Sheff's Out Of The Kitchen: Detroit Tigers Release Gary Sheffield Tuesday

News that comes as somewhat of a shock here. The Tigers released Gary Sheffield early Tuesday morning, telling him he wasn't good enough to clog their DH hole anymore (that's what she said). The move comes just a day after the Tigs acquired speedy outfielder Josh Anderson from the Atlanta Braves for a minor league reliever. U

Unfortunately, the Tigers will still be responsible for the $14 million Sheff was due to make this season.

Otherwise, this is a good deal, because it makes the Tigers a much more versatile team. The DH spot can serve as a revolving door when need be and, as a result, will allow more playing time for new 26-year old Tiger Josh Anderson. I imagine Guillen, Thames (if he's still on the team), Anderson, and maybe Magglio Ordonez will rotate in and out of the DH spot, depending on matchups and the way they feel physically on given days.

It has long been known that skipper Jim Leyland has major man crushes on speedy lefties. Therefore, releasing Sheff and opening the door wider for Anderson to play appeases him, despite the loyalty Skip has displayed toward Sheff over the past couple years.

Sheffield has battled injury problems ever since he signed that three-year mega deal with Detroit. He struggled most of his first season before bouncing back and finishing with a .265 BA, 25 HR, 75 RBI, and a .840 OPS (his lowest OPS in a full season since 1993). Last year, his shoulder problems worsened and he struggled immensely, finishing with a .225 BA, 19 HR, 57 RBIs, and a career-low (minimum 100 games) OPS of .726.

In his final year of his contract coming into this spring, Sheffield vouched that he was healthier than ever and looking to have a big season. Some were even saying he was a favorite to win the Comeback Player of the Year Award. Coaches and scouts felt the same way, as they noticed that little extra oomph to his swing that he didn't possess in the past few years.

Unfortunately, it wasn't translating to the games, as he was hitting a buck seventy-eight (.178) in 50 ABs this spring. Sheffield may be just one home run shy of 500 and a future Hall of Famer, but his time has passed.

I was skeptical at first when we signed Sheff after the 2006 World Series. Aside from the ridonkulous contract we gave him, i viewed him as a washed-up team cancer waiting to happen. While I stand by my "he's washed up" skepticism, he wasn't that bad of a teammate.

Sure, he was outspoken and had his fair share of time in the limelight as a result of some of his quotes, but for the most part, he fit right in with the Tigers. As far as I know, there were never any major problems with him in that clubhouse. That being said, I'm not going to raise my glass and give him a toast for the two wonderfully subpar years he gave to the Ti

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