The Philadelphia Inquirer's Andy Martino was told by a Phillies team official that the chances of signing Gary Sheffield were "very slim."  He goes on to list four reasons why Sheff might not be the best fit with the Phils.

(via Phillies Nation)

  Scratch the Blue Jays off the list of potential destinations for Sheff.  According to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian, Toronto manager Cito Gaston and GM J.P. Ricciardi don't see an available spot on their roster.  As with the Tigers, the Jays have quite a few guys to play outfield and DH.

But as Mike McClary asked me via instant message last night, wouldn't it have been a hell of a thing for Sheff to hit his 500th home run next week against the Tigers, maybe off Justin Verlander?

  Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan finds Sheffield oddly charming, and credits that outspokenness - as well as his skills, obviously - with helping him to accumulate nearly $170 million during his 21-year major league career.  (Maybe Sheff should be at the G-20 Summit.)

  Fangraphs' Dave Cameron thinks the Phillies are better off seeking an outfielder who can help them defensively, rather than adding Sheffield to a "guys who belong at DH" carousel with Raul Ibanez and Matt Stairs.

  Lynn Henning thinks the Tigers still made the right move in trading for Sheffield.  And Blake points out that neither of the pitchers the Tigers gave up for him have done much for the Yankees.

  Peter Abraham says the renewed emphasis on youth and versatility over veteran sluggers like Sheffield is an indication of how much baseball has changed since drug testing was instituted.

  Aaron Gleeman thinks the Tigers won't be a better team with Marcus Thames and his low on-base percentage taking over the bulk of Sheffield's role.  (Billfer agrees on the OBP aspect.)

  The New York Times' Jack Curry ponders Sheffield's Hall of Fame chances.  The numbers alone probably put him in, but will voters wonder if steroids played a role in that production?

  We end today's Morning Prowl with Sheff sporting a Ghostbusters t-shirt on his way out of the clubhouse a couple of weeks ago in Lakeland.  Big League Stew's David Brown chatted with him about that.  Great photo, too.

(I don't know how I missed that the first time it was posted.)