Sheets....40 mil

[JCT]

Sheets signs biggest contract in Brewers history

By CARRIE ANTLFINGER, Associated Press Writer
April 15, 2005


MILWAUKEE (AP) -- All-Star pitcher Ben Sheets signed a $38.5 million, four-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, the richest deal in team history.

Sheets had signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the team in February to avoid salary arbitration, but left open the option of a longer pact.

Sheets had back surgery in the offseason, and general manager Doug Melvin wanted to see for himself how the right-hander performed in spring training before opening talks on a bigger deal.



``It is a real happy day in Milwaukee Brewers history to be able to sign Ben Sheets to a four-year contract through 2008,'' Melvin said. ``It's very difficult to go out and find a pitcher that has the character of Ben and the ability of Ben Sheets.''

Sheets was 12-14 with a 2.70 ERA last season, and his 264 strikeouts were the most among NL right-handers.

Sheets, who has a 46-54 career record in the major leagues with a 3.92 ERA and 696 strikeouts, was scheduled to pitch Friday night against the St. Louis Cardinals. He was an All-Star in 2001 and against last year.

He said it was a special day for him and his family.

``I'm glad to be here. Can you believe these crazy people?'' he said. ``They want me here for another couple of years. Wow!''

The Brewers' new owner, Mark Attanasio, has increased player payroll from a league-low $27.5 million last year.

Until Friday, the biggest Brewers deal was a $23 million, three-year contract extension Geoff Jenkins signed last year, the team said.

A sub .500 pitcher coming off back surgery is worth almost 40 mil? I'm glad the Yankees are ruining baseball. :roll:

[The Assassin]

Now thismeans the Brewers will be giving away the rest of their players for virtually nothing

[Dinsdale]

Should have given that cash to lock up Brady Clark.

[JCT]

But with sheets locked up we have a lock on someone always losing 3-4 more games a year than he wins. - Brewer logic.

[rozy]

fmuck you jtc the brwers are the bestest internet buddies team and now im gonna get a nut nut nut and sppoon spoon spoonm and jesus loves the brew=crew. piggy said to ead ok she didnt but she meant to.

holdm me?

[Russ from SacTown]

A sub .500 pitcher coming off back surgery is worth almost 40 mil? I'm glad the Yankees are ruining baseball. :roll:

So using your logic, Randy Johnson sucked just because AZ couldn't score runs for him. :roll:

Sheets was a kid who got started early in the majors because Milwaukee needed pitching. Dude is now hitting his stride. This will be a deal where the Brew Crew got the better deal. By the time Sheets is done with this contract, they probably won't want to pay him what he's worth.

[JCT]

What's up apples and oranges? RJ STILL had a winning record on the WORST team in baseball. Come talk to me when Sheets wins more games than he loses (Ouch that had to suck getting shut out tonight.)

Oh and a kid? He was a rookie in 2001 when he was 22. Now he's 26 and is already 1-2.

[Funkywhiteboy]

Cardinals 3, Brewers 0.
Sheets was out-pitched by Jeff Suppan. :P

[Shoalzie]

A sub .500 pitcher coming off back surgery is worth almost 40 mil? I'm glad the Yankees are ruining baseball. :roll:

They are...why would a small market team have to overpay their best young pitcher? He would've been a free agent next year...do you think a team like the Yankees would've like to get their hands on him? Teams will have to overpay on some players because teams like the Yankees, Red Sox and Mets up the asking price.

[Bizzarofelice]

A sub .500 pitcher

Stat don't mean shit when you pitch for the Brewers. Sheets has had three runs worth of support in three games pitched this year. Get your head out of your ass, wop.

[Russ from SacTown]

What's up apples and oranges? RJ STILL had a winning record on the WORST team in baseball. Come talk to me when Sheets wins more games than he loses (Ouch that had to suck getting shut out tonight.)

Oh and a kid? He was a rookie in 2001 when he was 22. Now he's 26 and is already 1-2.

Jason Schmidt also had a slow start with Pitt before hitting his stride with SF. You watch, this kid's the real deal.

[rozy]

What's up apples and oranges? RJ STILL had a winning record on the WORST team in baseball. Come talk to me when Sheets wins more games than he loses (Ouch that had to suck getting shut out tonight.)

Oh and a kid? He was a rookie in 2001 when he was 22. Now he's 26 and is already 1-2.

Jason Schmidt also had a slow start with Pitt before hitting his stride with SF. You watch, this kid's the real deal.

And still behind Beckett, Prior, Oswalt, and Schmidt on the NL scale.

But......ahead of Kerry Wood.

[Bizzarofelice]

They are...why would a small market team have to overpay their best young pitcher?

They have to overpay to get anyone worth a damn to play there. Damian Miller got 8.7 million for three years. Damian Miller?

Rack the Brewers on schooling the DBacks in the sexson deal. At this rate, I think the Brew Crew might be semi-respectable in 50 years.

[Russ from SacTown]

his 264 strikeouts were the most among NL right-handers.

I missed the part about the K's when I skimmed the article earlier.

2.7 ERA and 264k's? Yeah, dude's a bum.

[Shoalzie]

But......ahead of Kerry Wood.

He's ahead of him mostly because he's able to stay healthy.

Sheets is one of the hidden gems in baseball because of where he plays. Same can be said for Oliver Perez in Pittsburgh and Jake Peavy in San Diego.

Sheets had a breakout year last year but still finished with a 12-14 record. In 237 innings, he had a strikeout-walk ratio of 8.25 (264-32) and an opposing batting average of .226. His 264 strikeouts were one fewer than Santana...good for third in all of baseball. He had the fourth best ERA with a 2.70.

The same thing could've been said for Randy Johnson last year...if you post those types of numbers with a winning team that scores enough runs, that's Cy Young material (see Johan Santana). Sheets was third from the bottom in run support...only Ryan Franklin and Odalis Perez had worse. The guy could've won 20 games last year if the Brewers could've scored enough runs.

By the way, Randy Johnson was tied for eighth worst in run support in getting just less than 4 runs a game. You can't totally judge a pitcher's entire season just on record alone.

[AnNeg]

A sub .500 pitcher coming off back surgery is worth almost 40 mil? I'm glad the Yankees are ruining baseball. :roll:

They are...why would a small market team have to overpay their best young pitcher? He would've been a free agent next year...do you think a team like the Yankees would've like to get their hands on him? Teams will have to overpay on some players because teams like the Yankees, Red Sox and Mets up the asking price.

The Blue Jays were forced to play that game too. Not long after Halladay won that Cy Young, the Jays starting putting all they could down on the table. Eventually they did nail him down through '07 for fair market value but when the end of that season comes who knows what's going to happen?

[fix]

The Blue Jays were forced to play that game too. Not long after Halladay won that Cy Young, the Jays starting putting all they could down on the table. Eventually they did nail him down through '07 for fair market value but when the end of that season comes who knows what's going to happen?

Uncle Ted will open up his bank vault to give him a fair deal.
That's not to say that there won't be someone out there (s'up George) that would be willing to sign him to an asinine Arod like contract though..
But I think in Doc's case, if the Jays are contending, he'll resign to stay in Toronto.

[bbqjones]

fmuck you jtc the brwers are the bestest internet buddies team and now im gonna get a nut nut nut and sppoon spoon spoonm and jesus loves the brew=crew. piggy said to ead ok she didnt but she meant to.

holdm me?

you trying to be funny?

what does internets bestest buddies tea?m mean?

shut up