WEDNESDAY, 7:52am: Sheets topped out at 92 mph on Tuesday, writes Tabby Soignier of The News-Star. Mariners scout John Stearns' take:
"I was impressed. Ben was free and easy, throwing the ball really well with not too much effort. He had good velocity. I was especially impressed with his curve ball. He's got a plus Major League curve ball with a lot of depth to it."
Soignier noted the presence of the Giants and Pirates, two clubs not on our list below (via Twitter, Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette already says the Bucs won't be bidding). Ed Price of AOL FanHouse adds the Phillies and Athletics, while adding more about Sheets' three throwing sessions. Click here to see video from the session, as well as Sheets' interview with MLB Network's Trenni Kusnierek.
MONDAY, 7:14pm: Ben Sheets will have quite an audience when he throws for interested teams on Tuesday. It's no surprise that clubs are curious about the 31-year-old. He has a 3.72 ERA and nearly four times as many strikeouts as walks in his eight-year MLB career. He missed last year after undergoing surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon, so clubs want to see if Sheets is back in form before signing him. The right-hander told ESPN.com's Tim Kurkjian that he feels "refreshed" and "fantastic." Here's a list of teams that will be on hand this week to see for themselves.
- Reds
- Nationals
- Diamondbacks
- Cubs (by the way, we're not on board with the rumor that Sheets is "all but signed" by them)
- Rangers
- Cardinals
- Blue Jays
- Dodgers
- Brewers (Sheets appears too expensive for them)
- Mets
- The Angels will not be there this Tuesday.
- The Yankees were not present.
- The Astros currently have no plans to watch Sheets.
Either Mariners, Mets, or Blue Jays. I’ll say Mets.
hopefully the Rangers get him. once the Ownership thing is solved they could land him.
the cubs need him badly………
the mets need him more.
But who would want to play for the Mets right now? I believe he’d like to play at Wrigley, and stay in the NL Central, which would include a lot of games against the Brewers both at Wrigley and at Miller Park.
Really? Who wants to play for the Cubs? The Cubs had a season like the Mets, except with all their players (except Aramis…trying comparing him to Delgado+Beltran+Reyes…) healthy.
83-78 2nd place, 7.5 games out vs. 70-92 4th place, 23 games out? Cubs had a lot of injuries, all teams do. Cubs could win NL Central with Sheets. Mets no chance.
Weren’t the Cubs supposed to dominate the NL Central? They should have been so much better than what they were. Our team is much better with yours when we are healthy.
why wouldnt he want to play for the mets? according to everyone Citi is pitcher friendly n this is just the way he needs to get his stats back on track. mets are easily contenders once all their starters are back and if they add sheets as a 2 and piniero as a 3. they can sign them two and maybe delgado n theyre fine.
How about 2008? The Met were plenty healthy then…and the Cubs dominated the entire NL and the Mets choked back and out of the playoffs. I don’t see significant differences between those two teams in present day.
Ry… got one phrase for you that I always try to explain to people. From the great movie of Talladega Nights. “If you’re not first, you’re last.” If you don’t win a world series it means literally NOTHING. You made the playoffs great. You moved your spot in the draft back further, you played longer and had more wear and tear on your players, and you wind up with the same thing at the end of the season, nothing.
If you don’t win it all, the division win, the NLDS win, the NLCS win, all mean nothing, as nothing has been achieved.
This is coming from a Sox fan who got spanked in the ALDS, so you know it hurts to say.
ummm…losing your closer in August…a starter…( maine )…another starter ( pedro ) ..your LF ( alou )…and RF ( church ) is not exactly what i call healthy…
Strongly disagree with you here. The Mets had like 20 guys with extended DL stints. The Cubs really only lost Ramirez, which is a big loss. But its nothing compared to the losses the Mets took last season. Putz, Delgado, Beltran, Reyes, all spent time on the DL. Church/Francour swap I felt and still feel was a bad move.
Mets have a strong shot at division if Beltran indeed gets healthy early and they sign a high upside starter in Sheets. The Phillies had a few lucky factors work for them last season, and it showed when they got absolutely spanked by the Yankees in the World Series. And I think they will miss Cliff Lee, even with Roy Halladay. Just a side note.
Pitchers would LOVE to play in CitiField I would think. Especially a guy like Sheets who will get a 1 year deal that he wants to impress on. I go with Mariners or Mets on this one due to the pitcher friendly parks.
Secondly, I’m cheering for the Cubs to win, but you guys got a long way to go. When you are in such a payroll nightmare (a position I believe the Yanks will join you at in 2-3 years), that you are making trades like Bradley for Silva and exchanging other bad contracts just to hope that something magically changes, I would say the Cubs are a MUCH more unhappy destination than the Mets. Just putting it how I see it.
Mets are 1 bat away from a top notch offense when Beltran is healthy, and 1 arm away from a top rotation. They have a top of the line closer. I’m also almost positive they have a little more payroll flexibility than the Cubbies. Just a thought with nothing more than simple logic behind it, and I could wind up being wrong. I do not see the Cubs signing Sheets. I think John Smoltz is a better target for the Cubbies.
He would have much better stats pitching for the Mets in Citi Field then at Wrigley
I really thought the angels would go after him, maybe they’re not trying to compete this year. In that case the dodgers, mets, then mariners. Dodgers have done little to nothing this offseason, mets need starting pitching depth, or depth in general. And the way the Mariners have been linked to basically every free agent, and the guys they’ve signed so far, they’re ready to compete. A 1 2 3 of Felix Lee and Sheets isn’t bad.
read my comment just above you Dylan. I agree with you entirely, the Angels are ok with throwing away next season. They have cleared some payroll space, and with whats available, they are smart to wait to make a splash next year. Don’t get discouraged, because the Angels may still surprise us. They don’t have a terrible rotation, that has a big upside, and they still have a fairly strong lineup.
