Re-signing Ben Sheets

[Diggr14]

What is the estimated contract extention that Ben Sheets will be asking for? I'm assuming they are talking with Ben, given all of the trade speculation.

 

I just don't see them trading Ben Sheets at the end of the day. He is a leader in the club house and despite the injuries he really is a stopper in the starting rotation. 2-1 Win/Loss last season on his first really decent team of his career.

 

 

Any thoughts on the money he will be asking for given Ted Lilly's contract last season and even Jeff Suppan.

 

I'm thinking he will be asking 4-48. If so, im not sure he is worth it. But with the added revenue, it could be a worthwhile gamble.

[trwi7]

He's going to ask for more than 4/48. 4/60 is more likely.

[dlk9s]

Diggr14,

 

I have no comment on the actual topic at hand, but I would like to thank you for spelling it "re-signing" instead of "resigning."

[DHonks]

I would think that any conversation would likely start at 4 years, 60 million. More than likely, the Crew will have to go 5 years and $75 million to keep him from free agency.

 

Even in his most injury-plagued season he still made 17 starts and tossed 106 IP. I think that he can be counted on for a minimum of 20 starts, with 25-30 being most likely. To me he's worth it, given the freakiness of his injuries

[bklynbrewcrew]

I would much rather keep Sheets than trade him. Number 1 starters are hard to come by and since we have one we should try our best to keep him long term.

[JohnBriggs12]

He's missed 39 starts in 3 seasons and that's not counting the games he came out of after a couple of innings with this or that malady. With the core of team soon to be arbitration eligible and with one starting pitcher already owed no less than $35 million over the next 3 years, it makes no fiscal sense to re-sign Sheets to anything close to the market price for aces which starts at $15 million and 5 years.

 

Ace of the staff? A third of the time he's MIA. The Ace is Gallardo until he proves otherwise.

[homer]

Wait, I thought Cappy was the ace of the staff?

[JJHardy7]

If 4/60 is what it takes, good bye Ben. Best of luck to you. We owe Suppan a lot of money and I think Yo will be an ace in the not so distant future.

[splitterpfj]

I wouldn't even consider re-signing Sheets today. I've simply got to see a complete season from him before I commit big money. Of course, if he tops 200 IP this year, someone will most likely offer him more than Milwaukee can afford anyway, so I suspect his days are numbered in any event.

 

Dear Ben: Please have the best season of your career in 2008, barring that, please bring us at least two young players we can count on via trade.

[RyDogg66]

The problem is people, if you see a complete season from Ben this year, he will be WAY out of our price range. That is why you resign him now.

 

Put me down as wanting him re-signed to something similar to what Chris Carpenter got 5yrs/65mil.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Since it was huge news for the Brewers to be able to extend his contract and career with the Brewers when he signed his last 4 year deal, and he hasn't pitched a full season since signing that extension, I'd rather have him pitch for the Brewers in his free agent year before offering him any sort of an extension. If he gives you a great year, you still have the opportunity to try and work a deal out before season's end (ala the Cubs and Zambrano). If he continues to sputter with injuries and limits his value, the Brewers could either trade him at the deadline or if his value is too low for a significant return on a trade, they could probably sign him to an extension for less than what they'd have to ante up now (if they even wanted to). Also, maybe letting him spend an offseason getting ready to pitch during a free agent year would motivate him to silence any critics about his health/durability to prove that he deserves a big contract, resulting in a Sheets season ala 2004.

 

Whether his injuries are significant in our eyes or not, the fact is that he hasn't pitched one full season since the last contract he signed, he's four years older, and I think the Brewers would be foolish to throw him even more money before getting any sort of positive return on their last contract that they gave him.

 

If he pitches great next year and leaves via free agency, I'd be disappointed to see him go, but I'd also know that we had him on our team for 8 seasons, and we'd have a much better chance of keeping more of our young players on our roster for the same amount of time we had Sheets. That's realistically all a small market team that wants to stay competitive can ask for.

 

Last I checked he's still under contract for another full season - he doesn't have to be traded or resigned just yet....I think they need a dominant Sheets to win it all, but they also need to keep their organization fiscally responsible in order to remain competitive long-term. In a year's time, more options will present themselves regarding how to deal with Sheets' contract extension/pending free agency. Tough decisions will need to be made with this roster, but they don't have to be made right now.

[splitterpfj]

The problem is people, if you see a complete season from Ben this year, he will be WAY out of our price range. That is why you resign him now.

 

I stated the same in my last post, if he has a big year, he's too expensive, and he walks anyway. The thing is, today, there is no way in the world I would commit 65 million dollars to this player. Is he talented enough for that? Yes. Could he very well eat money and produce nothing from this point forward? Yes, he could.

 

No way, there are too many good young players headed for hefty raises around here, I'd love to keep a healthy Ben Sheets for the next 5 years, but I just wouldn't be the guy who gambled and bought 20 starts per year, and then lost a player or two over money.

