Sheffield expected to join Yankees

[John Corn]

Now that the Red Sox have added Curt Schilling, how long will it take their bitter rivals to respond?

It may not be long. The Yankees' signing of free agent slugger Gary Sheffield is imminent, Newsday reported in its Saturday editions.

According to the newspaper, some details need to be sorted out, but the deal is all but done. Sources close to the situation told Newsday that the contract would be for three years, plus a team option for a fourth year, for a total of $38 million to $40 million.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1673734

 

[AndyMon]

How has he hit against Curt Schilling?

 

[John Corn]

AndyMon, I haven't looked at the stats yet. I'm not so sure this is a good choice.

There is a reason that a player of Gary Sheffield's talent has been with five teams and it's not money. He brings a disruptive attitude wherever he goes, I wouldn't want him in my clubhouse. Why do you think the Braves aren't even making a serious run at him?

Sheffield is 35. he's at the point in his career where a player's performance tends to decline sharply. His stats last year indicate a career year that he won't come close to matching again.

There is a better choice. He is 7 years younger than Sheffield, in the prime of his career. He has already had 4 seasons in which he has hit 34 or more HRs. He has the best RD arm in the game. He is a .323 career hitter.

We all know who I am talking about -- Vladimir Guerrero.

The Yankees have expressed concern about Vlad's contract demands. Those will come down. He's not going to get the 8 years that he wants (but would be just about the age Sheffield is now at the end of that period) and he is not going to get exorbitant money. Nobody is these days.

At the very least, the Yankees ought to stay in touch with both players and see how the market plays out. It's still over two months until pitchers and catchers report. There is no rush. Why sign Sheffield now when Vlad will turn out to be a better buy?

 

[AndyMon]

I agree, there are some question marks surrounding Sheffield but maybe the Yanks think his uncle might be a calming influence, hehe. He's got to be less disruptive than Manny Ramirez, I'd think.
I saw where Sheffield hit .203 against Schilling Not too promising...

Guerrero would be a great addition but I've read where he doesn't want to play in a big city and I know he's had some serious back problems. Things to consider. I'd definitely go for him ahead of Sheffield, though. Vazquez wiuld be nice to have.
The Red Sox look pretty imposing now. They'll still have a lot of pressure on them and what looks good on paper doesn't always translate well. I'm sure Steinbrenner will blow his budget (strange word to use in the same sentence as George) out of the water to do whatever he can to counter Boston. The D-Backs sure paid him back for wrestling Wells away from them, didn't they?