I’m surprised there arent more teams interested.
Seems like this is the type of guy the Royals should look to grab. A 1-2 of Greinke, Sheets (if healthy) would certainly help gain some respectability. Nationals too.. all assuming it doesnt quickly become a bidding war. On the cheap, he’s a great pick up if healthy
Exactly – they must feel they’ll get priced out. If only they had the 16.5 mil of Guillen/Farnsworth to throw around.
What does it cost to fly a scout out there and put him up for the night.. $600?? At the very least check him out. Maybe (probably) they get priced out, maybe they dont. If not for yourself, at least get a fresh look at a potential opponent.
best screen name EVER!
Agreed. Great name.
Secondly, couldn’t agree more that they should have at least taken a look, but I do think the Angels are set to go with what they’ve got, which is not good enough to go deep in playoffs even if they make it. But next year, they will have more money free for a crop of free agents like we haven’t seen in recent memory (barring some extension signings during the season).
keep in mind that the Reds came out of nowhere and signed Chapman. The Yanks came out of nowhere last year and signed Teixeira. The big splash offer could certainly come if no one pony’s up the right dollars early enough. This is the reason I support the Holliday deal by the Cardinals, because if they had made a small, silly offer like 5/85-95, Cashman would have gone back to the Steinbrenners and said, “Look, open payroll just a few million and I can lock this guy down for 6/110 with a team option for a 7th year.”
The splash will come for Sheets, though I do not expect it to be the Yankees. Nationals are not a bad guess though.
This guy is a big risk after being out a whole season with nerve damage in his elbow, He misses a lot of game due to blisters and minor aches and pains from 2005 to 2009 he stuck it to the brewers for almost 39 million dollars, and he won a total of 41 games,about a million dollars a win. He throws hard and he is exciting but any team who has a man crush on him and pays him big bucks deserves what they get. Maybe a one year contract for a couple of million, and an incentive package where if he can complete 200 innings or over, win 15 games make all his starts then he can earn his 10 million a year or more.
I’ll do you all a favor and rule out the Orioles.
You’re welcome.
Cards sign him… I’m calling it.
Come on Dodgersss!
ill do u a favor and rule out the brewers.. unless he wants to come back and pitch for the money they paid him in his last contract that he didnt deserve
It has been reported on our local blogoshpere that the Orioles will not be there. Apparently the Orioles contacted Sheets’ agent and asked for his medical records, but never received them. My guess is that Sheets is too much of a coward to try pitching in the AL East.
I wish the cardinals would sign him.
ordered list of fans who should be afraid of the contract he might be given if their team signs him:
Cubs
Mets
Cardinals
Dodgers
I dont think he gets more than 1 year and a vesting or player opition. On one Dodger blog, a fan suggested 8M guaranteed with 2M in performance bonuses(games started, innings pitched, etc) and a 12M vesting option that vests with X number of starts.
I think he has accepted the fact that he isn’t getting 12M a year for multiple years, which is the reason he has to throw for teams.
8M guaranteed with 2M bonuses and a 12M vesting option isn’t bad, at all.
I do not think you would want to give this guy 8 million dollars in the last 5 years he had 41 wins and the brewers paid him just a few dollars short of 39 million dollars, almost a million dollars a win. If the dodgers are going to gamble on a reclaimation project I would rather see them spend less money and gamble with a guy like Padilla, or at least take a look at lowery and see what he has left.
I’d much rather see Sheets in the rotation instead of Lowery or Padilla. Simply because our prospects could and probably will do better than either Lowery or Padilla. Sheets is an ace when healthy and is most likely willing to be a mentor to Billingsley. Given the fact that Padilla will get at least 5M(look at what Penny got), the contract I said would be a 3M difference, guaranteed.
If we signed Lowery, I wouldnt be sure he’d make it out of camp, let alone be good enough to be our 5th starter. Now, he wont get 5M, but I wouldnt be totally shocked if he was signed as well as a guy like Sheets, Padilla, Garland, etc, in case someone gets hurt or a prospect struggles.
Finally, think if Sheets is healthy and pitches to what he shows he can do. He has a career 3.72 ERA and from 04 to 08(when he seemed to get comfortable in the majors, he had a 3.24 ERA). AKA, when healthy, he is a very solid #2, if not better. For 8M, thats a steal…
Do you think the twelve million plus dollars he got last year was a steal? Ask the Brewers what a steal he was. Sheets is coming off of torn flexor tendon surgery. You might want to look up what kind of injury it is before you spend 8 million dollars in your fantasy league on him.
Sheets made no money last year. None. In 2008, he made 12M and pitched to a 3.09 ERA. He earned his money. He had a 4.4 WAR and was worth 20M, according to fangraphs.
And yes, he had shoulder surgery. So has 1/3 of the league’s pitchers. Given his track record, he will get money at least equal to other reclamation projects. Given that Penny got 7.5M, an 8M base for Sheets, a far superior pitcher, isnt a stretch, at all. Let alone something someone dreams up in a ‘fantasy league’
8 mill for a career 86-83 pitcher who averages 156 innings a season is pretty steep.
Sheets made no money last year. None. In 2008, he made 12M and pitched to a 3.09 ERA. He earned his money. He had a 4.4 WAR and was worth 20M, according to fangraphs.
And yes, he had shoulder surgery. So has 1/3 of the league’s pitchers. Given his track record, he will get money at least equal to other reclamation projects. Given that Penny got 7.5M, an 8M base for Sheets, a far superior pitcher, isnt a stretch, at all. Let alone something someone dreams up in a ‘fantasy league’
Do you think the twelve million plus dollars he got last year was a steal? Ask the Brewers what a steal he was. Sheets is coming off of torn flexor tendon surgery. You might want to look up what kind of injury it is before you spend 8 million dollars in your fantasy league on him.
