FoxSports.com reports: Former Milwaukee Brewers ace Ben Sheets is one of the most highly regarded free agents still on the market, and FoxSports baseball columnist Ken Rosenthal predicts he will sign with the Cubs.
In a column in which he forecasts where the top remaining free agents will land, Rosenthal writes of Sheets: “Arguably the best starting pitcher in the entire free-agent class, but the question remains: Is he healthy? … He still makes the most sense for a high-revenue club that can absorb the risk, but the Yankees and Red Sox do not figure to spend more on starting pitching. … Prediction: Cubs.”
Sheets is the type of move that is very popular with Kenny Williams and the White Sox. This is the ability to pay less for a premier player who is coming off an injury. The only problem is the Cubs have a lot of high-priced bidders who are supposedly interested in Sheets as well. Some of these suitors include the Mariners, Angels and Mets. We know how the Cubs react when they have to outbid for a player (see Alfonso Soriano). Sheets, if injury free would be a much better option than Carlos Silva or Tom Gorzelanny. The biggest issue still remains his health as Sheets has been often injured for the last few years. This includes a very serious elbow surgery to repair his flexor tendon.
Here is a list of his injuries:
2005: Inner Ear Infections causing Dizziness
2007: Chronic Shoulder Inflammation
2008: Tricep “tightness” and the Elbow injury
When effective, Sheets can be one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. In 2008, he posted a 13-9 record with a 3.09 e.r.a.
At Wrigley Field he has 15 starts, with 5 wins, and a 3.97 e.r.a.
A more important stat (especially for the Cubs) is the fact that Sheets has a better e.r.a. in day games as opposed to night games.
StateStSports thinks it would be better for the Cubs to let somebody else take a chance with this risky option. They were better off resigning Rich Harden than to overpay for Sheets. Odds are if he is signed by the Cubs fans will not be singing “Go Cubs Go”. Instead, they will be singing this song in regards to Sheets:
Filed under: Cubs | Tagged: ben sheets, Cubs |
statestreetsports.wordpress.com 
I have a few things to say.
1. Ben Sheets is nearly as dominate as it gets when he is healthy.
2. IF the Cubs were to sign him, it would have to be an incentive laden deal. 1yr/3 million, 3 million in incentives, 2nd year option at 7.5 million. Anything above that level is a bigtime overpay for an injury risk.
3. Ben has a rep for being a good clubhouse guy and a leader. This is something the Cubs could use in abundance after the dreadful showing in 09′.
Now, having said that, I doubt they sign him. Why? Because teams like Baltimore, Texas and the Whitesox would likely overpay to bring him in. The Cubs are better off not being sucked in. If pitching is an issue, save the money and use the flexability to make a trade during the season.