According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, nobody’s biting on 41-year-old Gary Sheffield. The veteran slugger, who is representing himself this winter, still feels he can be an everyday player and provide some right-handed thump, but so far no major league team has agreed with him.
After being released by the Tigers during Spring Training last season, Sheffield batted .276/.372/.451 with 10 home runs, 43 RBI and an 823 OPS in 268 at-bats with the Mets. He joined the 500-HR club with his first hit as a member of the Mets in April. That said, he did very little after the month of June, batting .254/.329/.365 with zero homers in 65 at-bats after the All-Star break, barely seeing the field due to various injuries.
It’s possible that some team could surprise and invite him to Spring Training, but Sheffield’s pride will always make him think he is more important than his now complimentary skills suggest, leaving a potential bench role as a useless distraction. This is destined to be one of those long, drawn-out “unofficially retired” situations.