I’d much rather see Sheets in the rotation instead of Lowery or Padilla. Simply because our prospects could and probably will do better than either Lowery or Padilla. Sheets is an ace when healthy and is most likely willing to be a mentor to Billingsley. Given the fact that Padilla will get at least 5M(look at what Penny got), the contract I said would be a 3M difference, guaranteed.
If we signed Lowery, I wouldnt be sure he’d make it out of camp, let alone be good enough to be our 5th starter. Now, he wont get 5M, but I wouldnt be totally shocked if he was signed as well as a guy like Sheets, Padilla, Garland, etc, in case someone gets hurt or a prospect struggles.
Finally, think if Sheets is healthy and pitches to what he shows he can do. He has a career 3.72 ERA and from 04 to 08(when he seemed to get comfortable in the majors, he had a 3.24 ERA). AKA, when healthy, he is a very solid #2, if not better. For 8M, thats a steal…
From 2004-2008, Sheets was 53-44 with an ERA+ of 134. By comparrison, the Brewers as a team averaged 79 wins. It would seem that the Brewers should be thankful they had Sheets so they wouldn’t have been a perennial last place team. I’m pretty impressed that a guy on a team that was 15 games below-.500 could himself be 9 games over .500.
I do not think you would want to give this guy 8 million dollars in the last 5 years he had 41 wins and the brewers paid him just a few dollars short of 39 million dollars, almost a million dollars a win. If the dodgers are going to gamble on a reclaimation project I would rather see them spend less money and gamble with a guy like Padilla, or at least take a look at lowery and see what he has left.
Why would Dodger fans be “afraid of” giving Sheets a one or two-year deal? No chance they give him 3+ years, so there’s really nothing to be “afraid” of.
It is not the fans that are afraid, it would a concern to any club who would shell out big money for a guy who had to sit out a year , If he goes down you are stuck with the contract and it may keep you from signing someone with less risk or being able to pick up salary at the trade deadline when you are in a pennant race. Sheets has great stuff but you are running a business and the guy is fragile as glass. The brewers cut bait with him and signed Randy Wolf. If he wants to sign for an incentive based contract with a small salary, then maybe a second year vestion option based on preformance that would be a saftey net for the team signing him, and if he preforms well he gets the money he wants.
It is not the fans that are afraid, it would a concern to any club who would shell out big money for a guy who had to sit out a year , If he goes down you are stuck with the contract and it may keep you from signing someone with less risk or being able to pick up salary at the trade deadline when you are in a pennant race. Sheets has great stuff but you are running a business and the guy is fragile as glass. The brewers cut bait with him and signed Randy Wolf. If he wants to sign for an incentive based contract with a small salary, then maybe a second year vestion option based on preformance that would be a saftey net for the team signing him, and if he preforms well he gets the money he wants.
I’m surprised the Giants are even going to watch. He would be a fit for them at the 4th or 5th spot in the rotation. Considering the money they saved by not signing Adam LaRoche, they should let Bumgarner get some more seasoning at triple A and have a dominate rotation to compensate for their lack of offense. Imagine a rotation of Lincecum, Cain, Sheets, Sanchez, and Zito.
do you mean aren’t going to watch?
Even so, I think it was proven last year that if you have crazy pitching but a crappy offense, in a division with the Rockies, Dodgers and possibly the Dbacks, you aren’t getting into the playoffs without a lot of luck.
Look at the Curveballs on these top 3 Starters for the Cards potentially…
Carpenter
Wainwright
Sheets
The Cards will get out-bid. This is just due-diligence. Understanding that, the ceiling for the Cards rotation would be sick. Penny and Lohse aren’t to be under-estimated.
Lohse and Penny will have great years IMO. I mean Lohse had a 1.83 ERA before he got hurt and Penny did fine in the NL. Dave Duncan will do wonders with the staff this year and if we have a solid 5 starter consider us the #1 seed. Potential Rotation….
Carp
Waino
Lohse
Penny
Garcia/Hawksworth/Boggs/McClellan/Looper?
Looking at Lohse’s game log from last year and I don’t see when he had a 1.83 ERA. He had a 2.42 ERA after four starts after jamming his knee in start number four, but when he went on the DL in June, he had a 3.99 ERA.
Looking at Lohse’s game log from last year and I don’t see when he had a 1.83 ERA. He had a 2.42 ERA after four starts after jamming his knee in start number four, but when he went on the DL in June, he had a 3.99 ERA.
We thought the same thing too here in LA. That is, until halfway through the season he gets bored with dating Allisa Milano and throwing complete games. Dude is a cancer.
The Cards run a pretty tight ship when it comes to that.
Scott Rolen’s a great guy and he found himself out of town pretty quickly when clubhouse tensions rose. Ozzie, as great as he was, found himself retiring in a different fashion than he desired. Julian Tavarez as well. People attribute this to La Russa, and that might have been true with Jockety (Jockety himself might be an example) around. But after Chris Duncan was traded last year, I think a case is to be made that the organization as a whole doesn’t have problems letting people go, no matter who they are. Big contract, small contract, favorite of the manager, favorite of the fans, whoever… The best thing for the team is often a hard call, and the Cardinals are pretty good at running people out of town when they become detrimental to team morale.
gulp gulp….that koolaid tastes good doesn’t it.
If you take the bias glasses off, you might get a better perspective of the sport of baseball at the MLB level.
Kool-Aid? How about reality? Dave Duncan can make anyone good. Look at Carpenter before he came to STL and after. The stats prove Dunc is the best in the game.
