A Team in Turmoil

Dodger left fielder Gary Sheffield will demand to be traded unless team officials “make big changes around here” during the off-season, he told The Times Thursday.

Sheffield has been discouraged by the performance of the disappointing ballclub and said last week that the team should be overhauled because the parts don’t fit. He said he has been torn by the upheaval since he joined the Dodgers last season in the seven-player Mike Piazza trade.

Raul Mondesi’s obscenity-laced tirade Wednesday was the last straw for Sheffield, who stressed that he can’t continue working in the negative environment.

“I’ve reached my boiling point with everything going on around here,” Sheffield said before the Dodgers’ 10-5 victory over the Expos at Olympic Stadium. “Right now, I’ve just had it with all the negativity. Ever since I got here, it’s just been one thing after another. You just can’t do your work with all this stuff going on all the time.

“I know we’re only out here playing baseball, but any job would be hard with all the stuff we always have to deal with. . . . Try doing your job with guys doing the things that are going on here. This just has to stop. If it doesn’t, then I don’t want to be here like this.”

On Thursday, Sheffield continued to prove his importance on the field. The five-time all-star hit his 20th home run while going two for four with two runs batted in and three runs.

Sheffield leads Dodger regulars with a .311 batting average and a .413 on-base percentage. The 11-year veteran also played well last season after arriving at Chavez Ravine, but he said the off-the-field tumult has often been overwhelming.

“People keep waiting for me to stir it up and cause all kind of problems, but I’m not the one doing it,” Sheffield said. “They must think I’m stupid or something, but I know what’s going on. I don’t say anything unless I want to. I’ll make things known when I want to make them known.”

Sheffield said he plans to discuss his concerns with General Manager Kevin Malone before tonight’s game against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium. Foremost on his list is that management should not stand pat in the off-season, because Sheffield will not stand pat if they do.

“To be honest with you, this isn’t what I signed up for,” Sheffield said. “When I [waived a no-trade clause to complete the Piazza deal], it was because everyone in management told me that this organization was committed to bringing back the Dodger winning tradition. With some of the guys we have on this team, I don’t see us doing that any time soon.

“I hope in the off-season we’re going to see some new faces in here. I hope we’re going to see 25 guys who want to win, because there is no way it’s going to happen right now. Nothing can happen for the rest of the season--we just have to keep going on like this--but we need to address some things in the off-season.”

Contacted at his Dodger Stadium office, Malone expressed empathy for Sheffield.

“I understand that Gary is frustrated,” Malone said. “We’re all frustrated. Gary is all about winning, that’s what this is all about. We have a very good relationship and I understand how he feels. We are trying to reestablish a winning organization with the Dodgers, there’s no question about that. That’s the No. 1 goal of everyone [in management].

“But that can’t happen overnight. We inherited some situations, and we’re trying to make things better and fix them. But again, that takes a lot of hard work and time. As far as [Mondesi’s diatribe is] concerned, we’re in the process of handling that, but we’re handling it internally.”

Sheffield accepts that. However, he said that the Dodgers’ overall depressing situation has reached a critical point.

“I have a lot of respect for Kevin and [Manager] Davey [Johnson],” Sheffield said. “I know they have tough jobs, and I would never tell them how to do their jobs.

“All I’m saying is that I can’t take this anymore. If we can’t make changes, then I don’t need to be here. I love Los Angeles, and the organization has been good to me, but a lot of guys wouldn’t want to stay here with all the things that have happened.”

Mondesi demanded to be traded Wednesday while blasting Malone and Johnson. The right fielder orally attacked Johnson for mishandling him and Malone for, in his mind, making him the scapegoat for the Dodgers’ disastrous season.

Sheffield has counseled Mondesi throughout the season about controlling his emotions, and he spent time with Mondesi before and after his outburst.

“I’m always going to try to help Mondy,” Sheffield said. “Mondy is an incredible player. I put him in the class of Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds and those guys in terms of his physical ability. But Mondy has to understand that Davey is the manager. You have to do what the manager says, bottom line.

“Davey has a system and everyone on this team has to believe in that system for us to win. Davey has had a lot of success with that system, and he’s not going to change it now. Mondy just has to understand that. The thing is that Mondy is hurting himself and depriving the fans of seeing a great player at his best.”

Sheffield said that if Dodger officials are truly committed to winning, they must be willing to make difficult moves.

“How long do you continue to wait on players?” said Sheffield, who was not alluding to Mondesi in particular. “You can wait on guys and hope it works out, but you can be waiting forever.

“I’ve been in this game too long to wait for guys to come around. If we’re going to lose, I can accept that. But if I’m going to go down, I want to go down fighting with 25 guys who are on the same page.”