Okay, let's hold the phone on Gary Sheffield for a second. He's angry. We understand that. We all knew that was coming. But let's wait just a second before we believe the Yankees have officially told him they are picking up the option. That might have happened, but I don't believe it just yet.
The Yankees have until Nov. 5 or five days after the World Series ends -- whichever date comes first -- to pick up or decline the option. They are expected to pick it up and trade him, even if it's for a bag of baseballs, because that way they can determine where he goes and at least get something in return.
The Yankees don't typically tip their hand on these decisions, especially to the player. And especially to a player like Sheffield who was guaranteed to react negatively. The USA Today story starts out, "New York Yankees slugger Gary Sheffield, informed Wednesday that the Yankees will pick up his $13 million option in 2007, was angry by the decision, hoping instead the Yankees would let him go."
Maybe that sentence means the Yankees told Sheffield. Or maybe that means the reporter told him. I'm going to wait until we hear it from the Yankees, or at least Sheffield's attorney, Rufus Williams. I called Williams yesterday, as I'm sure many reporters did, and he didn't return the call. I'll let you know when I hear...
Comments (37)
I read in NY Newsday that Gary feels the Yankees owe him to let him go. The Yankees paid him alot of money to do his job. As always, it's all about him....what the Yankees are doing is within their contractual right with Sheffield.
I would love to see him playing RF for some other team. The only balls that he can get to are 3'to the left or right of him. I have no concerns on where he goes.
Its all about the pitching with timely hitting. Look at the clubs who remain and playing in the WS. They are not great clubs with tons of talent just quality pitching of late. If, we pick up his option then we are stuck unloading him. There are few teams now who would pay $13 mil and trade a prospect or starting pitcher for him in my estimate.
Who didn't see this coming with Sheffield? Does he ever leave a team in a positive way? I remember when he came to NY and all he talked about was retiring as a Yankee and he would play for NYY and nobody else. It's funny how the Yankees "owe" it to him to let him be a free agent. How do they owe him anything? They paid him well for his service and put up with his nonsense. Thanks to A-Rod nobody ever mentions that Sheff has totally disappeared in October for the Yanks. Good riddance, you big baby. Go play for Boston, I don't care.
If Sheff really wanted to retire as a Yankee he would work hard at learning 1B and play there all spring and do what they need. I'm tired of players that get paid millions and then tell the team what to do. Hey if you're needed to play 1st then play 1st. It's a shame players don't have humility and versatility anymore. Big contracts come with huge egos and whining! More winning less whining please.
Gary Sheffield never leaves a team on good terms.He has not hit in the playoffs and his play at 1b was disgraceful.If the Yanks pick up his option(they have to) he will either play or not get paid.He is making threats already about causing trouble-so what is new with that?He should just shut up and play
or go home.The Yanks will trade him to the nl for a pitcher-they do not want him going to the Sux next year.
This is really just a rerun of the Sheff trade rumor to the Mets 2 years ago. He said he would be a "problem" if traded there, or anywhere else. No team is going to trade a "good" player for a "problem" player. Our only hope is that we can trade our "problem" player, for another "problem" player. Something like Sheff and another body, for Manny.
I am not surprised by this from Sheff....he is one of the most selfish players in the game...i think this is a smart move by the Yankees, they can get something for him and make sure he doesn't go to the Red Sox...I am just hoping he is not a Yankee next season...we already have enough turmoil in the clubhouse we don't need anymore from him...i will miss his bat but not his mouth or his attitude
Manny to NY? That'll never happen. We don't need another outfielder anyway. If we deal we should get something we need even if they are a problem player. 1B or Pitching, and not a penny less.
reign of terror of trying to buy championships
is over for yanks as curse begins
for destroying
2 public parks
and historic home of
that ruth built.
Get off this blog. I'm sure there are enough Yankee hating ones out there for you to type in this nonsense.
Sheff has always been a cancer. It is no suprise he is moaning and crying. It has always been about Gary Sheffield. He knows nothing about teamwork. Thank God he is finally gone. He will no be missed in pinstripes.
We've already got a first baseman. His name is Andy Phillips.
