Sheff’s Surprise

Yes, it was only a few minutes ago that Gary Sheffield seemed to be maturing into a master of the house. A Dodger leader on and off the field. His often selfish and disruptive behavior having yielded to a more selfless and disciplined approach as he seemingly was happy with his new wife and Bel Air life.

Well, just as leopards don’t change their spots, Sheffield again has proven that as a master of the house, he is a guy who can be counted on only to occupy the guest quarters briefly before giving the landlord a reason to evict him.

In this case, his demand to be traded if he doesn’t receive a contract extension, and his refusal to report to spring training make it easy for General Manager Kevin Malone to turn to his speed dial.

Of course, making the calls is the only easy part of trying to trade a major player under duress and getting comparable value. It’s particularly difficult, given Sheffield’s contract commitment, his desire for an extension and his right to demand a trade after his first year with a new team. Most teams, having reached their payroll limits after a busy winter, also would prefer to wait until late spring before making another move so that they can assess their rosters in exhibition play.

Sheffield graciously will accept a trade to any of 20 teams, so Malone may have some options, but there is simply no way of knowing if the Dodgers can pull off an equitable deal or how this will play out. Then again, what’s new?

Four years of Fox ownership have taught us that the sitcom never ends. In fact, the potential in this newest twist could top anything David E. Kelley might script.

First, Fox executive Chase Carey usurps Fred Claire’s role as general manager and trades Mike Piazza, arguably the best and most popular player in franchise history, to the Florida Marlins for a package led by Sheffield, ignoring the storm warnings that are part of any Sheffield deal.

Now, apparently, Malone’s first objective in trying to trade Sheffield is to reacquire Piazza from the New York Mets. Malone, of course, is walking the high wire as the Dodgers’ general manager. It is too late for a Clinton pardon, but Malone has to figure that reacquiring Piazza definitely would raise his stock with fans and Dodger brass.

The Mets need a power-hitting outfielder of Sheffield’s caliber and definitely are interested, but it seems preposterous that they would trade Piazza--a bulwark in their playoff runs the last two years--unless convinced he has given them all he can and that the erosion of his physical gifts will continue behind the plate.

Malone, however, received no encouragement Monday when he talked to the Mets about Piazza and Edgardo Alfonzo. Meantime, there was considerable industry buzz about a possible three-way deal, a blockbuster in which the Chicago Cubs would send Sammy Sosa to the Mets for a prospect package headed by outfielder Alex Escobar and the Mets then would trade Sosa to the Dodgers for Sheffield.

That would enable the Mets to acquire Sheffield without giving up a regular, would extricate the rebuilding Cubs from the Sosa contract predicament and would give the Dodgers a replacement run producer of Sheffield’s quality--plus a charismatic attendance lure for the area’s large Latino community.

The catch is that Sosa is eligible for free agency after the 2001 season and is seeking five or six years at $17 million or more per year, which is considerably more than the Dodgers still owe Sheffield and more, probably, than they are willing to commit, given their pitching obligations.

It’s another chaotic situation for the blue, prompting a long-time major league executive to say, “Considering the complexities, I don’t think there’s any way in the world they can make a trade at this time allowing them to compensate offensively for Sheffield’s loss. It’s a disaster for them, but I’m still surprised at how dismayed [Chairman] Bob Daly seemed to be about it. I don’t think you can be dismayed by anything that happens in baseball anymore, especially given the economic climate and Sheffield’s background.”

In baseball, of course, Daly still carries the title but doesn’t have the control he did at the studios. He is a rookie receiving a rude education in the realities of an asylum run by the inmates. The departure of Sheffield, coupled with the departure of Todd Hundley, would mean the Dodgers had lost almost a third of last year’s home run total and almost a fourth of their runs-batted-in total.

It would compound the pressure on Shawn Green to rebound from his disappointing Dodger debut and further weaken a lineup that had Eric Karros and Mark Grudzielanek slumping badly in the second half of last season and faces major questions at catcher, shortstop and center field.

Anything is possible with this Dodger regime, of course, and there is the possibility that Sheffield will stay.

A trade may prove impossible and Sheffield may conclude that his only option is to withdraw his demands and apologize.

Whether he could rebuild his bridges--in and out of the clubhouse--is another matter.

The Dodgers, after all, initially gave Sheffield $5 million to buy out his no-trade clause and have catered to his whims, hoping to make him comfortable in his new environment, only to have their teeth loosened.

All of Sheffield’s rhetoric last year about leadership, about teammates who didn’t care and weren’t focused on winning, has proven to be just that--rhetoric.

So too are his current comments about feeling unappreciated (he is merely guaranteed $30 million in the next three years), of finding himself the subject of trade rumors at every turn. The Dodgers stated unequivocally that they weren’t trading Sheffield and didn’t pursue several free-agent position players because of their obligation to Sheffield and others.

For Sheffield, a talented player who never has been satisfied to let his talent do the talking, this is strictly about money, as it usually is and always has been with him.

A shame. He could have been master of this house. Now, no one will care if the door hits him on his way out.