ESPN Buster Olney Blog

Darryl Strawberry's physical regression in his late 30s was evident every time he had to run in something other than a straight line -- when he pursued a fly ball deep in the gap, for example, or when he rounded a base. You could see that his once-spectacular athleticism was diminished, like a picture faded by time.

But when Strawberry stood in the batter's box, well, that was different. He could still do that. He could still mash a baseball to places out of the reach of much younger major leaguers. In his next-to-last season in the majors, Strawberry clubbed a ball off the distant scoreboard in Camden Yards in batting practice.

It was because of that raw power -- because of the beautiful, violent swing that he maintained even after he had become a part-time platoon player, part-time pinch hitter -- that opposing managers still feared him. They would think about bringing in some right-hander with mediocre stuff to face a Yankees right-handed hitter, and in some cases, they wouldn't do it, knowing that Strawberry would step out of the Yankees' dugout and start wind-milling a bat.

Which brings us to Gary Sheffield.

He still thinks of himself as someone who can play the outfield suitably. Scouts who watched him move this spring flatly disagree. "He just can't do it any more out there," said one longtime talent evaluator. "He can't move."

He doesn't have the same legendary bat speed that he once had. "He misses pitches he used to hammer," said one scout.

His numbers are in serious decline, with his OPS dipping from 1.023 in 2003, when he was with the Atlanta Braves, to .725 last year, his worst showing since 1991. Yes, he was injured, but hey, that's what happens when you age: You tend to get hurt more.

But you can bank on this: At least at the outset of his time with the Mets, he will impact games. He will make opposing managers do things they wouldn't normally do. The presence of Sheffield in the Mets' dugout will strike fear in the minds of opponents in the other dugouts. This is why the Mets' signing of Sheffield for the minimum $400,000 is an excellent move (and it would have been an excellent move for the Phillies, as well).

The guys in the other dugout will know that Sheffield is not afraid of a big moment; if he's asked to pinch-hit with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth inning, he will not shrink. They will know that he is capable of a tough at-bat, when he might wear down the opposing pitcher.

Some of the same scouts who see a regression in Sheffield also believe he is still capable of hammering left-handed pitchers -- which he did not do for the Tigers last year -- and you can bet that opposing managers will feel the same way. They will think about him standing in the box, waggling the bat in his distinctive style, and they will seriously consider the alternatives.

There will be a moment when Phillies manager Charlie Manuel -- who would have loved to have Sheffield -- will be faced with a series of decisions in a game. The left-handed hitting Ryan Church will be due to hit in a big spot in the seventh or eighth inning, with right-hander Chad Durbin on the mound, and Manuel will have lefty Jack Taschner warming up in the bullpen.

He will have the option of calling on Taschner, to face Church, theoretically. But he will know that Sheffield is sitting in the Mets' dugout, bat in hand, waiting to hit. And Manuel -- and other managers -- will opt to keep their right-hander in the game against Church, rather than risk a big, game-changing swing from Sheffield.

Now, it may be that Sheffield won't adapt well to a part-time role. He has a history of brooding over perceived slights, and if he feels like he should be playing regularly, and if Daniel Murphy or Church don't hit well early, then Sheffield might have something to say. He could become a distraction, which is part of the reason why, in spite of his Hall of Fame caliber talent, the Mets will be his eighth team. He is capable of being a problem, and if that happens, well, the Mets will probably dump him.

But Sheffield is saying all the right things now, and even in a limited role, he could do a lot of good for the Mets, because like a Wild West gunfighter with a good nickname, he is still seen as a hitter who can be dangerous.

The rest of Buster's blog -- stories on which players are fighting for jobs, news on the latest moves and deals and which pitchers are rounding into form, among tons more -- is available exclusively to ESPN Insiders.