This is the type of player that brings you championships, not another established, prima donna.
Look at the teams that left in the playoffs. The Cardinals have less firepower than the Mets, and everyone has less firepower than the Yankees and we saw what that did for them.
Time for you fans to finally realize that you don't want all big sluggers at every position to win.
You need hard-working, blue collar, strong defensive, gritty, clutch players.
Andy just underwent arthroscopic right knee surgery. I'm all for Andy starting at 1B, but if something goes wrong then who's on first?
We don't need another veteran just a guy that can play first and get some base hits.
Why do people always assume that Yankee fans want a veteran? If we get rid of Sheff it's an opportunity to get younger not older. If we trade Sheff it should be for a young 1B or Pitcher. Fill a need not get another fancy name to come up lame in the post season. We need versatility and youth.
"Andy just underwent arthroscopic right knee surgery. I'm all for Andy starting at 1B, but if something goes wrong then who's on first?" - OYF
Well, the same can be said of just about anybody.
Jeter can get hurt, so can Cano, Damon, Abreu, Rodgriguez, etc. Should we then have a back up plan for everyone on the team?
"Why do people always assume that Yankee fans want a veteran?" - OYF
One only have to read these posts and listen to the talk shows to know this.
Each and every time, without fail, it's always which big name slugger we can get for this or that.
That's why.
One more thing.
You guys deserve the likes of Sheffield and the turmoil they bring.
You wanna know why?
It's because of the very reason I stated above.
Don't tell me any of you people didn't drool over Sheffield coming here 3 years ago.
Would any of you have been happy going with someone, say like, Juan Rivera?
No.
He wasn't a big enough slugger for any of you.
You all wanted big time, big name stars. That's what you all wanted and continue to want.
Now you get what you want. Don't cry about Sheffield and his foul mouth. This comes with the territory.
Actually, I've got a little more to say.
Now you've got the same situation at first base.
Instead of Juan Rivera, you've got an Andy Phillips.
Instead of going with a promising player from your farm system, you people are not satisfied, you want someone else, another Sheffield, I'd bet.
This is why I call you people dumb. You just never learn. You guys just never get it.
The Andy Phillips situation is very much like that of Juan Rivera.
He wasn't established enough for you people, but now you can't even pry him away from the Angels even if you wanted to, certainly not for a Sheffield.
Dumb.
Not recently. Most of the notes have been about getting younger. I know that's how I feel. I like Andy and Melky and would love for them to play a full season. I even think Karstens and/or Rasner should get a spot in the rotation next season.
So I disagree, not ALL Yankee fans want the next hall of fame/prima donna. I think most are starting to realize that it has not been working and we need new blood and new strategy.
Before we start ripping the Yanks for signing and trading for All-Star players and trying to praise and emulate the models of the Tigers and Cards for their success this season, let's not forget that neither of these teams have anywhere near the success as the Yankees since their last World Series championship and let’s not pretend they do.
A week ago, everyone was boasting the Tigers and how the Yankees should be more like them with the young guns in the rotation and not having so-called prima donnas throughout their team. This same glorious team is now two games away from getting beat by a clearly inferior Cardinals team in the World Series. Not to mention that the Tigers hadn’t been the postseason since 1987 prior to three weeks ago.
Yes, the Cards have completely over-achieved this postseason and even their own fans realize that they are now playing far better than they had played all season. They made it to the World Series in 2004, but they got swept in 4 games. I’d rather not go to the World Series at all then get clobbered in four straight games and hardly putting up much of a fight to boot.
I’m sorry, but I’ll take the Yankees success since 2000 with 6 straight division titles and not so great postseasons than a team like the Tigers who hadn’t been to the postseason since 1987 and may or may not win the World Series against an inferior team in every facet of the game.
Consistency and star power is why the Yankees have, far and away, the highest attendance in MLB both at home and on the road and the reason why they practically own 25% of the sport.
I see we've gotten to the point where we're settling for winning just division titles. Whoopeedoo.
Look ma! We're becoming the Atlanta Braves of the AL.
anaconda, what you fail to realize is with that almost ridiculous payroll, you should get more for your money than a bunch of measly division titles.
