Sheff’s Surprise

VERO BEACH, Fla. —  Moving to trade a disgruntled franchise player for the second time in four seasons, the Dodgers fielded offers Monday for all-star left fielder Gary Sheffield, and proposed a deal that would reunite all-star catcher Mike Piazza with the club.

General Manager Kevin Malone offered to trade Sheffield for Piazza in discussions with New York Met General Manager Steve Phillips, baseball sources said, hoping to swap the principal figures in the seven-player 1998 trade that sent Piazza to the Florida Marlins and brought Sheffield to the Dodgers.

Ironically, that deal was spurred by Piazza’s refusal to accept the Dodgers’ contract-extension offer, and Sheffield recently demanded to be traded or given a lucrative extension, which the club declined.

Although eager to acquire Sheffield, Phillips rejected the Dodger proposal and said that Piazza is not available, but sources said the situation could change.

The irony of the proposal was not lost on Sheffield.

“They messed up with their star player [Piazza] back then, and now I have to go someplace else to prove what I can do,” said Sheffield, contacted at his Bel Air home. “The bottom line is all about respect. Sometimes these teams just don’t appreciate what they have until it’s too late.

“I can’t speak on any other trades they made, but I know what I’ve had to deal with here. If you have a player like Gary Sheffield, and you know what you’re going to get from him year in and year out, why would you disrespect him?”

Malone also suggested a deal in which the Dodgers would acquire standout second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo from the Mets as the centerpiece of a package for Sheffield and second baseman Mark Grudzielanek. The Dodgers also are considering multiple-team trades that do not include the Mets.

Phillips and Malone plan to resume talks today.

“I’m not going to comment on players, but I will say that we want equal or better value for Gary Sheffield, and there aren’t many players of that caliber,” said Malone, who twice in 1999 initiated trade discussions with Phillips regarding Piazza, an eight-time all-star.

“I know it’s a difficult task, but it would be fair to say there are certain players you could see being the right fit for the Los Angeles Dodgers. And there are certain deals that could be win-win situations for each side involved.”

The Piazza trade is considered the worst in club history, and many in the organization said Chairman Bob Daly also hopes to reacquire the 1993 National League rookie of the year, who spent his first five-plus seasons at Chavez Ravine.

Not surprisingly, the Mets are reluctant to trade Piazza and Alfonzo, cornerstones of the 2000 league-championship club.

“They’re looking for major league talent that can replace or duplicate [Sheffield’s] offense,” Phillips said. “I can’t fathom a deal that would involve those two [Piazza and Alfonzo] guys.

“We haven’t made a proposal because we know what it would take. It doesn’t sound like there’s any deal to be made, unless there’s a change in the position about what they’re looking for.”

But the Dodgers have not ruled out the Mets because Sheffield wants to play for either the Mets, the New York Yankees or Atlanta Braves, and would not seek an extension to his six-year, $61-million contract if traded to one of those teams.

The Yankees seemingly are not pursuing Sheffield because of payroll concerns.

“He’s a good player, but he has a big contract,” owner George Steinbrenner said. “I don’t know if we could afford him with what we’ve got right here.”

Meanwhile, the Sheffield watch continued at Dodgertown as position players reported.

Sheffield reaffirmed that he does not plan to report.

“It doesn’t make sense to go when you’re looking to be traded,” he said. “It could happen any second, so why go?”

But Sheffield is under contract, meaning he must report no later than Feb. 27 under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.

“We expect Gary to be here,” said Malone, who hopes to complete a deal before the mandatory reporting date. “If Gary is not here by that date then we’ll see what our options are.”

Players expressed disappointment about the situation.

“It was kind of a shocker,” right fielder Shawn Green said. “All of us expected it to be pretty smooth sailing coming in, and I guess this gets us off to a different foot.

“Hopefully, everything will work out in the best interest for us. But I guess only time will tell.”

