Sheffield: Mets fan

Gary Sheffield, run out of Detroit, has signed with the Mets.

Though Sheffield, 40, is now in the twilight of his career, the Mets signed him Friday, hopeful that his fearsome power can balance his diminished defensive skills and outspoken and sometimes combative personality. The one-year deal, worth the major league minimum of $400,000, is contingent on his passing a physical examination. If all goes well, Sheffield is expected to be introduced at Citi Field on Saturday.

As much as I want to make fun of the Mets for being, you know, the Mets, this really is a can’t-miss proposition for them. Either he goes down due to an injury and they’re only out the veteran minimum, or he Hulks out at being dissed, gets mad, and hits a ton of runs, and they’re still only out the veteran minimum.

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Rick Vaughn gary sheffield, New York Times

Sheffield is drawing interest from the Phillies, but Tigers fans are still getting over his departure.

Now that the ink has dried on Sheff’s walking papers, folks familiar with the Tigers organization have been able to offer more than confused shoulder shrugs at the announcement of the slugger’s departure. Billfer at the Detroit Tigers Weblog (unofficial) has offered some perspective on the team’s decision to move on.

Billfer thinks making Marcus Thames a permanent fixture in the lineup takes away from the team’s production, assuming Sheffield is healthy. But after last season and his turning 40, Sheffield bouncing back from injury isn’t a safe bet.

He also comments on Sheffield’s boisterous personality, which he believes wasn’t actually a clubhouse issue: “He certainly is controversial and he’s quick to burn bridges. But you never hear his teammates complain about him. In fact Thames and Jeff Larish went out of their way to praise Sheffield as a teammate. The beat writers don’t attack him, largely because he almost always was willing to speak and not speak in cliches. My impression is that Sheffield wasn’t in this for the love of the game. Baseball is a job for him. It’s not romantic, but it’s far from being a cancer either.”

It’s tough to be sure either way, but Sheffield’s comments are usually directed at people other than his current teammates. Typically, he has a problem with management and up.

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Sheffield has a personality as big as his numbers.

Big news today: The Detroit Tigers have released possible Hall of Famer Gary Sheffield. Jason Beck at MLB.com has the story, which came as a surprise to Sheffield and at least one teammate, Miguel Cabrera:

As Sheffield talked with reporters, he shook hands with Cabrera when he arrived.

“I’ll see you,” Sheffield said.

“Where are you going?” Cabrera asked.

Ian Casselberry at Bless You Boys shared his opinion about the release as well: “I have to say, I’m pretty stunned by this and didn’t see it coming. … his certainly allows the Tigers more lineup flexibility in terms of shuffling players around the outfield and DH spot.  Sheffield looked to me like an immovable object at DH, anchored by that $14 million contract and a manager that seemed to be exceedingly loyal to him.”

Sheffield’s career has spanned seven teams. He began life in the Majors as a Brewer before having his best years in the late ’90s for the Marlins. He also spent time with the Braves, Dodgers and Yankees before heading to Detroit to reunite with manager Jim Leland.

While his personality never quite endeared him to the press and ruffled more than a few feathers, his performance on the field was herculean. For instance, last year was the first year he had a season’s worth of plate appearances where his OPS+ was under 100 (it was 90). In his best offensive year, 1996, his OPS+ was 189 (real OPS: 1.089). That and his 499 home runs makes him a viable candidate for the Hall, assuming he were to retire today.

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Update: The Phillies just released Geoff Jenkins, which may indicate their interest in Sheffield.

Joe Blancato gary sheffield, mlb.com, tigers, transactions