» Phillies Seeking Righthanded Hitter, Contact Outfielder Gary Sheffield

Phillies Seeking Righthanded Hitter, Contact Outfielder Gary Sheffield

As previously noted on this blog, when the Phillies released outfielder Geoff Jenkins, they also initiated contacts with veteran outfielder and AL DH Gary Sheffield in their search for another righthanded hitting bat off of the bench. MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki indicates that the Phils are also looking at Texas Rangers’ outfielder Andruw Jones but, IMHO, Sheffield, with his 499 career homers and career BA in the .290’s is by far the preferable choice.

Zolecki rpeorts:

Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said he spoke with Sheffield and his representative, Rufus Williams, after the the slugger’s release was announced Tuesday morning. Sheffield, who will make $14 million this season, can sign with any team once he clears waivers. And the team that signs him would have to pay only the league-minimum $400,000.

The Phillies want Sheffield, but would Sheffield want to play for the Phillies?

It seems like a long shot. He played just 18 games in the outfield over the past two seasons with the Tigers, while playing 225 games as a designated hitter. Obviously, Sheffield would not have that option with the Phillies.

“I can go out there on an everyday basis and play in the outfield,” Sheffield said. “That’s what I yearn for. I want to be in the outfield. At the same time, it kind of puts you in a box when you accept the DH role, because people start labeling you as that’s all you can do. And that’s not the case.”

But even if Sheffield can play in the outfield, he would not be an everyday player with the Phillies, who have Raul Ibanez, Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth in the outfield. Sheffield has just 34 plate appearances as a pinch-hitter in his career, hitting .360 (9-for-25) with one homer and 10 RBIs. Would he accept a reserve role?

“We had a very productive conversation with the Phillies,” Williams said Tuesday evening in a telephone interview. “We’ll take the next couple days to see where we are. It’s a hard question to answer at this point. We’ll have to see the opportunities that present themselves, and see where he wants to go based on those opportunities.”

But it is clear the Phillies prefer another right-handed bat for their bench.