For those who wondered what would come first, the Mets playing in a new ballpark of their own or Gary Sheffield wearing a Mets uniform…it's a tie!
All-time reserve Never Met Sheffield has been signed. Unwanted elsewhere, unlikable in general, unskilled relative to what he was a few years ago, yet Doc Gooden's nephew (though they're practically the same age) is here until further notice. The roster will be readjusted ASAP, one presumes, with Nick Evans maybe taking the hit for now and Marlon Anderson drifting away days later. His next homer will be his 500th. We'll like him fine if he gets it.
I don't know if it's going to stop raining altogether tonight. I don't know that Sheffield isn't a waste of Major League minimum salary. But I do know that with Castillo, Hernandez and now this guy, we must lead baseball in 1997 World Champion Florida Marlins. World's longest-running fire sale, indeed.
Hi Greg,
I wish Omar didn't. He's a 40 year old who is not the hitter he once was (.225 last season). His fielding will be as awkward as the ball bouncing off the fence in right at Citifield. And he's a steroid user and malcontent released by Detroit who gulped his $17+ million salary.
What's going to happen to Church and Tatis? He's already said he wouldn't sign with any club unless he was going to be an everyday player which also means platooning might not be an option. Church, a team player, is not a bench player, proved he could hit lefties and has many seasons ahead of him. It's messing the cart.
Omar blew this big time and I just hope in a month's time he'll have the courage enough to admit his mistake, eat his contract like Detroit and put Church back in right. Maybe Sheffield will make it easier by punching out a fan in right.
I commend Greg for not jumping off the ledge like most Mets fans. Longest running fire sale. LOL! Joe D, I'm surprised – you always seem like a glass half-full kind of guy. honestly, would it be a BAD thing if Tatis didn't get more playing time? Church is also a lifetime platoon player. I'm not saying I 100% approve the move. But I understand it.
If he punches out a fan in Philly, he'll be my hero.
If he doesn't, WOW… bad move. I understand the upside is way bigger than the downside here, but come on–how likely is it this will have an upside? This whole thing is scary. The Tigers cut him, for gods sake!!!
This is 1999/Bonilla all over again. How will Shef react when a good chunk of the crowd boos him at the home opener?
I'll probably make this a post of my own when I have more time, but at least Omar is making smaller versions of the same mistakes.
It's stupid to pay useless has-beens like Marlon Anderson and Livan Hernandez to clot up a roster with “experience,” which is a synonym for the good feelings old-timey baseball men get when they remember what you were five years ago and ignore the fact that all the evidence shows you can no longer play baseball effectively. This is troglodyte stuff — in an age in which even average clubs crunch numbers and try to bring a little science to baseball, the Mets are marching backwards, babbling about eating innings and hitting behind the runner. Fortunately for them (and unjustly for better-run teams with smaller payrolls), the core is good enough and the money has flowed freely enough that it probably won't be an immediately fatal error.
Gary Sheffield is, in all likelihood, a has-been who will limp a ways beyond 500 home runs, possibly run his mouth in the process, and then disappear. So why do I like this move? Because as has-beens go, he is not as thoroughly shot and useless as Marlon Anderson.
Not so much a net gain as a smaller net loss. But I'll take it.
NOW STOP FUCKING RAINING!!!!
I think this can all be settled with a new statistical model I call the VARRP (Value as Ramirez Replacement Player)
.016 ($25,000,000) / asshole squared – “knee cream” = Someone in the Delta Club Platinum seats gets a punch in the face!
Seriously, though, at that price, Manuel won't have any problem benching him if he doesn't perform or if he acts the fool.
Stop hating on Marlon, man. It's not his fault he's not good anymore. Whereas Sheffield was a Brave and Yankee and an ass. And that is his fault.
Ha Ha Coop,
A glass half-full kind of guy also has to know when the drink inside that glass has spoiled….
I thought Church showed he could hit lefties last season and with power. And at this point in his career, how much more is Sheffield a threat than Tatis?
If Sheffield had a different attitude I would feel differently but I'm afraid he's going to be disruptive more than anything more. And my better half just said it's a shame after what happened to Ryan Church last season to have him possibly lose out on his job.
Surly? Steroid user? Former Yankee? Former Brave?
If he helps, who gives a flying fuck about any of that stuff?
It's low risk low cost move that, at a minimum, allows the Mets to jettison the Roger Cedeno-like Marlon Anderson.