It's not an either have division titles or nothing at all type of scenario.
We CAN have both. We CAN win the division and the World Series as well.
If they only gave some of their talented youngsters the opportunities to play and brought in key veterans, instead of having 6 division titles, we could have maybe 2 or 3 World Championships also.
This is what they did back in the 90's and that brought them success.
Btw, the string of division titles can come to end pretty abruptly.
Then, you wouldn't have that to fall on.
I think teams in every city in the country outside of NY would love to have a team like the Yankees who are almost guaranteed a postseason birth every season and a shot at the World Series over a team that makes the postseason once every 20 years like the Tigers.
Yankees fans are just ridiculously spoiled rotten because of the success of this team over the last decade and perhaps you should follow the Cubs for a decade and come back and tell us how much fun it is.
Unfortunately, we need another decade of mediocrity like the 80s and early 90s before people really appreciate what this team has done.
Again, you just don't seem to get it.
You think it's take the Yankees' division title or go with a team like the Cubs.
For the last time, you can have the cake and eat it too, especially if you're going to outspend the next highest team by almost twice as much.
I am not spoiled. I know exactly how it is to get disappointed year in and year out. I am a Yankee fan.
Being disappointed about not making or not winning the WS is very different from watching your team loose and not even factor into the playoffs.
We've been spoiled into thinking the WS/post-season is a guarantee every year. This year is a great example that any team can win. As our captin said: "You just have to get hot at the right time and have good pitching."
Should we have a WS ring EVERY year because the players make so much money? Have dollar signs ever turned into RBIs? Most guys loose their edge after signing a big deal because they have security so the hunger is gone.
We should be more appreciative of the Yankee effort year in and year out and that they have been in the post season for over a decade. And have had a chance at it every time.
I still say we need to get younger and more versatile to get #27. 27!!!
Hey Eric,
Isn't Juan Rivera the guy who stole the captain's glove? And do you really think he's the missing piece? He's a thief and a journeyman stiff at best. Why the love for Juan?
"Should we have a WS ring EVERY year because the players make so much money?" - OYF
Frankly, yes.
Why else should anyone pay so much money for? Winning the division?
If each of you are so happy with at least winning the division, why even bother watching the playoffs each year?
Let's just win the AL East each year and we can all pack it in.
"Being disappointed about not making or not winning the WS is very different from watching your team loose and not even factor into the playoffs." - OYF
Yes, you're right.
It's very different. Winning the division and losing in the playoffs is worst.
"Isn't Juan Rivera the guy who stole the captain's glove? And do you really think he's the missing piece? He's a thief and a journeyman stiff at best. Why the love for Juan?"
I didn't think that was a big deal then, and now it's not even worth talking about. Of course, the media was going to make a big story out of it and all of you got all swept up by that commotion, making it feel like it was a bigger deal than it really was.
Think about it, in this day and age of steriod use, corked bats, fistfights with your manager, etc., is taking a glove in a place where gloves are everywhere, really that horrible?
Oh and as far as Juan being a journeyman stiff.
He put up better numbers than any Yankee outfielder, bar none.
The Yankees should be so lucky to have that kind of journeyman stiff (they'd probably have to pay an arm and a leg for it, too.)
"Let's just win the AL East each year and we can all pack it in."
Nobody thinks that way, but if the WS was so easy and we could actually buy our way in then we would have been winning every WS since Steinbrenner opened his wallet. What would be the point of actually playing the games?
Big contracts don't guarantee wins and it's why we need younger players to balance out the roster.
But you can't look down your nose and say: they won the division and made the post-season, so what! Winning the ALE is not an easy feat either.
This year didn't end in a WS ring but we should still be proud of a great season and the things we saw from Melky, Wang, Proctor, Rasner, Karstens, Bruney and all the other young guys that played big roles during the season.
Hopefully the Yankees have learned from their mistakes and they won't trade away any of these young guys for aging superstars.
"...but if the WS was so easy and we could actually buy our way in..." - OYF
What do you think they've been trying to do all these years?
Don't you see?
The way I see it, the Yankees are the biggest sucker in all of baseball.
Let me tell you why.
