Park fifth starter, Phils have talked with Sheffield
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Park fifth starter, Phils have talked with Sheffield
Andy Martino
The hits keep coming this week. After releasing Geoff Jenkins, the Phillies have informed Chan Ho Park that he will be their fifth starter. J.A. Happ will compete with Gary Majewski, Bobby Mosebach and Jack Taschner for a bullpen spot. A visably upset Happ has so far declined to speak with the media.
Also, Ruben Amaro Jr. said that the team had spoken with Gary Sheffield's representative. Sheffield, 40, was released by the Tigers today. At the moment, Miguel Cairo is the 25th man on the roster, but Amaro made clear that he was still looking at other alternatives for that job.
Comments (26)
Call the Nats - they have a glut of OFs. Offer Kendrick for Willingham, straight up. See if they're interested. Sheffield power potential is enticing...but his attitude stinks. And that is dangerous on a team's whose greatest strength is its attitude.— RollinsWasRight- I picked up Moosebach and Zagurski in the late rounds of my 5x5 head to head keeper league for a roto value of $0.25... good move? think we will see these guys in pinstripes by midseason?— CrayzeeGuy
- Signing Sheffield would be a huge mistake. He stinks and would mess up the locker room chemistry which is a strength of this team. They should have cut Stairs and kept Jenkins. Wouldn't have to eat as much money and Jenkins is faster and is better at defense. Alos i think last year he was adjusting to a new city after playing his entire career in Milwaukee.— Lemur
- Park earner the 5th starter spot so I am fine with that, but they should not put Happ in the bullpen. They shoudld let him be a starter in AAA and be ready when one of the starters goes down or Park happens to struggle. Happ is still young and will start for the Phils in the future. Don't want to mess with him by putting him in the bullpen.— Lemur
- Some guys are better suited to the bullpen but I don't believe Happ is that kind of pitcher, especially if he is so "visably upset" that he cannot make a comment. I like J.A. and he definitely has a future as a MLB starting pitcher, but hopefully he can suck it up and appreciate the opportunity to begin the season on a major league roster. I would think being a major league reliever is better than being a minor league starter. As for Sheffield, it doesn't appear he has a lot left. Injuries aside, he hasn't been "a terror" much lately. As much as I think we need a rh bat, I'm not sure Sheff is the guy. However, I'm sure the Phils are looking at the fact that they only need to pay him $400,000, in which case I believe their interest is legitimate.— MrPhillie
- After they signed Ibanez it didnt make sense to keep jenkins because now if he were to spot start for Werth to give him a day off or have to come in if werth got hurt or something, that is yet ANOTHER left handed bat in the lineup. So, they are rolling the dice to see if they can just replace Jenkins with Sheffield for basically the same money (7 mill to Jenks plus just the minimum for Sheffield). If they dont sign Sheffield as the righty and there is an injury to Werth or Ibanez they bring up Mayberry to fill in and play in their place...— MTust24
Comment removed.- OK, Parks wins out. But, Happ will be fine at Lehigh because one of the pitchers will come down with an injury. They keep the new lefty and try to trade one of the others for a RH hitter unless of course, GaryShef signs for a pittance.— KGKoons
- Lemur - I disagree re: Jenkins vs. Stairs. Jenks has never been a very good pinch hitter, and Milwaukee did try to platoon him a few times like the Phils did last year, and his numbers nosedived. He just is not suited to a part-time role; he needs regular ABs. Stairs is exactly the opposite, a career bench player and quality pinch hitter with power. Speed and defense isn't very relevant with those two, because neither is going to be asked to run or play the field. Werth is going to play virtually every day, and Stairs can handle the one start every two weeks. If Werth gets hurt, you know Mayberry will be manning RF most days until Werth gets back; they weren't going to have Utley, Howard, Ibanez and Jenkins all in the lineup on a regular basis no matter what the scenario. Thus, money issues aside, it made more sense to keep Stairs. It is bittersweet to see either of them go; they both had a huge moment during last year's playoff run for which we will always be grateful. But alas, Stairs even trumped Jenkins there as well.— RollinsWasRight
- All aboard the Chan Ho Train!— grales
- Good move on Park. Happ should go down and stay a starter. He'll be back sometime. As to Sheffield, for the right price could add some pop.— CenterCityPhan
- 1. Since they have to pay Jenkins anyway, wouldn't it have made more sense to keep him, since he can play outfield well, and to release Stairs instead? 2. Can Sheffield play a decent outfield at this stage of his career? I realize we're talking about bench players here, but still, better to have not just bats off the bench, but bats who are also adequate fielders.— gbrettfan
- You have to feel for Happ but Park deserves the spot. If we're lucky Happ will stay out of the rotation all year because we're stacked with top performers. The odds of that are next to nil. He'll be back and I predict he'll have a very good year. I wouldn't worry about Happ's attitude, he's a professional.— xfactor
- Sheffield is a bad option. He has a bad attitude and would be detrimental in the locker room. There's a young, fast and powerful righthanded bat already there. Nothing wrong with giving the kid a chance, especially since he'll be surrounded by positive veteran champions.— pizano13
- Comment removed.
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