This is true. Dave Duncan is a significant factor in evaluating St. Louis pitchers. I think the Cards will save themselves some cash and go after Chien-Ming Wang (whose sinker is right up Duncan’s alley) instead of Sheets at half the cost.
I’ll guess that the Mets will sign one of Sheets or Piniero, and the Dodgers will sign the other.
updated probabilities of landing Sheets:
Rangers: 20%
Cardinals: 10%
Blue Jays: 15%
Dodgers: 31%
Brewers: 11%
Mets: 13%
Jim Hendry: 0.001%
I dunno. I wouldn’t put it past Hendry to sign him to a 5 year/$100m deal with incentives of $2m for every 5 games he starts.
Don’t forget the full no trade clause.
Jays will sign him to a 1 year deal then ship him at deadline when hes proven healthy, they have plent of money to spend
Jays will sign him to a 1 year deal then ship him at deadline when hes proven healthy, they have plent of money to spend
god please say the twins are atleast interested in Ben Sheets
Not some loser like washburn
Is it me, or does it seem like the Twins are done for this offseason? They only seem interested in the Mauer extension (a good priority), and perhaps they’re holding everything else up because they’re not sure how much money will be invested in the new contract. After seeing the young guys in the rotation last year, and how poorly they did (although there were a couple good performaces in the second half) I would love to see a veteran presence other than Pavano in the rotation.
Carpenter
Wainwright
Sheets
Penny
Lohse
that would be the best rotation in baseball. cards get him. calling it right now
thats not the best rotation in baseball, its not even better than the cards last years rotation,
I suppose that depends on your opinion of how Penny, Lohse, and Sheets will do…
ok who do you think is the best rotation in baseball? the redsox? they have essentially 3 guys at the top of their rotation which have stats of #2 guys(which isnt a bad thing) as opposed to the cardinals who if they were to get sheets would have two Cy young contenders and a #2 guy at the top 3..they bottom 2 are as much of questionmarks as the redsox..i cant think of who else you were referring to when you say the cards rotation wouldnt be the best…
maybe Seattle, but after Lee and Hernandez, things take a pretty steep drop off…
sabathia,burnett,sheets,pettite,vazquez is better
or lester,becket,lackey,sheets,dice-k/bucholz
penny and lohse? for what long reliever thats the only spot they will have on a winning team this year
the cubs are out of this race per hendry and lou
Orioles? Great fit, if he is man enough to try and pitch in the AL East. That’s what I love about Mike Gonzalez, he is man enough.
Highly doubt the Yankees get him, being a Yankee fan myself, I think their rotation is set in stone. Hughes belongs in the rotation, and Chamberlain needs to be the heir apparent to Rivera. I could see the Mets signing him, and they should. Get him and Pineiro, move Maine to the pen, and bring back Delgado, and I think the Mets could finally run Philly off if everyone stays healthy.
right on the money
maine would solidify their pen big-time
santana, sheets, piniero, pelfrey, perez is not that bad of a rotation
agreed. haha i said the exact same thing as John above. i guess two great minds think alike
anybody but the mets.
sure wish the Astros would sign him….they could use the SP.
He will probably injure himself trying to impress a club. Oops there goes 2010. haha
Nah, it will be when he signs the contract that he injures himself.
Nah, it will be when he signs the contract that he injures himself.
Why can’t this be televised live?
Well if the deal is right I would be all for it.. A healthy Sheets would make the Dodgers 123 nasty but his health and contract situation make the Dodgers a iffy fit.
And an unhealthy Sheets does what for the Dodgers?
Gee John, I guess it wouldn’t do a whole lot would it?
Gee John, I guess it wouldn’t do a whole lot would it?
And an unhealthy Sheets does what for the Dodgers?
Well if the deal is right I would be all for it.. A healthy Sheets would make the Dodgers 123 nasty but his health and contract situation make the Dodgers a iffy fit.
I’ll go with some teams not on the list-the Giants, Padres, and Arizona would be great fits for Sheets. The Cubs? They probably can’t afford him. The Astros? They probably can’t afford him either. The Brewers probably don’t want to go there again. The Cardinals? His style of pitching doesn’t mesh with their pitching coach. Texas is close to his home, and their doctors helped with his rehab, so there’s a reason for him to go there.
Who will sign him? Kenny Williams, of course. He’ll be a White Sox (SocK?) by Wednesday morning.
I’ll go with some teams not on the list-the Giants, Padres, and Arizona would be great fits for Sheets. The Cubs? They probably can’t afford him. The Astros? They probably can’t afford him either. The Brewers probably don’t want to go there again. The Cardinals? His style of pitching doesn’t mesh with their pitching coach. Texas is close to his home, and their doctors helped with his rehab, so there’s a reason for him to go there.
Who will sign him? Kenny Williams, of course. He’ll be a White Sox (SocK?) by Wednesday morning.
I know this has nothing to do with it but how about a trade with the Yankees and Nationals.
Yankees will get: Josh Willingham
Nationals will get: Joba Chamberlan
I know that he belongs in the bullipen but he wants to become a starter and I think he would be a good starting pitcher in the National League.
Plus Hughes is going to be the 5th starter and idk y their saying to watch out for the Yankees. I mean if they sign sheets they’ll have both Hughes and Joba in the bullipen. If the Yankees sign him Phil Hughes won’t be a happy camper. I think he should be the 5th starter.
that’s a horrible trade, as thirty5thirty6 said. You trade a guy who could easily be a MOR starter or the next closer for the Yankees for Josh Willingham, when you have someone who brings something very similar to the table in Swisher.
Lets face it, the Yankees are doing their due diligence to check in on Sheets, nothing more.
that’s a horrible trade, as thirty5thirty6 said. You trade a guy who could easily be a MOR starter or the next closer for the Yankees for Josh Willingham, when you have someone who brings something very similar to the table in Swisher.
