags. That visit occurred before Dec. 8, when Sheets formally declined the team's arbitration offer. Sheets and his agent, Casey Close, were seeking a multi-year contract for significant guaranteed dollars. The Yankees showed some interest before they signed A.J. Burnett and then re-signed Andy Pettitte, and the Rangers emerged thereafter as Sheets' most serious suitors. The Brewers have remained on the sidelines. General manager Doug Melvin contacted Close in early January, after John Smoltz and Brad Benny signed incentive-rich, one-year contracts with the Red Sox, to inquire whether Sheets would consider a similar deal. That offer was spurned. Now it appears surgery is an option for Sheets, who has been dogged by injuries throughout an otherwise stellar Major League career. He has appeared on four NL All-Star teams but has also been on the disabled list six times, mostly for shoulder issues. Many of his recent woes have been tied to a an injury he suffered in August 2005, when Sheets tore the latissimus dorsi muscle in his upper back, near his right shoulder. He did not require surgery to repair the muscle but went on the disabled list twice in 2006 for shoulder issues that Sheets and the Brewers agreed were likely related to the manner in which the "lat" muscle healed. The irony is that Sheets was on his way to an injury-free 2008 season when the elbow woes began. He first mentioned elbow pain on Sept. 17, when he exited a crucial start at Wrigley Field after two innings. He tried to pitch once more, on Sept. 27, but was ineffective in 2 1/3 innings against the Cubs and declared, ""That's all I have. I've got a broke arm." Ash was not sure when the debate about possible surgery would be settled. "When you're dealing with multiple parties, it always takes a little longer than you hoped," Ash said. "We're working our way through it." http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20...8&fext=.jsp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldcrow1945 Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 I'm shocked the Tribe is higher on Laffey than they are Lewis. Other than having a great attitude I am unimpressed with laffey. In his short stint with the Tribe last year I thought he had fantastic stuff. If he pitches well in Arizona I think he makes the team before Laffey does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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