photo credit: Steve Paluch
According to CSBSports.com the Oakland Athletics have agreed to a deal with SP Ben Sheets. Press conference scheduled for 1pm to announce the signing. The deal is said to be worth around $8 Million Dollars.
Sheets missed the entire 2009 season due to surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon in his elbow. A few teams expressed interest in Sheets last season but most decided he was unable to be effective.
Sheets is said to be in game shape and ready to report to Spring Training. The 4-Time All-Star can be filed in the low risk/high reward bin of free agents this off-season.
Sheets has posted an 86-83 record all-time, along with a 3.72 ERA.
More to come after the presser…..
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Sheets is an interesting case. His best year was 2004 when he was 11 and 13 with a 2.7 ERA, 264 Ks in 237 innings. His WAR rating that year was a sparkling 8.0. From 2002 – 2004 he pitched 216, 220 and 237 innings. Since then he pitched 152, 106, 141, 198 and 0 innings. He is the text book “high risk high reward player.”
This is a nice move for Oakland as they really don’t have a lot to loose. Brett Anderson was the A’s biggest winner last year with an 11 and 11 record and 4.06 ERA. A healthy Sheets can easily do at least that well if not better. If Sheets can stay healthy he will be the Ace of A’s the staff. Sheets should be well rested after missing all of last year so this could even be the year Sheets finally breaks the 13 game win mark. Though it could be tough as the A’s might have a harder time winning games in the AL west than the Brewers did in the NL central. But like I said, the A’s really didn’t have much to lose.
NOTE: part of me wanted to see Sheets as the number 2 guy on the Mets. The other part of me thought, “Man the Mets have enough problems with injuries as is!”
Yeah I don’t see the money being that big of a deal. Especially if the A’s do what they do best, trade away a player making some bucks or going to be making bucks for some good prospects.
Agreed on the Mets front, though they are pretty much out of options if they want to get another starter. I mean you have to expect Maine to perform well and of course Santana but after that lots of question marks. Pelfrey I suppose? and Perez is always a question, his untapped potential yada yada yada.
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