GREAT MOVE: A’s sign Ben Sheets to one-year deal

Posted on January 26, 2010

Ben Sheets of the Milwaukee Brewers pitches during the game against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on July 19, 2008. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

 

The Oakland A’s have signed free-agent right-handed pitcher Ben Sheets to a one-year deal worth $10 million. Sheets passed his physical this morning and will be introduced to the Bay Area media this afternoon at a 1pm press conference in Oakland. This is a fantastic move by the A’s. Sheets will help anchor a terrific young pitching staff in 2010 and will make the A’s a relevant team in the American League West.

Sheets, 31, missed all of 2009 with a torn flexor tendon. In his last full season in 2008 he went 13-9 with a 3.09 ERA in 31 starts with the Brewers and started the All-Star game that year. He has a career record of 86-83, having spent his entire eight-year career in Milwaukee. Sheets was a heralded rookie with the Brewers in 2001 after he was an Olympic hero in 2000 after he led the USA Baseball team to the gold medal in the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Australia.

This signing will set the A’s up to make a run in the AL West. It is also a great opportunity for Sheets. By signing a one-year deal he will enable himself to come back from injury by pitching in a great pitchers park, which will allow him to pile up some good numbers leading into free agency again in 2011. If the A’s go in the tank and are out of the race by July then GM Billy Beane will be able to ship Sheets off to a contender in exchange for some top-quality young players.

Sheets had an impressive throwing session in Arizona last week for about 15 teams and topped out at around 91 miles per hour according to Mychal Urban at Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area. Bravo A’s. You are making news and building some excitement heading into spring training. I look forward to shooting Sheets in march at Phoenix Muni on a glorious spring day in action for the green and gold. It will be even more fun shooting him in the wedding gown white home unis in Oakland in April!