Sheffield Arrives in Camp for Q&A;

Gary Sheffield entered the clubhouse Friday at 6:38 a.m. EST, greeting teammates on his first day of spring training.

He might not be here long.

The left fielder reported to Dodgertown after blasting Chairman Bob Daly, who, Sheffield said, botched his request to become a “lifetime Dodger” and then “set out to bury” him.

Sheffield spoke with teammates who wanted explanations about his trade demand, contract stance and quotes attributed to him in Baseball Weekly criticizing management for giving more money to those he considers lesser players.

Hugs and smiles punctuated the encounters after Sheffield reiterated he was misquoted, and then the player who hopes to be traded donned a uniform and worked.

The Dodgers did not ostracize Sheffield and business continued, though not exactly as usual.

Sheffield and the Dodgers are taking things one minute at a time, trying to coexist a little longer.

“I knew it wouldn’t be a problem once I got a chance to talk to these guys man to man because they know me,” said Sheffield, one of the first players in the clubhouse. “They know that what goes on with management has nothing to do with our relationship, and that I would never say anything negative about them.

“I have no problems with any of my teammates, and now it’s just about doing my work and waiting to see what happens. But nothing has changed. They [club officials] know how I feel. . . . It can’t work here. They’ll do what they do, I’ll go someplace else, and then we’ll just play. Let’s just strap it on and then we’ll see who’s right.”

There is resentment toward Sheffield at Dodgertown because his actions have cast a shadow over spring training, but the Dodgers are trying to remain focused.

“Yes, the situation is an issue, you can’t ignore that,” said Manager Jim Tracy, who had a closed-door meeting with Sheffield before workouts began. “There are obviously some fences that have to be mended, you can’t pretend that’s not there. But those guys are focused and working hard, and there’s a lot to feel good about here.”

Tracy and Derrick Hall, senior vice president, met with Sheffield and the players mentioned in the Baseball Weekly article--Kevin Brown, Darren Dreifort, Shawn Green, Eric Karros and Carlos Perez--to circumvent problems.

“Naturally, questions needed to be asked and answered, and they were,” Hall said. “That calmed the waters, which is the best possible scenario for this team, given that we’ve had a great camp. The meeting assured us that the progress of the team will continue with absolutely no distractions.”

Although some players were pleased that Sheffield had arrived, many expressed concern about his unresolved situation.

“It’s hard to say what’s going to happen,” second baseman Mark Grudzielanek said. “We don’t know where this is going to take us.”

Reliever Gregg Olson said he is optimistic. “I don’t know if it’s all cleared up,” the right-hander said. “I talked to Sheff on the phone a little bit [before he arrived in camp], and I just told him, being a teammate, I want him here and I want him to be a Dodger.”

Sheffield said the Dodgers know what they must do.

“The only thing that can fix this is for them to trade me to one of the three teams [Atlanta Braves, New York Mets or Yankees] I asked to play for,” said Sheffield, a six-time all-star. “I’d love to play for [Atlanta Manager] Bobby Cox. I played for him on an all-star team in Japan and with the [2000 National League] All-Star team. He’s a great communicator, and I’ve heard nothing but great things about the Atlanta organization.

“The Yankees are in there because I’ve known [owner] George Steinbrenner since I was 5. He was there in the hospital with my uncle [pitcher Dwight Gooden] when my grandfather passed away. He stayed with my uncle in that hospital all night. This is a man who can curse at me and we’re fine because I know it’s coming from love. And the Mets are in the equation because my uncle wore that uniform. He had me in that clubhouse every day when I was growing up.”

The Dodgers have proposed trades involving catcher Mike Piazza or second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo of the Mets and catcher Javy Lopez of the Braves, because of their potential to replace Sheffield’s run production, and are interested in a deal with the Yankees.

The Dodgers were turned down by the Seattle Mariners, who aren’t interested in dealing newly acquired Japanese all-star Ichiro Suzuki for Sheffield.

Moreover, Sheffield said he will only waive his right to demand a trade after next season, as a player traded in the middle of a multiyear contract, and agree to play under the terms of his current six-year, $61-million contract with one of the three teams on his wish list.

In the wake of Sheffield’s criticism of Daly, the Dodgers might be forced to consider deals with the Braves, Mets and Yankees that do not include marquee players.

And Sheffield’s trade restrictions have further diminished his value, two baseball executives said.

But Sheffield said the Dodgers are holding up a deal.

“They don’t understand that these teams aren’t going to trade them one of their superstars,” said Sheffield, under contract for three more seasons plus a 2004 club option. “Teams want to put me in their lineup with their superstars. It wouldn’t make any sense for teams to do trades like that.

“The Dodgers are the only ones who would be stupid enough to do that. They traded Piazza, and now they’re trying to get him for me. Nobody is stupid enough to trade Mike Piazza. L.A. is the only place that could happen.”

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Dodger Notes

Third baseman Adrian Beltre, recovering from an appendectomy and infection, sat out workouts for the third consecutive day.