It's like the one guy in the neighborhood thinks he's so cool because he's got the nicest car on the block, except he paid twice more than what it was worth.
Yeah sure, he has the nicest car but everyone is snickering at him because he got taken by the dealer.
You spend all that money every year and the only thing you've got to show for it is a bunch of division titles?
The Atlanta Braves won more division titles in a row and they didn't even have to buy them.
What a joke.
I don't think they've been trying to buy their way in. They've been trying to sell seats. Before Steinbrenner bought the team no one went to any games no body cared until The Boss started buying super stars.
200 million bucks gets you 4 million fans, sell outs on a Tuesday night. All of them buying something for the concession stand. Which means more money for the team to spend or misspend next season. At least it goes back into the team.
The Yankees are not the Braves and never will be. They have 26 championships (and counting) in between their "off-years."
I don't know about any of you guys... but I am happy to trade Sheff for a hot dog vendor to be named later. I personally do not care where he goes or what we get in return. As long as he is not in pinstripes that is 1 problem gone. As for this offseason the Yankees will fix minor problems. Everybody is saying how to "Fix the Yankees" there is no way to fix this team until the unmoveable contracts expire. Johnson still has to play here next year, Pavano may never pitch in a Yankee uniform because that bruised buttocks might come into play next year.Giambi still clogs up a first base spot as well as a DH role. A-Rod will always be under the scope.Now people dare to bring Jeter into the mix saying Jeter has to help A-Rod. This is so funny to me what would you people like Jeter to do? Feed him with a bottle? Rock him to sleep? A-Rod is a grown man lets stop putting on the kid gloves for him. In the end this offseason will supply us with no major changes. Instead we will bring a pitcher from Japan over here with a crazy unmoveable contract so hopefully he will perform because if not we now will have 2 Carl Pavanos on our hands. We are a long way away from fixing this team. The best soultion...time. That is the only thing that will make this team better. Over time these vet bums will retire or go elsewhere and the young talent will be groomed. By the way Eric I agree with alot of what your saying.
Now I know this is off blog topic but I just gotta give some stats to the A-Rod lovers.The "best player in baseball" stats (hahaaha).Alex Rodriguez finished in 61st place in batting average this year. Actually 63 guys were ahead of him but he is tied with 3 other players. Alex Rodriguez finished in 17th place for homers. Alex Rodriguez finished in 8th place in RBI's this year. Alex Rodriguez finished in 43rd place for stolen bases this year. Alex Rodriguez finsihed in 14th place in runs. Alex Rodriguez finished in 50th place in hits. Did not even finish in the top 100 in doubles or triples.He finished 21st in walks. He finished 13th in strikeouts this year. Alex finished 31st in slugging %.He finished 18th in on base %.He finished 53rd in extra base hits. Alex finished 23rd in ops. Now you tell me since A-Rod fans love to throw around numbers how do those digest as the "best player in baseball". Because to me those aren't the "best player in baseball" stats to me.
I don't think anyone arguing on behalf of A-Rod would deny that he had a down season in 2006.
You seem to ridicule and post his stats and rank when he has a down year but you conveniently leave out his stats and rank during his MVP season with the Yankees just one year ago.
You have the right to hate A-Rod all you want, but your hatred of him doesn't change the fact that he has better career numbers than anyone in MLB history at his age and he will probably shatter several of the all-time hitting records by the end of his career.
That includes the grand daddy record of them all....Bonds 755+ homerun record when he is done playing.
Due to the tarnished legacy of Barry Bonds, MLB will be thrilled the day that A-Rod breaks the all-time homerun record because his record will appear to be valid and without the accusations of cheating during his career.
ruben rivera stole the captain's glove, or whatever, not juan rivera.
Thank you terry.
Now that you mention it, it was some relation of Mariano Rivera's that took the glove, not Juan Rivera.
Now don't you all feel even more foolish for not wanting to hold on to him?
Juan is vindicated!
eric: ruben was a cousin of mariano's but not quite the same calibre person. ruben had some issues, let's leave it at that.
as for juan rivera, don't rub it in. he made himself into a pretty good player. his progress has surprised a lot of baseball people over the past two years with the angels.