 

I'll be happy with a big year from Ben, or with a trade. If we gamble and get another shortened season from Ben, that stinks, but risking that seems like a much safer bet than paying him now.

[joepepsi]

If he pitches 200 innings he's going to look like the next Curt Schilling to other teams. He'll be 30 years old. He'll get at least a 5 year contract if he turns in a good healthy season.

[JohnBriggs12]

Everybody says how badly Sheets feels about not being there to contribute for stretches the last few years. In a perfect world, Sheets would go to the Brewers and offer to accept about 2/3 (roughly his availability over his current contract) of his market value ($10 million) for 2 more years (09 and 10) to "make up" for his lost time and to prove his durability issues are a thing of the past. He then would still be theoretically young enough to get a bigger payoff.

 

But baseball is far from a perfect world. Even if that's what he wanted to do, the union would be all over him and his agent. Even if the union weren't around, Sheets and his agent cannot be that confident that his injury woes are behind him either, so they likely will want to get all they can now.

[zingsheim]

If it takes 4/60 to re-sign him, I'll buy Sheets his plane ticket out of town.

[Invader3K]

If it was any other player, no one on this board would be in favor of re-signing him. I'm convinced of that.

 

Doug Melvin's job should be to get the best return for Sheets that he can this off-season. Sheets has been with the Brewers for quite a while now, and I think it would be in the team's best interest to get what they can for him now.

[endaround]

After all the Brewers have had so many good players leave via free agency that wanting to resign Sheets is just so out of the norm....

[RockCoCougars]

If 4/60 is what it takes, good bye Ben. Best of luck to you. We owe Suppan a lot of money and I think Yo will be an ace in the not so distant future.

This is exactly why I didn't want Suppan signed last year. He was less than impressive, and basically kept Villanueva out of a starting spot most of the season.

 

Even factoring in the injury history....honestly, can anyone here say with a straight face that they would rather have Suppan than Sheets? Sheets will probably only get a few million more per season. I would rather have Sheets than Cordero as well.

[Tbadder]

I can honestly say I'd like Suppan for 30 starts over Sheets for 15 starts. Sheets screws up your whole system as you're constantly trying to compensate, bring people up, move long relievers and therefore one inning guys around. Sheets just creates havoc. Now if Sheets gives me 20 starts I change my tune. If he gives me 25 starts every year I kick myself for overpaying for Suppan. Suppan is the cost of Sheets' health insurance, and we all know what's happening to health insurance these days.

[endaround]

Sheets made 24 starts last season. He never only made 15

[JJHardy7]

Sheets - 141 1/3 IP

Suppan - 206 2/3 IP

 

That's a 60 inning difference, which I personally think is huge. I know Suppan is not better than Sheets, but the Brewers do have a lot of money tied up with him. He can be called on to get close to 200 IP every year. I can't say the same for Sheets. If the trade market is anywhere near the reported Braves deal (Jeff F. and Soriano), I really would consider pulling the trigger.

 

Melvin I'm sure has an idea of what Sheets wants. If it's 15 million for 4 years, I think Melvin might walk Sheets to his plane to Atlanta and wait for Jeff F and Soriano to arrive at Mitchell.

[danzig6767]

I'd consider giving Sheets 4yr/55-60 depending on future budget projections. A healthy and well pitching Sheets is the rarest commodity in the game, a No.1 starter. I certainly understand though why most are against it given the number of starts Sheets has missed, lots of risk in paying Ben.

[hauser42]

Sheets - 141 1/3 IP

Suppan - 206 2/3 IP

 

That's a 60 inning difference, which I personally think is huge. I know Suppan is not better than Sheets, but the Brewers do have a lot of money tied up with him. He can be called on to get close to 200 IP every year. I can't say the same for Sheets. If the trade market is anywhere near the reported Braves deal (Jeff F. and Soriano), I really would consider pulling the trigger.

 

Melvin I'm sure has an idea of what Sheets wants. If it's 15 million for 4 years, I think Melvin might walk Sheets to his plane to Atlanta and wait for Jeff F and Soriano to arrive at Mitchell.

 

If Franceour is coming for Sheets they could throw in some rag arm and I would be all for it. Brewers would have the OF settled and with all the starting pitchers they have Sheets spot will be covered.

 

Ben Sheets had a couple of great seasons but he has shown that he can not make it through a full season and be a factor down the stretch when he is needed. I believe Sheets can go on and do huge things for the rest of his career, it will be in another uniform however. He is jinxed in Milwaukee and needs to be moved not given more money.

[nBo Baseball]

Gotta keep Sheets guys. Number one pitchers are IMPOSSIBLE to find.

I could see letting him go if the Brewers were a few years away but not when you can contend for the division for the next five years at the latest.

[Ennder]

I guess I don't buy into the injury prone tag. He got hurt, he tried to come back too soon and aggravated it and then the next year he had a freak injury completely unrelated. That isn't injury prone to me, that is the type of player who is a great risk compared to a guy like wood, prior, harden, gagne who have more chronic injuries.