Reliever Matt Herges said Sheffield’s presence in the lineup and clubhouse will be missed.

“I don’t know what his reasons are; all I know is it hurts us if he gets traded,” the right-hander said. “But I’m sure nobody here harbors any ill will toward Sheff.”

Daly might reconsider trading Sheffield if the player apologizes for his trade demand and contract stance, team officials said.

The Dodgers should not hold their breath.

“It’s not about retracting anything,” Sheffield said. “They can understand what I’m saying or not understand. It’s up to them.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Iron Sheff

Where Gary Sheffield ranked among top hitters last season:

BATTING AVERAGE

1. Todd Helton, Colo.: .372

2. Nomar Garciaparra, Bos.: .372

3. Moises Alou, Hou.: .355

4. Darin Erstad, Angels: .355

5. Manny Ramirez, Clev.: .351

18. Sheffield: .325

*

HOME RUNS

1. Sammy Sosa, Cubs: 50

2. Barry Bonds, S.F.: 49

3. Troy Glaus, Angels: 47

3. Jeff Bagwell, Hou.: 47

5. Richard Hidalgo, Hou.: 44

5. Vladimir Guerrero, Mon.: 44

T7. Sheffield: 43

*

RBIs

1. Todd Helton, Colo.: 147

2. Edgar Martinez, Sea.: 145

3. Mike Sweeney, K.C.: 144

4. Frank Thomas, White Sox: 143

5. Sammy Sosa, Cubs: 138

31. Sheffield: 109

*

SLUGGING PERCENTAGE

1. Todd Helton, Colo.: .698

2. Manny Ramirez, Clev.: .697

3. Barry Bonds, S.F.: .688

4. Vladimir Guerrero, Mon.: .664

5. Carlos Delgado, Tor.: .664

7. Sheffield: .643

*

ON-BASE PERCENTAGE

1. Jason Giambi, Oak.: .476

2. Carlos Delgado, Tor.: .470

3. Todd Helton, Colo.: .463

4. Manny Ramirez, Clev.: .457

5. Barry Bonds, S.F.: .440

6. Sheffield: .438

*

RUNS

1. Jeff Bagwell, Hou.: 152

2. Todd Helton, Colo.: 138

3. Johnny Damon, K.C.: 136

4. Alex Rodriguez, Sea.: 134

5. Barry Bonds, S.F.: 129

5. Jim Edmonds, St. Louis: 129

T33. Sheffield: 105

Gary Sheffield, Year by Year

Yr.: 1988

Team: Milwaukee

Gms.: 24

AB: 80

R: 12

H: 19

2B: 1

3B: 0

Hr: 4

Rbbi 12

Avg.: .237

Sh: 1

Sf: 1

Sb: 3

Cs: 1

Bb: 7

Ibb: 0

Hbp: 0

So: 7

*

Yr.: 1989

Team: Milwaukee

Gms.: 95

Ab: 368

R: 34

H: 91

2b: 18

3b: 0

Hr: 5

Rbi: 32

Avg.: .247

Sh: 3

Sf: 3

Sb: 10

Cs: 6

Bb: 27

Ibb: 0

Hbp: 4

So: 33

*

Yr.: 1990

Team: Milwaukee

Gms.: 125

Ab: 487

R: 67

H: 143

2b: 30

