Could Ben Sheets come to Boston?

I don't think he'll get traded during the season, since the Brewers are currently nine or ten games above .500 and have played a good chunk of their games on the road...they're still in good shape (and we all know the Cubs implosion is coming). I don't blame Sheets for wanting to test the market to see what he's worth and I don't blame the Brewers for not renegotiating right away. He's a brilliant pitcher when he's healthy, but over the past three seasons, that hasn't been a lot. I'd like the Crew to keep him (since they can't really replace him), but what can ya do? As long as he goes to the AL, we'll be okay with it.

Yeah I don't think he'll get traded either unless something massive happens to the Brewers. It's completely possible for them to lose 20 out of their next 30 and all of a sudden the shoe is on the other foot.

I don't blame them for not re-signing him either. With all the stupid deals lately (Schmidt, Zito, Silva, etc) he would command massive amounts of cash and until he's healthy for a whole season, why should the Brewers pay?

The Brewers will make a reasonable offer, which Sheets will have to decline for a bigger bundle...(he has to be thinking retirement plan here). The fans understand the small market game and will wish him well. As for a mid-season trade...hey, why not send him to an AL contender for a number three starter, an eighth inning releiver and a decent insurance or DH bat (thinking positively for the WS, or negatively about the All Star game). How 'bout Bill Hall, Ben Sheets and Mike Cameron for Ervin Santana, Scott Sheilds and Howie Kendrick, then we could have two OBP second basemen who can perpetually replace each other when the other goes on the DL, and the crew can bring up LaPorta and Gamel earlier with Hart shifting to CF. (How about Lackey, Sheets, and Saunders to contend with as their WS starters?)
Say what you may, but Doug Melvin has worked more magic than not for Attanasio, and with each season the wallet has opened a little more....we'll see.

I think that'd be an interesting trade if the Brewers could pull it off. I'm not huge on Kendrick and his tiny OPS. Santana looks to be reaching his potential this season so I'm not sure why they would want to trade him away. I also think their pen might be a bit lost without Shields and they already have an excess of outfielders so no need for Cameron.

Soxaddict: To your injury worry point...it may not be as bad as you think....the arm really hasn't been the issue with his DL stints...some of it has been just silly stuff a pitcher cant pitch with, but long-term he is fine. The key would have to go back to what Yost terms as pitch count under pressure. With the Sox O, just like with today's Crew, he can get a little more relaxed in his delivery with a good lead and the stressful pitches are greatly diminished (the man is simply dealing lately)...have Theo call me....lol

Well the inner ear infection thing looks like it could be a chronic problem rather than just an earache that came and went. I honestly don't know enough about it to say that it would or would never be a problem again.

A hamstring pull can also be serious. Manny Ramirez has been "recovering" from his for a few years now. Every time it looks like he's over it, it will randomly pop up again. It would probably help Sheets not to have to run the bases in the AL.

The finger tissue tear can go either way. It's probably nothing and has probably healed fine but like you said yourself, silly little injuries like these can stop a pitcher from making his starts.

His injuries are definitely considered "good injuries." It sucks to have an injured pitcher but at least he isn't undergoing a shoulder reconstruction every offseason so it's entirely possible for him to make 30 starts every year for the next 5 years.

I guess only time will tell on something like that.

Did you actually just write that Sheets, NOT Sabathia, will be the best free agent arm on the market this offseason? My eyes must be going bad. Now, if you intended for that comment to carry undertones to suggest that Sabathia may get traded somewhere and sign an extension, then sure, your argument carries some weight. But if you think Sheets is a better arm than Sabathia, you need to lay off la pipa. Sheets is a solid pitcher when healthy, but as ESPN pointed out, he hasn't pitched over 160 innings since 2004. He would be a worthwhile risk for a team with deep starting pitching (like the Sox), but when it comes to saying he is better than CC, I will have to whole-heartedly disagree.

I think he will be, yeah. If you read the article, the entire thing is about his upside versus his potential for injury. I mentioned the lack of innings and lack of games started every year.

In terms of pure makeup, I think Sheets has the edge on Sabathia. I'm also unconvinced that Sabathia will stay healthy for the length of whatever long-term contract he ends up inking. Obviously there are no facts to back that up though, it's just a gut feeling based on the body-type he has and the 240+ innings he pitched last season (highest in the majors by a long shot.)

Also yeah, I don't think Sabathia will make it to the offseason. Whoever trades for him will likely want to ink a contract (and he will too) while Sheets doesn't seem to want to sign anything until this winter.