Lets face it, the Yankees are doing their due diligence to check in on Sheets, nothing more.
Plus Hughes is going to be the 5th starter and idk y their saying to watch out for the Yankees. I mean if they sign sheets they’ll have both Hughes and Joba in the bullipen. If the Yankees sign him Phil Hughes won’t be a happy camper. I think he should be the 5th starter.
This makes no sense. So the Yankees are going to finally trade, 24 year old, Joba Chamberlain right after the he is finally stretched out? And they are going to do this for, soon to be 31 year old, Josh Willingham? Don’t get me wrong, he is a good player, with a career 119 OPS+. However, the same people that think Joba should go in the bullpen are the same people that bitch and moan about Nick Swisher striking out too much and hitting .250, even though he is essentially Josh Willingham. Chamberlain’s upside is far greater than what Willingham brings to an already stacked line-up.
This makes no sense. So the Yankees are going to finally trade, 24 year old, Joba Chamberlain right after the he is finally stretched out? And they are going to do this for, soon to be 31 year old, Josh Willingham? Don’t get me wrong, he is a good player, with a career 119 OPS+. However, the same people that think Joba should go in the bullpen are the same people that bitch and moan about Nick Swisher striking out too much and hitting .250, even though he is essentially Josh Willingham. Chamberlain’s upside is far greater than what Willingham brings to an already stacked line-up.
This is worse of a trade than Kazmir for Zambrano.
I know this has nothing to do with it but how about a trade with the Yankees and Nationals.
Yankees will get: Josh Willingham
Nationals will get: Joba Chamberlan
I know that he belongs in the bullipen but he wants to become a starter and I think he would be a good starting pitcher in the National League.
Zduriencik is pretty aware of what Sheets can do when healthy, I’ll expect the M’s be on the suitors list for sure, if there’s gas left in Sheets, M’s might take a bid.
Zduriencik is pretty aware of what Sheets can do when healthy, I’ll expect the M’s be on the suitors list for sure, if there’s gas left in Sheets, M’s might take a bid.
Dear Brian Sabean:
Stay away. Stay far away.
Ditto Ned Coletti
Ditto Ned Coletti
A healthy Ben Sheets wouldn’t be at all enticing to you? If the Ben Sheets of 2008 was put into the Giants rotation, they would win the NL west, no question.
Unless of course you’re just trying to ruffle the feathers of Dodgers’ fans who are dying to have him.
Dear Brian Sabean:
Stay away. Stay far away.
Felix
Lee
Sheets
Rowland-Smith
Snell
Now that is the best rotation in baseball kids.
Hudson
Jurrjens
Lowe
Hanson
Kawakami
Not as top heavy but is deeper and healthier. I know Felix/Lee are better than Hudson/Jurrjens (though not by a mile) but I would take Hanson over Sheets (Hanson is on the same talent level and is much healthier/younger) and Lowe/Kawakami are quite a but better than R-S/Snell.
Both would be fantasic rotations and Seatle’s may very well be better but it’s far from a lock.
Felix
Lee
Sheets
Rowland-Smith
Snell
Now that is the best rotation in baseball kids.
let’s hope the dodgers get him..i hope he will be healthy enough
let’s hope the dodgers get him..i hope he will be healthy enough
Dr. Z- Get him so we can have a amazing 1-2-3 on our staff!
Dr. Z? Nice
Dr. Z- Get him so we can have a amazing 1-2-3 on our staff!
apparently according to the blue jays the cubs have already signed him? a report out of the Toronto Globe and Mail, the Cubs are on the verge of signing Ben Sheets.The Blue Jays will have a scout at tomorrowās workout by free-agent pitcher Ben Sheets, but heās all but signed by the Chicago Cubsdon’t know if its true but i hope so Go Cubs!!!
state your source please. A link would be nice
this maybe a bit more useful
bleachernation.com/2010/01/18/time-for-a-grain-of-…
thecubreporter.com/2010/01/17/sheets-all-signed-by…
thats not true
apparently according to the blue jays the cubs have already signed him? a report out of the Toronto Globe and Mail, the Cubs are on the verge of signing Ben Sheets.The Blue Jays will have a scout at tomorrowās workout by free-agent pitcher Ben Sheets, but heās all but signed by the Chicago Cubsdon’t know if its true but i hope so Go Cubs!!!
I’ll guess that the Mets will sign one of Sheets or Piniero, and the Dodgers will sign the other.
——————————-
This is probably what will happen. Have seen several posts about Mets perhaps signing both these guys and moving Maine to the bullpen — which I’d love to see, but just don’t believe Mets have the cohones to do this. They’re going to keep Maine as a starter and hope they catch lightning in a bottle with Kelvim Esobar as a set-up man. Which means they’ll likely sign one free agent pitcher, either Piniero or Sheets. Piniero is a less of a question mark health wise, but while Sheets is more of a risk he’d be a legit #2 behind Santana if he could stay healthy and pitch the way he’s capable of pitching.
If the Jets can make a 4th and 1 late in a playoff game, on the road, and beat a team that’s won 11 straight, maybe the Mets should roll the dice on Sheets.
I’ll guess that the Mets will sign one of Sheets or Piniero, and the Dodgers will sign the other.
——————————-
This is probably what will happen. Have seen several posts about Mets perhaps signing both these guys and moving Maine to the bullpen — which I’d love to see, but just don’t believe Mets have the cohones to do this. They’re going to keep Maine as a starter and hope they catch lightning in a bottle with Kelvim Esobar as a set-up man. Which means they’ll likely sign one free agent pitcher, either Piniero or Sheets. Piniero is a less of a question mark health wise, but while Sheets is more of a risk he’d be a legit #2 behind Santana if he could stay healthy and pitch the way he’s capable of pitching.
