With Fukudome's struggles with the bat and their lack of production with Daryl Ward, the Cubs are considering claiming and working out a trade for Gary Sheffield who was placed on waivers today according to a source of mine.
The Cubs had interest in Gary Sheffield 2 years ago and tried to work out a trade with the Yankees but the Tigers ended up getting Sheffield. Gary has been injured quite a bit this year with oblique and shoulder woes but he is still a good hitter despite his .219 avg. and only 10 homers in 278 ABs. Remember Jim took a gamble on guys like Reed Johnson and Jimmy Edmonds and look how they turned out.
If the Cubs did get Sheffield the Tigers would more than likely be responsible for most of the 3.8 million this year and most of the 14 million due to him for 2009. Plus they would have to make a move to make room for Gary. The likely option is to put Howry and/or Ward on waivers or release them.
There is a lot of options for the Cubs to make up for Fukudome's lack of production, this is just another option I guess.
2 comments:
I'm watching Baseball Tonight right now and when they said that Sheff was put on waivers... this is the first thing that crossed my mind. So excellent job getting this post up.
I agree this deal will hinge on money. I think it'll be hard for the Cubs to get the Tigers to eat more than half the $ left because there is going to be a point where the Tigers can just dump the contract on the Cubs due to the waiver claim.
I wouldnt mind swapping Howry for Sheff, but thats assuming Howry gets through waivers, which will be tough because he is in a walk year. It would be two struggling players who have proven talent in the past that could get a boost from a change of scenary.
would love gary sheffield in a cubs uniform. when this guy is right, he can flat out hit. he has an unbelievably quick bat and isnt that bad defensively (obviously not as good as fukudome). I think he would be revamped to join this cubs team, and he has a great track record in the national league.
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