Sheffield traded to Tigers

[Legend]

chicagotribune sports

Gary Sheffield was traded from the New York Yankees to the Detroit Tigers on Friday for three pitching prospects.

The Yankees exercised Sheffield's $13 million option last weekend to prevent him from becoming a free agent, and Sheffield said Wednesday the Yankees had asked him to provide a list of teams he wouldn't mind being traded to. At the time, Sheffield said "middle men" on the Yankees blocked him from speaking with George Steinbrenner and said that if the owner's health wasn't an issue, he was confident he'd stay with the Yankees for 2007.



As part of the deal, Sheffield and the Tigers agreed to a two-year contract extension.

Sheffield played for Tigers manager Jim Leyland in 1997, when Leyland managed the Florida Marlins to the World Series title. Detroit's current starting outfield has Craig Monroe in left, Curtis Granderson in center and Magglio Ordonez in right. Sheffield could play a corner spot with the AL champions or see time at designated hitter.

Sheffield, who turns 38 on Nov. 18, topped 34 homers and 120 RBIs in each of his first two seasons with the Yankees but missed most of 2006 with a wrist injury from an April collision with Toronto's Shea Hillenbrand. New York acquired right fielder Bobby Abreu from Philadelphia in late July, and when Sheffield returned in late September, the Yankees shifted him to first base.

New York gets right-handers Humberto Sanchez, Kevin Whelan and Anthony Claggett.

The 23-year-old Sanchez was a combined 10-6 with a 2.53 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 123 innings with Triple-A Toledo and Double-A Erie this year. Whelan, 22, was 4-1 with a 2.67 ERA and 27 saves for Class A Lakeland. Claggett, 22, was 7-2 with an 0.91 ERA and 14 saves for Class A West Michigan.

Not surprise by the way he is acting lately.

[blckhaze]

Hopefully one of these prospects can become a quality pitcher for us, especially one of the relievers. Would have prefered for him to be in the NL, for obvious reasons, but it needed to be done. Abreu is a better player other than his recent power numbers, and Yankee Stadium's friendly right field porch can change that easily. Hopefully Cashman isnt done (id like to see Zito or Schmidt in Pinnstripes as well)