If the Jets can make a 4th and 1 late in a playoff game, on the road, and beat a team that’s won 11 straight, maybe the Mets should roll the dice on Sheets.
I hope the Dodgers do sign Sheets. We have to sign somebody. We can’t go into the season hoping McDonald, Lindblom, Withrow, Elbert, Ortiz and whoever else is in camp filling two rotation spots.
Lindblom and Withrow will probably not be on the opening day roster. Withrow definitely not, Lindblom is a possibility.. The three that would compete for the 4th and 5th spot will most likely be Elbert, Haegar, and McDonald. If they all perform the same, Id imagine Elbert goes into the 5th, Haegar goes in the 4th(simply because he can eat innings while being productive), and McDonald in the pen because he has had success in the pen in the past…
I was hoping the Phils would add another arm…Sheets would have been great for a one-yr + option rental, but it’s not going to happen.
Their rotation is good enough right now, but adding a third possible-shoutout guy (Blanton is solid and the kind of guy EVERY rotation wants, but he’s not a lights-out guy, Happ is a 4/5 and the 5th is up for grabs) would have really solidified them as a WS contender.
I’m not on board with any iminent signing with the Cubs either. Why would that happen when he hasn’t thrown yet? He has a chance to increase his value significantly with multiple teams watching which brings up a second consideration. Despite multiple stereotypical comments about the Cubs overspending, the Cubs don’t have room in their budget to sign him for anything more than an incentive-laden deal. With so much competition, Sheets is likely to garner more than that. I actually consider the Cubs to be a longshot and that’s not such a bad thing considering they have bigger needs.
Agreed….. At the same time I find sheets ‘intriguing’……. I’m ok with whatever really. the moves that we have been hearing about for a 4/5 outfielder or an additional vet arm in the pen would pale in comparison to sheets having a bounce back year and winning 15 games. who wants to role the dice???
Me too…It’s easy to dream on Sheets coming back to full strength and settling in at the top of our rotation. But I’ll be happy if they use the money to get a top bench bat instead. Considering the Cubs have a solid rotation, the bigger need is to get a bat to fill in for Soriano when he gets hurt and play against lefties for Fukudome. Still, getting Sheets to team with Z, Lilly and Dempster would make a pretty nice foursome.
In the end the Mets will likely offer Sheets guaranteed money beyond what the Cubs can pay, they are far more desperate for a starter and have more to spend.
I agree with you but man, our 4-5 are just garbage. It frustrates me to see the wobbly zambrano and dempster as our 1-2 at the start of the season. We need a true innings eater that can give us a chance to win……. not marshall, he belongs in the pen.
All around, we are running out of viable options where it be a 4/5 OF’er, pen arm or starter. At what point do you say “lets just get the best player we can with the money we have, regardless of position?”
According to Hendry, the Cubs will have 2 new faces before spring. Guessing that the Cubs have about 5M to spend, the best player they can probably get is Dye or Nady and use the rest on a reliever. I wish they’d forget about the reliever all together but even still, is 5M enough to land Sheets? Especially with teams like the Mets who are willing and able to spend more?
The best case scenario is that Sheets takes less money to sign with the Cubs and the Cubs either trade for a big bat or Ricketts agrees to expand the budget a little for another FA signing like Dye or Nady. That’s a longshot to say the least. The more likely route is that the Cubs split the money between the bat and a reliever.
Wouldn’t the Cards want to bring back Pineiro more than Sheets? Probably both around the same price, and Pineiro did well last year with them.
maybe they realize that hitters started figuring out his sinkerball towards the end of the season which is why he basically sucked it up the last 4 or 5 starts of the season. Pineiro is gonna go down the same road as Looper and Suppan..amazing with the cardinals then drop down back to reality with another team.
Really depends on their asking price. I’d assume Pineiro is looking for multiple years at comparable money to Sheets.
Pineiro has showed no real interest in coming back here. Im almost sure that he won’t do as well without the help of Daddy Duncan. I’d love to have him back as our 3, 4th starter, but i just think sheets will be cheaper considering he hasn’t pitched in a year.
imagine dodgers land pineiro and a healthy sheets, keyword healthy. that would be quite nice. But im just not buying into sheets being 100% healthy just yet, i hope i’m wrong though. i hope he has fully recovered and is not trying fool the teams going out to see him on tuesday.
Mets rotation:
Santana
Pinerio
Sheets (healthy)
Maine
Pelfrey
NL East title in the bag
keep dreaming buddy.
you sure about that considering the Philles have a weak rotation
i am positive. and what i was saying is that you guys arent getting both pineiro and sheets. I would also like to add that as much i also hate the phillies their offense is much superior to the mets offense and i think the phillies rotation and mets is similar, one good guy at the top and the rest is trash.
The Phillies have a weak rotation, but a rotation featuring Maine and Pelfrey is somehow strong? PUT DOWN THE PIPE
Anyway, the Phils do not have a weak rotation. Hamels suffered through Verducci last season, should bounce back. Blanton, despite a horrific start, still pitched under 4.00era and near 200ip. Say what you like about Happ, but when your 4th starter almost won the ROY the previous season…that’s a nice problem to have. 5th will be a competition between Moyer, Kendrick (looked VERY good in AAA and the bigs at the end of last season), Vogelsong, and Carpenter.
Oh, yeah, and there’s that Doc guy.
Phils are just fine, thanks.