Sweet Jeezus, NO NO NO. Please let me be dreaming (more of a nightmare, but you get the idea).
Welcome to Flushing, Prof. Sheffield. Hmmm, I wonder how all those “maleable latinos” you spoke of so eloquently will welcome you? I could care less if a yank or phil fan hates us, but thanks a lot for making even us diehard Met fans hate us. Well done.
I don't want to see this d–bag cut into ANY playing time for Church, Tatis, and especially DA MURPH. If he does then Omar + Wilpons are truly not playing with a full deck.
I hear Rickey and Bonilla need a 3rd for poker…maybe that's what they were thinking?!?
Not sure if I totally buy the Roger Cedeno comparison, but, yeah, I mean, Sheffield's not a terrible pick up in objective terms…there's not much to lose.
I just happen to like Marlon and dislike Sheffield. (Apparently I'm on first name terms with our erstwhile pinch hitter extraordinaire.)
If they got him cheap, that means they can get rid of him cheap. And it's not like they have to cut anyone all that useful to try him out.
I'm sure the back-page press LOVES this, though. Even if they say they don't. He makes nice for a while, and then, here comes the mouth (na na na na). You can practically set your watch to it.
And yup, it will be especially colorful (oops) to see Gary try and backpedal on his Bunkerisms with not only a team full of Latino players, but a Latino GM as well. You sure you want to get Carlos Delgado pissed at you, Gar? I don't see that turning out well for you.
But I don't see Jerry taking a whole lot of crap from him, on the field or off, so I'm not too worried. (Though I wonder how long it will take Gary to accuse Jerry of being an Uncle Tom.)
I just happen to like Marlon and dislike Sheffield.
So take Anderson to lunch. Just get him off the roster.
He blows.
The truth is that the Mets should have swallowed Anderson's salary and cut him to keep Kielty, who seems like a viable, maybe valuable righty bat and who isn't terrible defensively.
That said, the verdict on Sheffield's hitting should come quickly. If he sucks for six weeks he'll be gone by June and normalcy returns (in the form of Evans or maybe Kielty).
But if he somehow gets it going, if he hits 25 homers in 450 at-bats, with a .390 OBP (career is .394) then this will be worth it all. Because the other truth is that Tatis is not likely to replicate last year as he's exposed more and Church suffered Pete Reiser syndrome after the concussions so we don't know how good he'll be.
Plus, if Castillo's legs give out again, maybe the Mets would then move Murphy to second, Tatis and Church in one corner and Sheffield in the other. A guy can dream, can't he?
Does Omar honestly believe Sheffield could accept the role of a bench player and be a team player instead of thinking only of himself? The GM said Sheffield was given no promises about playing time (at least that's what he said publicly). If true, at least Church, Tatis and Murphy don't have to look over their shoulders as long as they produce. But knowing Sheffield I'm just not sure Omar's being completely honest with us.
The only solice is the Mets are not responsible for his contract with Detroit so if Sheffield doesn't play often and becomes a disruptive force he can at least be released at any time.
Yes, a guy can dream. Shef could cream. Or was it the clear?
To clarify, I also happen to agree. Marlon Anderson no longer merits his spot on the roster.
But ability to contribute on the field isn't actually my only criteria for rooting for a team. If the Mets were stocked full of superstar contributors who were all surly, steroid users, former braves, former yankees etc—I would indeed not give a “flying fuck”, but about the Mets. That is, I'd have little interest in watching them.
If you watch for different reasons, if the likeability of a player is entirely irrelevant to you, great. But it isn't to me. That's all I'm saying. There's enough room in Metsfandom for the both of us, I warrant.
Has Murphy ever played second in the minors?
For a minimum salary of $400,000 (only in baseball and showbiz folks….) I think Sheff is worth the gamble. If he can't do the job and be play the role of Kranepool, Rusty, Mazz or Julio Franco, then dump him in short order. I would replace Marlon Anderson he has been useless the last two years. I like this guy Kielty,
If the Mets were stocked full of superstar contributors who were all surly, steroid users, former braves, former yankees etc—I would indeed not give a “flying fuck”, but about the Mets. That is, I'd have little interest in watching them.
I see your point and will continue to disagree.
I feel compelled, however, to point out that the idea of holding steroid use against Sheffield is a little selective.
He's far from the first guy to wear the Mets uniform after having used PED's.
Sure he might be an asshole but who really cares so long as he can hit and be a dependable 4th and possibly 3rd outfielder (color me unimpressed with both Church and Murphy).