3b: 1

Hr: 10

Rbi: 67

Avg.: .293

Sh: 4

Sf: 9

Sb: 25

Cs: 10

Bb: 44

Ibb: 1

Hbp: 3

So: 41

*

Yr.: 1991

Team: Milwaukee

Gms.: 50

Ab: 175

R: 25

H: 34

2b: 12

3b: 2

Hr: 2

Rbi: 22

Avg.: .194

Sh: 1

Sf: 5

Sb: 5

Cs: 5

Bb: 19

Ibb: 1

Hbp: 3

So: 15

*

Yr.: 1992

Team: San Diego

Gms.: 146

Ab: 557

R: 87

H: 184

2b: 34

3b: 3

Hr: 33

Rbi: 100

Avg.: .330

Sh: 0

Sf: 7

Sb: 5

Cs: 6

Bb: 48

Ibb: 5

Hbp: 6

So: 40

*

Yr.: 1993

Team: San Diego

Gms.: 68

Ab: 258

R: 34

H: 76

2b: 12

3b: 2

Hr: 10

Rbi: 36

Avg.: .294

Sh: 0

Sf: 3

Sb: 5

Cs: 1

Bb: 18

Ibb: 0

Hbp: 3

So: 30

*

Yr.: 1993

Team: Florida

Gms.: 72

Ab: 236

R: 33

H: 69

2b: 8

3b: 3

Hr: 10

Rbi: 37

Avg.: .292

Sh: 0

Sf: 4

Sb: 12

Cs: 4

Bb: 29

Ibb: 6

Hbp: 6

So: 34

*

Yr.: 1994

Team: Florida

Gms.: 87

Ab: 322

R: 61

H: 89

2b: 16

3b: 1

Hr: 27

Rbi: 78

Avg.: .276

Sh: 0

Sf: 5

Sb: 12

Cs: 6

Bb: 51

Ibb: 11

Hbp: 6

So: 50

*

Yr.: 1995

Team: Florida

Gms.: 63

Ab: 213

R: 46

H: 69

2b: 8

3b: 0

Hr: 16

Rbi: 46

Avg.: .323

Sh: 0

Sf: 2

Sb: 19

Cs: 4

Bb: 55

Ibb: 8

Hbp: 4

So: 45

*

Yr.: 1996

Team: Florida

Gms.: 161

Ab: 519

R: 118

H: 163

2b: 33

3b: 1

Hr: 42

Rbi: 120

Avg.: .314

Sh: 0

Sf: 6

Sb: 16

Cs: 9

Bb: 142

Ibb: 19

Hbp: 10

So: 66

*

Yr.: 1997

Team: Florida

Gms.: 135

Ab: 444

R: 86

H: 111

2b: 22

3b: 1

Hr: 21

Rbi: 71

Avg.: .250

Sh: 0

Sf: 2

Sb: 11

Cs: 7

Bb: 121

Ibb: 11

Hbp: 15

So: 79

*

Yr.: 1998

Team: Florida

Gms.: 40

Ab: 136

R: 21

H: 37

2b: 11

3b: 1

Hr: 6

Rbi: 28

Avg.: .272

Sh: 0

Sf: 2

Sb: 4

Cs: 2

Bb: 26

Ibb: 1

Hbp: 2

So: 16

*

Yr.: 1998

Team: Dodgers

Gms.: 90

Ab: 301

R: 52

H: 95

2b: 16

3b: 1

Hr: 16

Rbi: 57

Avg.: .315

Sh: 0

Sf: 7

Sb: 18

Cs: 5

Bb: 69

Ibb: 11

Hbp: 6

So: 30

*

Yr.: 1999

Team: Dodgers

Gms.: 152

Ab: 549

R: 103

H: 165

2b: 20

3b: 0

Hr: 34

Rbi: 101

Avg.: .300

Sh: 0

Sf: 9

Sb: 11

Cs: 5

Bb: 101

Ibb: 4

Hbp: 4

So: 64

*

Yr.: 2000

Team: Dodgers

Gms.: 141

Ab: 501

R: 105

H: 163

2b: 24

3b: 3

Hr: 43

Rbi: 109

Avg.: .325

Sh: 0

Sf: 6

Sb: 4

Cs: 6

Bb: 101

Ibb: 7

Hbp: 4

So: 71

TOTALS: Games--1,449. At-bats--5,146. Runs--884. Hits--1,508. Doubles--265. Triples--19. Home runs--279. RBIs--916. Batting average--.293. Walks--858.