Their Rotation is so similar to ours. Two of the top Vet. pitchers in the game and then trash.
cant say the mets would have it in the bag if they signed both but i think it would be stronger than the phils rotation.
santana > Halladay
sheets (healthy) > hamels
Piniero = Blanton
Pelfrey = Happ
Perez < than anyone in the MLB so yea
Santana might be equal, but I don’t think he’s better than Halladay. Sheets is MUCH better than Hamels (Hamels is trash). Blanton > Piniero. Piniero is not going to be that good. Unless Pelf returns to form Happ owns him. Perez won’t be there…I hope…have to trade for Harang.
Mets rotation:
Santana
Pinerio
Sheets (healthy)
Maine
Pelfrey
NL East title in the bag
——————————–
The Mets won’t sign both Piniero and Sheets but they likely could sign one and then do a deal with Cincinnati for either Harang or Arroyo. They could also sign either Piniero or Sheets and package Pelfrey in a deal for another good starter with a big contract, perhaps with Houston for Oswalt. They almost had Oswalt a couple of years ago in a three-way deal with Baltimore at the deadline but Angelos nixed it at the last minute.
Should read: Astros have no plans.
i just gotta wonder if berkmen is gonna stay after next season, oh well back to sheets
he’s gonna go for the highest dollar. Plain and siimple. This is really of who has the deeper pocket left to spend. M’s still maybe have a trump card up their sleeves and could pull it, i just cant see the cardinals getting sheets. Dave Duncan preaches pitching to contact, while sheets is a strikeout pitcher. Mets seem like the most needy candidate, and they always have money. It would also benefit having a pitchers park but you can argue that it would work to his disadvantage sense sheets doesn’t give up a lot of homeruns in the first place.
Dbacks are probably in it just to raise the price for LA, but imagine…
Webb
Haren
Jackson
Sheets
Kennedy…
whoa.
I have a hunch that the Mariners have one last move up their sleeve..and his name could be Ben Sheets..you’ve seen the link connecting the Mariners to Sheets earlier..and Z has connection with sheets in past..also I think they know sheets would do better in a 3rd spot in the rotation rather than other spots with other teams… I wouldn’t rule out the Mariners at all
whichever team gets him, it will probably be just a 1 year rent until he chases the big payday next offseason.
does anyone know where i can find out like the top 5 starting pitching staffs for 2010or top 10 did anyone come out with a ranking yet for 2010 if so please let me know
If i was a FA pitcher and seattle offered me a contract i would go there in a heart beat..there is little pressure due to lee and king felix..AND they are one of it not the best defence in the entire game. I mean that out field and the infield are stacked with potential gold gloves(their CF got screwed last year because he does not hit home runs mean to the MLB he does not deserve a gold glove some how) and its one of the best pitchers parks in the game too im a wsox fan and if the m’s land sheets(he is insane if he gets offered a deal from them and turns it down) then they become my favorite to challenge the yankees next season. I honestly also dont understand how the cubs are involved..they say no to harden(better than sheets when healthy) only to take a risk on another guy who has just as much of an injury history as harden in sheets? ANd where is this money coming from silvia and the huge contract did nothing for them plus they only get 3 mill a season from the m’s for it…hendry will sign sheets for 50 million for 5 yrs plus an extra 20 mill in incentives and no trade clauses
watch kenny williams comes out of no where to sign him to a huge incentive laden deal….give the guy a 1 year deal with a 5 mill base…then add something along the line of an extra 5-8 mill in incentives and either a vesting or team option for a second and thrid year
Mets desperately need Sheets to back up Santana. Hopefully Piniero can be added, with Ollie and Niese (minors) being subtracted.
The Mets don’t need Sheets!!!!!!!!! He’s the worst possible fit for the Mets. Why should the Mets go after the most fragile front-line starter in baseball with all their injury problems last year?
Are you thinking of Bedard?? Also with the Mets, you have to take a chance with ANYTHING.
you play Alto Sax? I play Tenor and Bass Trombone š
Why do the cardinals fans have to tard up everything?
Excuse me. I happen to be a smart non-tard cardinals fans. There’s plenty of us.
I hope the reds get him. that would be a hell of a pitching rotation
Dodgers- avoid this dude like cancer. May I remind them, Jason Schmidt??!!!
A better option would be to re-sign Vicente Padilla to an incentive-laden deal if they can.
My guess is the Rangers sign Sheets- he lives in the Dallas area.
The dbacks really? I agree with qujy1 that would be a sick rotation if hes healthy. But on the other hand if they can get him to defer money it does make sense. Then they have a replacement for Webb after this season in the 2 slot. Nick Piercio pitched that same idea last year. Hell no one thought they would go after Laroche either. Maybe their just pulling the same thing they did in 2000 in suddenly jumping up their payroll and getting a stud team. Shot with Byrnes Webb the rest of the money they owe the 01 team and other contracts off the table next year maybe they could get him on a 2-3 year back end loaded deal and just take a hit for this season.
The White Sox are not in on Sheets for two obvious reasons
1. The starting pitching is already in place
2. There may not be any money left to spend, and if there is, they will use it for a DH
You can cross the Rangers off this list. They don’t have any money left to sign him and don’t need another injury risk in the rotation anyways.
I wanna see the Mets sign Sheets and Garland. Garland isn’t likely, but he’s much more consistent than Piniero. The Mets need a solid consistent guy to back up Santana and give some level of stability to their rotation. Then their rotation would be:
Santana = Halladay
Sheets > Hamels
Garland > Blanton
Perez whoever
Good depth with Nieve, Neisse, and Maine waiting in the wings, possibly in a bullpen role. Of course the Braves rotation destroys both that of the Phillies and the Mets, but with a rotation like that combined with a Branyan signing, the Mets could be playoff bound again.
Did you compare the line-ups? Besides you are counting on Sheets to be your #2 and be healthy for a whole year? Even Santana had his injury problems last year.
Cute, avoiding the obvious.
