Rumors out of New York have the Indians being one of three teams (San Francisco and Houston are the others) interested in acquiring outfielder Gary Sheffield from the Yankees. Sheffield is unhappy with the Bronx Bombers because they picked up the third year option on his existing contract instead of renegotiating an extention to that deal. The righthanded hitter would be a perfect fit here, but only under certain circumstances.
First, the Tribe needs a proven righthanded professional bat. Sheffield is most definitely that. He’s a lifetime .297 hitter and is closing in on 500 career home runs (he has 455). Plus, Sheffield has walked 300 more times than he has whiffed for his career. He has never struck out as many as 100 times in a season. He has knocked in 100 or more runs eight times in his career. He would be a perfect fit hitting fourth in the Indians lineup between Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez. If he would be happy in Cleveland.
The slugger has a history of being a malcontent when he is not happy with his contract status. He has a reputation of not playing his best when he is worried about his next deal. If Sheffield feels unwanted or is not sure where he will be playing in 2008, he could be a problem in the locker room.
If GM Mark Shapiro can give the current Yankee an extension for 2008 with an option for ’09 based on certain benchmarks like games played, or number of at bats, it would be a good move for the Indians. At $13 million per year, Sheffield figures to be cheaper than some of the other players of his caliber who might be available. For example, the bidding for Alfonso Soriano figures to start at $17 million per season. Unless he starts showing his age, Sheffield is a better hitter than Soriano, the golden boy of this free agent class.
The guess here is the Tribe would have to give up some pitching to make the deal happen. I’m sure the Yanks would like Cliff Lee or Adam Miller, and the Indians would probably part with Jake Westbrook, who can be a free agent after the 2007 campaign, or Paul Byrd and a prospect. Getting Sheffield would make the Indians a beast offensively. Fixing the pitching, particularly the bullpen, would be the only thing Shapiro needs to concentrate on. Of course, based on this past season, it will take a great deal of concentration.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 