The Detroit Tigers released nine-time All-Star Gary Sheffield on Tuesday, leaving him without a team as he closes in on becoming the 25th player to reach the 500 Home Run milestone.
ESPN The Magazine’s Buster Olney reported that Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. said the team contacted Sheffield after his release.
Sheffield left Tigers camp as the rest of his former teammates were reporting for an afternoon game against the Washington Nationals.
“I wouldn’t say I’m shocked, but I am surprised,” Sheffield told The Oakland Press of Pontiac. “To do this when somebody is one home run away … I don’t know how to react to it.”
Leyland, the Tigers manager, said he had a hard time sleeping Monday night, knowing he was going to release a future Hall of Famer.
“I lit two Marlboros at the same time,” Leyland said. “I couldn’t sleep. But I feel better that it’s over with than I did at 3 in the morning.”
The slugger’s stay in Detroit was a disappointing one. The team was hopeful Sheffield would be a powerful presence at the plate in the final season of the $28 million, two-year contract extension it gave him after acquiring him from the Yankees for prospects.
But Sheffield failed to deliver in large part because he often was injured. Any team can sign him for the $400,000 minimum, with Detroit paying the rest of his $14 million salary.
“It’s one of those things where you move on, you know?” Sheffield told the Detroit Free Press. “I was surprised. I thought I was getting ready for the season. I never thought that I wasn’t going to be playing with the Detroit Tigers this year. It’s probably a blessing.”