Santana = Halladay
Sheets = Hamels (one is an injury risk, the other is iffy)
Garland < Happ
Perez < Blanton
Pelfrey ? ???
On what planet is Jon Garland better than Joe Blanton?
It’d be a big risk to think Sheets can give you a full healthy season, but you hope he’d be healthy during the final stretch. Gotta figure a playoff rotation of Santana-Sheets-and Pelfrey would be as good as any other playoff rotation. And no, I don’t think the Mets will sign two starting pitchers.
If it comes down to money it’ll be the Mets. They’re apparently not using a budget (yikes!) and they desperately need starters. They’re also trying to please an increasingly impatient fan base. The Benjie Molina snub, no matter what some fans say, was a little embarrassing to the organization and they’re going to try and bounce back with a popular signing. The Mets will simply outbid their competitors and if money is the biggest pull (and it usually is), then they’ll get Sheets. It’s not a guarantee as some people have turned down bigger money (see Benji Molina) to sign at a preferred destination, but I can’t see the Mets letting another one slip away — even if they have to overpay a little.
I think the Rangers got him. Mets don’t have the budget room and the Cubs need another bat.
Topping out at 92 mph is not exactly lighting up the gun, especially for a strike out pitcher. What did he throw in his prime?
Topping out at 92 while throwing easy is a good sign. Plus a strike out pitcher doesn’t need to throw hard, it’s all about movement. Jonathan Sanchez rarely tops 92-93, but compiles tons of strike outs due to the movement of his fastball.
I can’t tell you what he topped out at, but for his career his average FB was 92.7mph so…if he was throwing easy at 92, he hasn’t lost TOO much.
His curveball is his big weapon anyway.
Sheets is pretty much the only guy that Omar can get who I feel any confidence in becoming a true #2 pitcher for the Mets.
it would be nice to see the 08 sheets in a Phillies uniform but as most Phillies Phans know we have bad experience in bringing in injured pitchers (coughfreddygarciacough)
I want to believe the Mets will aggressively pursue Sheets. But something tells me we’re going to hear the usual whining and excuses that leak out (remembering Vlad Guererro and concerns about his back). Stuff like, “we’re not sure we can trust his shoulder,” and “he may want too much money.”
I like Mike Pelfrey and John Maine but they are two huge question marks. Counting on them without a legitimate #2 starter is just as risky as signing Ben Sheets. Perhaps more. Joel Pineiro may be less of a health risk but you’re going to have to give him at least two years and there’s no guarantee he’ll ever pitch as well as he did last year — especially if he’s away from Dave Duncan.
This is why the Mets should make not one, but two moves. Sign Sheets and trade for another starter. If they sign Pineiro they should definitely trade for another starter.
Go get him Sabean.
Lincecum
Zito
Cain
Sheets
Sanchez
With MadBum in the wings waiting for someone to break down or faulter looks rock solid.
a team there to watch that i havnt seen mentioned much, but what about the Jays? their current 10 payroll is going to be in the low $60’s so they have the room to spend money.
how many guaranteed years should a team go? he is only 31 years old. if hes healthy could a team go 3 years plus options? im sure the Jays could do that. the Jays are not going to contend in 2010 even with Sheets, but they have alot of great young talent and Sheets at the top of that rotation for 3+ years could be great.
I don’t see Sheets coming to the Cubs. He wants a big deal and not based on incentives. At least, that what he wants. What he gets will not be what he wants, but likely more than what the Cubs can afford. On the slim chance the Cubs were able to squeeze Sheets in on a friendly deal, the bench bat they need would be someone bad.
i wonder if there really is a chance the reds fly under the radar like they did when they signed chapman and pick up sheets , they have a little payroll but i thought it would be for a better shortstop, the reds know what he could do first hand as facing him alot when he was with the brewers.. a rotation of cueto,sheets,harang,arroyo,bailey and when volquez gets back that will be pretty solid, the question is, is the reds interest legit?
Wow, Sheets has always been a high risk player. Coming off a big surgery? 10 Mil? I like Sheets, but as a Cub fan, I think that price is too high. I’m thinkin’ 6 mil with incentives. –
though having Sheets would be a nice add to our rotation, I think the Reds would be better served by picking up a SS or someone, ANYONE, who can get on base at the top of the lineup.
any Reds fans out there have an opinion on this?
nice to see the phils showed up to drive up the price that minaya has to dish out. i wish it was due to legitimate interest but there’s seemingly no chance that rube signs him. thanks for the entertainment tho mut fans! every last one of you is delusional thinking they have a remote chance of finishing anywhere above 3rd in the nl east. put down the pipe, indeed.
If Omar got us Garland, Sheets, and maybe Smoltz in the bullpen I’d call it a pretty good offseason overall, and it’s not that farfetched either moneywise (providing the Garland loves the West rumors are untrue). Garland’s consistency and durability will offset Sheets’ risk. Then move Maine to the pen. I just hope Omar has the marbles to get it done. Let’s not kid ourselves. The Mets are not fine. We need to take some risks if we’re going to compete with the Phils, especially with Beltran out for who knows how long.
A healthy Sheets would look great in a Cub uniform. However, for the same cash he is asking for, the Cubs could sign both Orlando Hudson to lead off and play 2nd base and Xavier Nady for our 4th outfielder/pinch hitter.
Either way, I wish Hendry would do something. The current roster needs more than a little tweaking.
I like to pretend Hendry is working on a blockbuster deal or at least still going after a decent free agent. The job he saves will be his own.
MARINERS!!!! Piniero is an Angel, Ms need to counter with Sheets, they have the money why not make the rotaion DEEEEEP!!!!
If the A’s get sheets there rotation will be so deadly.
Justin D
Sheets
Anderson
Cahill
Gio G
and with that bullpen
the A’s will contend