What's next for Gary Sheffield?

Gary Sheffield, who turned 40 last November, batted just .178 this spring. AP

The very same baseball executives who say they were "shocked'' Gary Sheffield was let go Tuesday by the Tigers also say they believe Sheffield, who's only one home run shy of the magic 500, will likely be getting a job somewhere else.

Yet it's hard to imagine too many teams willing to offer Sheffield a starting job now. And it's even harder to imagine him being happy as a part-time player.

This is a fellow who was once primed for a coup when he made $10 million a year, and Dodgers teammates Darren Dreifort and Kevin Brown made slightly more. Good luck telling Sheff to hit the bench.

It is a good sign for Sheffield and his job prospects that Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro told Phillies writers that he had contacted Sheffield's agent. In that regard, Sheffield is at least ahead of former buddy Barry Bonds in his job search.

However, several executives contacted Monday suggested their teams want no part of Sheffield, and a few said they'd be concerned Sheffield would have great difficulty happily cooperating as a bench player, which may further limit his options. One baseball executive went so far as to say that adding Sheffield could ruin their team chemistry.

The Tigers didn't release Sheffield due to personality issues, though. They released him because they doubted he could help them. Considering their financial commitment, those doubts had to be fairly strong.

The Tigers are due to pay Sheffield $14 million whether he plays for them or not, and that's a tough nut to swallow (though it's not quite their franchise record -- they once swallowed $14.3 million remaining on Damion Easley's contract).

Manager Jim Leyland and GM Dave Dombrowski have always been supporters of Sheffield, and releasing him took guts, since it's an admission they screwed up taking on his bloated contract from the Yankees. Good for them that they're willing to admit their error.

Sheffield was released because he hit .225 last year and because he was batting .178 this spring. He looks either done, or heading rapidly to being done.

One Tigers person said he thought Sheffield could hit "20 to 25 home runs,'' but even if he improves slightly from that .225, it isn't worth taking at-bats away from Marcus Thames (who hit 25 home runs last year to Sheffield's 19 and did it in 102 fewer at-bats). And, as Dombrowski explained, it isn't worth locking up the DH spot when they might want to use Carlos Guillen or possibly Miguel Cabrera in that spot.

If Sheffield's going to get significant time anywhere, it's going to be as a hitter only. "He's a DH,'' one executive said. And at .225 with possibly 20 to 25 home runs, he isn't a great one at that.

The World Series champion Phillies have been desperate to add a right-handed hitter to their bench to replace the left-handed-hitting Geoff Jenkins (who they released Tuesday) and possibly Matt Stairs since the strength of their lineup is very lefthanded. But there's no starting job to be had there, and while Sheffield might consider a backup job since he is one home run away from 500, that doesn't mean he'd be thrilled about it.

The Tigers are better off giving Thames at-bats, and better off giving youngster Jeff Larish or one of their other young hitting prospects a chance.

The Reds could use a right-handed hitter, and the Giants could use some more offense. But neither of those teams has the DH role to offer him.

The Rays brought in Pat Burrell to be their everyday DH, and there's no sense messing with their clubhouse chemistry. The same issue could come into play for the Blue Jays, Mariners or Orioles, too. Young or rebuilding teams don't need a sullen, self-involved former star.

It's hard to imagine the team where he'll fit well.

Executives still think he'll get a job somewhere since the acquiring team only has to pay a prorated potion of the $400,000 minimum salary while the Tigers are on the hook for the rest. They see this as a repeat of the Frank Thomas situation a year ago, when he was signed by the A's after the Jays released him with many millions to go. If Thomas got a job, why not Sheffield?

That logic may be sound, although whomever signs Sheffield will have him on a short leash. He may last only long enough to get that 500th home run.