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| Monday, March 12 | |||||
| Dodgers happy with teaming of Sheffield, Boras | |||||
VERO BEACH, Fla. – The Gary Sheffield saga took yet another
dramatic turn Monday when the All-Star outfielder fired his agent
and signed with Scott Boras, who represents several of his Los
Angeles Dodgers teammates.
Later, Sheffield apologized to Dodgers chairman Bob Daly and Los
Angeles fans for his actions.
Boras' hiring was a reconciliatory gesture on the part of
Sheffield, who has caused weeks of controversy this spring by
demanding a contract extension or a trade from the Dodgers.
"Our philosophy is that our players honor their contracts,"
Boras said. "That was something we had to agree on and we came to
an understanding. Everything will be done in a quiet and
professional way."
Sheffield still has three years remaining on his contract, worth
$30 million, plus an $11 million club option for 2004.
The Dodgers have been trying to trade the disgruntled
32-year-old star, but did not find what they deemed an acceptable
deal, partly because he left them will little bargaining power.
Sheffield also has feuded with Daly,
calling him a liar and accusing him of unprofessional behavior.
During Monday night's 3-1 loss to the New York Mets, Sheffield
met with Daly for 30 minutes. Sheffield later read from a
hand-written statement, saying, "I owe L.A. Dodger fans an
apology."
On Saturday, however, Sheffield dropped his trade request and was
apologetic to his teammates and fans of the team.
And then Monday, he hired Boras, who has a better relationship with
Dodgers general manager Kevin Malone than his former agent, Jim
Neader.
"Scott is a full-service agent," Malone said. "He doesn't
just handle contract negotiations. He helps players on and off the
field and helps them reach their full potential."
Malone admitted Monday's development will eventually lead to a
better relationship between the Dodgers and Sheffield, but he
wouldn't completely rule out a trade.
"We're pleased with Gary's decision, but we're going to keep
our options open," Malone said. "If there's a deal out there that
would improve our ballclub, we would certainly consider it."
Malone said he has no such deal on the table, and doesn't
foresee such a trade happening soon.
"I've always said our first choice was to keep Gary
Sheffield," Malone said. "He's a great player and my
responsibility to this organization is to field the best team I
possibly can."
Boras' first task will be to try to rebuild Sheffield's image.
Sheffield was in the Dodgers' starting lineup in an exhibition
game at nearby Port St. Lucie against the Mets and was booed each
time he batted. He went 0-for-3.
Boras also said Sheffield will apologize to his teammates and
coaches in a team meeting Tuesday.
"I've known Gary since he was 15 years old, and I know he's a
good person," Boras said. "His only problem was that he was given
some misinformation. Gary is a baseball player, not a negotiator.
We want Gary to go back to being a baseball player."
Boras said a rumor that the Dodgers were trying to trade
Sheffield during the offseason in order to clear money to make a
run at Alex Rodriguez was false. Boras also represents Rodriguez,
who signed a record $252 million, 10-year contract with the Texas
Rangers.
"That's the type of misinformation I'm talking about," Boras
said. "But Gary's accepted total responsibility for what has
happened, and he has apologized."
Boras is confident things will work out with Sheffield and his
teammates.
"One of the reasons why I'm doing this is because his teammates
came to me," said Boras, who also represents catcher Angel Pena,
third baseman Adrian Beltre, and pitchers Kevin Brown, Chan Ho Park
and Darren Dreifort. "They want to have him as their teammate."
Neader, reached in St. Petersburg, Fla., would only say he spoke
with Sheffield on Monday and that he hopes "everything turns out
fantastic for him; I wish all the best for Gary and his family,
absolutely."
Before the Dodgers faced the Mets, Sheffield was asked what he
had learned from what's happened, and replied, "To let my agent do
his job and I'll do mine." Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories | ALSO SEE Dodgers not eager, but willing to deal Sheffield | ||||