Phillies release Geoff Jenkins; Have interest in Sheffield
The Phillies have released outfielder Geoff Jenkins and are hoping to sign Gary Sheffield, who was released by the Detroit Tigers today. General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said the Phillies have contacted Sheffield's agent and are in a wait-and-see mode.
Phillies release Geoff Jenkins; Have interest in Sheffield
Daily News staff
The Phillies have released outfielder Geoff Jenkins and are hoping to sign Gary Sheffield, who was released by the Detroit Tigers today. General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said the Phillies have contacted Sheffield's agent and are in a wait-and-see mode.
Jenkins appeared in 115 games and hit .246 with nine home runs and 29 runs batted in. The lefthanded-hitting Jenkins signed a 2-year, $13 million deal as a free agent before last season and seemed likely to platoon with Jayson Werth in rightfield. Jenkins landed on the disabled list in August with a quad injury and was largely an afterthought for the end of the season and the playoffs. He will, however, be remembered for the double in the resumption of Game 5 of the World Series that led to the go-ahead run.
Jenkins seemed to get caught in the glut of lefthanded hitters coming off the Phillies bench.
"I knew there were a lot of left handed hitters so it seemed like somebody was going to be the odd man out at some point," Jenkins said. "So it's real tough. I care a lot about those guys in the clubhouse. We'll just deal with this. It's like anything else, and try to find a new spot. It's obviously something I've never had to deal with before. But I guess what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. But I don't regret anything from one moment that I was here."
The Phillies owe him the remainder of his $6.75 million salary for this season, plus a $1.25 million buyout for next season. Any team can pick him up, but they will likely owe him the veterans minimum of $400,000, which will be deducted from the Phillies' obligation.
Speaking with reporters moments ago, Jenkins said he was planning to take a couple of days to clear his head after flying back to his home in Arizona.
Jenkins said he had no hard feelings toward the Phillies.
"Absolutley not," he said. "What's there to be mad about? I picked a great year to be here. Obviously I wish things had worked out better and I coudl be with them. But I don't regret one minute. I wouldn't change a thing. Being with these guys, going what we went through last year, was tremendous."
The Phillies now have 29 players in the running for the 25-man roster. That 29 includes suspended reliever J.C. Romero, who will miss the first 50 games. The move to release Jenkins, for the moment, gives second baseman Miguel Cairo a spot on the squad, although the Phillies could still add a right-handed bat. Outfielders Wily Mo Pena and Gary Sheffield were both recently released by the Nationals and Tigers, respectively.
Pena? Sheffield? Stop it!— drbob456- Hey Wally 24. They won the World Series last year. Yeah, they made some mistakes, but they did alright.— DE_Gene
Comment removed.- 93phils ... good point about Ed Wade. As much as he drove me nuts with his company man, say-all-the-right-things-and-guard-the-piggy-bank shtick, I'd have forgiven a lot of his bad moves if he had a World Series title to his name. I guess there's good reason for the expression, "Everyone loves a winner," huh? (By the way, it's good to have respectful back-and-forth here. Cheers!)
- As the Flyers would say: Sheffield is not good in the room.— giamatt
- Sign Sheffield. Too many good guys in the team and a field general (Manuel) to let a cancer destroy the team. He still scares the living daylights of any pitcher.— EL Zorro
- He's got a ring and did a solid job attainging it. He'll be on the World Series DVD forever! Thanks for the double, Geoff!— elektrika
- Goober... I agree with everything you said but one thing. Wade was given an open check book to sign talent and he did. He even went out and got power hitter Thome for 6yrs but the big problem with Wade was NOT just the fact that he gave long term contracts, it was he allowed them to have "No Trade Clauses" in the contract which severely handcuffed the Phils in following years. Gillick is the other extreme and believes there should be no contract over 3 years and of course without no trade clauses. Both men have done us a great favor in that they wanted to bring a championship to Philly but each did it in a different way. Wade through our scouting/farm system and Gillick through various pickups around the league that played key roles in our win. Lets hope for continued success.— Wally 24
- Todd Pratt - Russell Branyan checking in... Can we clarify the Stairs' comment? I believe he enjoyed "getting hammered in the a##," and not delivering the hammer... Check me on that one.— dgreils
- I couldn't agree more with everyone else who says, "NO SHEFFIELD!" The guy's a jerk!— uncle meat
- I couldn't agree more with everyone else who says, "NO SHEFFIELD!" The guy's a jerk!— uncle meat
- jenkins never got into the swing of things... can't really blame him with the injuries & limited AB's... glad to see he is taking it in stride, hope he finds a nice landing place— main liner
- When you evaluate Ed Wade's contributions to the team, dont forget he traded Lidge to the Phils. That has to count for something. Haha— 93phils
- murphy must be a giant of a man. ryan howard and murphy look like master blaster from beyond thunder dome... with laser eyes.— BudSelig_isthenext_MrBurns
- Growing up a Phillies Phan in the 60's and 70's and, now, having lived in Tampa for the past 30+ years, I cannot explain enough the similarities between Gary Sheffield and Richie Allen...Both are/were misunderstood off the field, but the most amazing thing they have in common - and I haven't seen it with another player in all these years - is the way the ball jumps - and sounds - off their bats...Their swings are also almost identical - NOT their stances, but their swings...Both full of energy, speed and power. PK— PhillyTheKid
