Will Gary Sheffield Be Back with the New York Mets in 2010?

Last week in Indianapolis, an offer was made hours before the end of the week long session to Jason Bay.

He has not yet accepted Omar Minaya's offer and its becoming more likely that he will not be on the Mets in 2010.

In 2009, the Mets sent nine men to play in left field, but Gary Sheffield was by far the most reliable for much of the season. Daniel Murphy was a failed experiment in left field, but found his home at first base. 

Jeremy Reed and Corey Sullivan also saw substantial time in left field, but neither has been tendered contracts by the Mets.

Sheffield was signed by the Mets last April, mainly thanks to David Wright, who reached out to him by text message and let Sheffield know that the Mets would love to have him in their clubhouse and in their lineup. 

The Mets were one of four teams that Sheffield was considering, but the text message from Wright is what convinced him, the other teams did not have that same personal touch from the "face of the franchise."

It also bears noting that Sheffield's uncle is Doc Gooden and he did play for the Yankees so playing in New York was not going to be a new experience for him.

Last August, Sheffield was offered the chance to leave the Mets for a contending team but Minaya blocked this transaction. 

Sheffield took the block to mean that he fits into their plans going forward, but Minaya would not commit to that situation.  Consequently, Sheffield missed most of September with back problems.

Jason Bay, Matt Holliday, and Johnny Damon stand to be front runners for the Mets in left field, but if they do not accept an offer from the Mets, they may be in a situation to offer Sheffield another opportunity in 2010.