December 18, 2008 – 12:37 pm
The lack of interest in Ben Sheets is very strange to me. AOL Fanhouse has him pegged as this year’s Kyle Lohse and nobody should ever have to be Kyle Lohse. It’s crazy to me that GENERAL MANAGERS forget just how good Ben Sheets was last season. Before getting hurt down the stretch he was one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. Injury concerns are a big deal though and I can see where teams would be worried. What I can’t see however is why AJ Burnett would get such a huge deal and Ben Sheets would be ignored. It’s one thing for CC Sabathia to get a huge deal and Sheets to be ignored, AJ Burnett is a whole other story.
Did you know that:
- Based on baseball reference’s similiarity index Ben Sheets is most like AJ Burnett
- Ben Sheets is two years younger than AJ Burnett
- Using OPS+ Ben Sheets has been the better pitcher 4 out of 5 seasons. The only season he was behind, 2006, the score was 119 to 117.
- Average starts per season during that same period: AJ Burnett 26.6 / Ben Sheets 25.6
- 3 year averages:
Sheets: ERA: 3.51 WHIP 1.16 K/9: 7.69
Burnett: ERA 3.92 WHIP 1.28 K/9 9.03
- Both Marcel and Bill James project Ben Sheets to be better next season than AJ Burnett
After reading all that doesn’t it seem weird that one pitcher isn’t getting any offers over two years and the other one (the older one) just signed for 5y/$82.5 million?
I’m a bit torn here. I like Ben and hope he gets a good deal, but at the same time I’d like to see the market stay where it’s at so that he can return to the Brewers next season. As long as he doesn’t go to the Yankees I think I’ll be alright.
December 15, 2008 – 2:29 pm
He’s one of my favorite players of all time, but this just takes the cake.
Lofton was out of the game last season, but recently he tried to hurt the Yankees again when he attempted to dissuade CC Sabathia from signing with the Bombers.
“He painted a bad picture of New York and the Yankees,” a person in the know said. “A lot of negative things.”
This is more or less exactly what I’d do if I was a baseball player.
“Yankees? You don’t want to go to the Yankees. Trust me.”
“Boras, that’s your agent? You don’t want him as your agent. Trust me”
December 11, 2008 – 1:43 pm
Well it looks like Mike Cameron is on his way out. I’m going to miss him, but the trade looks good for the Brewers.
In probably the silliest thing I’ve read in a long time the Yankees want money from the Brewers. The Yankees. The same team that just blew everyone else out of the water by like 40 million on CC. The richest team in all of sports. I’m sorry guys, but that’s just not an option and I’m sure Mark A won’t sign off on it.
December 10, 2008 – 12:07 pm
Seven years 160 million is what it took to make CC Sabathia a New York Yankee.
I’ve touched on this before, I realize that players ALWAYS take the most money. I don’t know how anyone could look at the Brewers offer and have it trumped by 2 years and 60 million and not take it. Even if the Brewers had added the 6th year that would have been leaving 20 million dollars on the table. He’s not crazy to take the money, the Yankees just suck.
All that being said, screw him. Let’s say he took the Brewers offer of 6y/120m on the condition that he gets an out clause (ala AJ Burnett) after two years. If he’s as good as he and everyone else thinks he is he could get out then and STILL make 120 million from the Yankees meaning an extra 20m in his pocket just for playing nice with Milwaukee. It’s all about the money, I KNOW, okay? I know that, but if you are going to break the record for biggest pitching contract no matter what wouldn’t you rather play with your friends? And not A-Rah? You would right? Wouldn’t you want to play in a smaller city where Mike Lupica isn’t employed? Wouldn’t you want to play in the National League instead of the toughest division in baseball? I don’t get it..
