Ben Sheets has been a targeted acquisition desired by fans on this blog...as well as many other fan blogs for other teams. The reason is fairly obviously, Sheets has injury problems, but when healthy, he is one of the best pitchers in the game.
Now it appears that Sheets may require surgery for an elbow tendon tear. Apparently, Sheets and the Rangers were close to a 2 year contract, which only required a physical exam. However, the physical revealed that the tear may require surgery. The status of Sheets injury had previously been viewed as correctable with rest. And the Brewers were comfortable enough with that prognosis to extend an arbitration offer.
Terming the issue a worker's compensation matter, the Brewers front office says that the league is still working through a determination of who might be responsible for the cost of the surgery. It seems like this kind of issue must crop up fairly frequently, so I'm surprised that the determination seems so mysterious.
Apparently, a team could still offer an incentive laden deal to Sheets, pay for his surgery, and rehab, and then hope that he returns to his former skill level in the second year of his contract. However, I assume a team wouldn't want to do that until after June 9, when Sheets' signing would no longer cost the team a first round draft choice.
UPDATE: Sheets indicates that he intends to undergo surgery and expects to be able to pitch in the second half of this season.
0 recs | 6 comments
Work comp
Seeing as how I am only familiar with Alabama workers comp, I might be off, but how is this anyone other than the Brewer’s responsibility. His injury, requiring surgery, occured while in the scope and course of his employment with the Brewers. Unless they can tie the injury to a non-work related incident.
aarcraft - February 5, 2009
I agree....that's why I was surprised that the matter is undecided.
Maybe the league or MLPA has some sort of insurance program which has to be considered,
clack - February 5, 2009
My completely uninformed guess
Shortly after the season was over, when Sheets initially had tests on his arm, the outlook was presented in a very rosy, positive manner, which was probably just to try to preserve his market for the offseason. Here’s what his agent said back in October:
His agent would go on to say in November that there was no structural damage to Sheets’s elbow.
So now that he’s going to have surgery for a torn flexor tendon, the Brewers (meaning their insurance company, probably) are probably questioning whether Sheets tore the tendon after he became a free agent, in which case they will probably have a lawyer arguing that the surgery is not their responsibility.
AstroAndy - February 5, 2009
Brewer front office's quote isn't very helpful.
Nice bit of gobbldygook:
The article later says:
The article also indicates that the Brewers dispatched their assistant athletic trainer to Louisiana to examine Sheets before the date to offer arbitration, and he confirmed the rest / rehab prognosis. The article later suggests that the Brewers might argue that Sheets aggravated the injury while undergoing rehab.
That’s all I’ve got.
If the Brewers don’t pay, I suspect that will increase the liklihood that Sheets will want to sign with a team which would financially support his surgery / rehab.
clack - February 5, 2009
I don't think its up to the Brewers to decide about paying
I suspect its something that’ll be hammered out behind the scenes by MLB and Milwaukee will most likely pay. Its an odd story and I hope eventually the whole thing comes out. I’m pretty sure that BS had two MRIs before the season was over last year. There was even talk by the club of him possibly being able to pitch if they made it to the series. He also had updated medical information that he was supposedly showing around which I would think would include more film of some sort, probably another MRI.
It just goes to show what a crap shoot medical treatment is if there isn’t a clear diagnosis. Maybe the Rangers hired doctor House. It does make me wonder a bit about the Brewers med staff. They also once let Gallardo pitch another inning with a torn ligament or whatever it was he had.
And was Casey Close his agent out there trying to get a multi-million dollar contract while he still had discomfort and/or couldn’t throw hard yet?
ol Pete - February 6, 2009
Casey Close was Jason Jennings' agent too.
The Rangers signed him last year after the same surgery, and that was a bust. He had surgery again, and I notice that the Rangers re-signed Jennings after the Sheets deal fell through.
clack - February 6, 2009
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