Baseball Free Agent Season is upon us

I thinks it safe to say Sheff wont be back with the braves

 

Vlad isn't getting courted as much as I thought. The only serious offers are the Mets and the Orioles as well as Expos.

 

I dont see the Mets Signing him there is allot of talk on the Braves board about Vlad

 

Hell every team wants Vlad but few are actually talking to him. Orioles still are odds on favorites

 

Sheff will NOT be resigned. In order for that to happen, one of the Jones must go for the numbers to work.

Their payroll will be $80M tops, down from $95M last year. Maddux is gone, Lopez is gone, Castilla is gone, Fick is already gone, and they still need a solid #1-3 starter since Smoltz is staying the Pen (I think he should start and Jaret Wright or Will Cunnane be the closer!).

 

Bad News Dukie

Sheffield will be a Yankee by weekend end.

Nov. 28 - Reports are circulating that Yankees owner George Steinbrenner is so worked over the rival Red Sox's seemingly imminent acquisition of Curt Schilling that he's ready to counter with a blockbuster deal of his own as quickly as possible. That might be enough to spur New York to meet Sheffield's reported asking price of close to $15 million per year for at least three years. Previously, the Yankees were thought to be considering a salary more in the $10 million to $11 million range, but The Boss might be willing to spend a few million more to steal the headlines from the Red Sox.



Also the bean Town crew looks to finally have a closer all set to sign

WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Keith Foulke
Nov. 28 - With the Red Sox reportedly having offered Foulke a four-year contract to leave Oakland, the A's might be prepared to add a year to their offer in an effort to retain the closer. The Boston Herald indicates Foulke would prefer to stay in Oakland and that matching the length, if not the value, of Boston's offer might be enough for Oakland to keep him. However, the Oakland Tribune cites "more than one source" in reporting that A's GM Billy Beane is "all but conceding" the loss of Foulke, who reportedly has offers from the Mets and a mystery team believed to be the Cubs, in addition to the Red Sox.

If the A's lose Foulke watch for them to go hard and heavy after LaTroy Hawkins of the Twins

 

Word from the Yankees camp and from Sheffields lawyer is that no deal has been struck yet.

 

Sheef you suck ESPN.com
Gary Sheffield has decided to accept the Yankees' three-year contract offer for between $36 million and $38 million, sources close to the free-agent outfielder have told ESPN's Peter Gammons.


Sheffield did not finalize details of the deal with George Steinbrenner on Saturday; the Yankees principal owner was at a Tampa, Fla., hospital with longtime Yankee assistant Billy Connors, who suffered a heart attack Friday and underwent quadruple bypass surgery. But Sheffield has told friends the deal is done, Gammons reports.


It was initially reported that Sheffield wanted more money from the Yankees and that he was even considering re-signing with the Braves.


The Yankees moved quickly in the wake of Curt Schilling agreeing to accept a trade to Boston. They're also active in the market on other fronts:



The Yankees are close to a two year, $7 million deal with reliever Tom Gordon that is expected to be announced soon, a source told Gammons.


Yankees officials declined comment on the Gordon negotiations, but weekend discussions between the club and agent Rick Thurman were described to ESPN as "intense."


Meanwhile, it was believed that Gordon would wait until free-agent reliever Keith Foulke decides between the Athletics and Red Sox to make a decision, since Gordon and Eddie Guardado are Boston's backup plan.



The Yankees also are interested in free-agent outfielder Kenny Lofton, although sources have told Gammons that no formal offer has been made to Lofton's agent, Casey Close.


Sheffield, 35, has played for the Brewers, Padres, Marlins, Dodgers and Braves during a productive, albeit sometimes stormy career. With the Braves last season, he hit .330 with 39 homers, 132 RBI and 18 stolen bases.


Dwight Gooden, Sheffield's uncle and a former Yankees pitcher, helped convince the All-Star to seriously consider the Yankees.


The Yankees are looking for a corner outfielder to go with regulars Hideki Matsui and Bernie Williams. Last season, after they traded Raul Mondesi to Arizona, the Yankees used Karim Garcia, Juan Rivera, David Dellucci and Ruben Sierra in right field, with mixed results

 

Yea I read the Gammons report,but I also read Buster Olney's report with ESPN that contrary to published reports the Yankees are not close to signing Gary Sheffield.

Check out the Olney report on related content-Yankees hold firm:3 year offer to Sheffield.

Also on MLB.com Sheffields attorney Rufus Williams said that contrary to a report by Peter Gammons,a deal had not been reached by the two parties.

The Yankees may eventually sign Sheffield,but for now it is not a done deal!

 

News on Maddox

Dec. 3 - Maddux told Barry Rozner of the Arlington Heights Daily Herald he wouldn't mind bringing his career full circle and finishing up as a Chicago Cub. "It'd be kind of cool to finish up where you started and all of that. I could see that. It kind of cleans everything up," Maddux told the paper. "It'd be great fun to be a part of that rotation. You never know. Right now, I don't think anything's out of the question."

A free agent, Maddux is unlikely to re-sign with Atlanta, and the top rumored destination to this point is San Diego. But the Daily Herald lists St. Louis, L.A., Boston and Anaheim as possibilities, as well. "I wouldn't rule out anyone, the Cubs or the Sox or any team," Maddux told the paper. "Sure, I'd prefer an NL team and, yeah, I'd prefer the West Coast. But I still consider it a privilege to put on a uniform no matter where it is, so I'm not going to sit there and feel sorry for myself no matter where I am."