So why do the Cubs need Ben Sheets?
Do they need some insurance for Ted Lilly coming off of shoulder surgery? No. Ted is capable of pitching with his eyelids if need be. (Speaking of which...happy birthday, Ted!)
Do they need a fifth starter? No. They have 6 other fifth starters right now...Zambrano, Dempster, Gorzelanny, Spellcheck, Marshall, or Wells all could fill the fifth starter roll.
Do they need a veteran with a who is a good teammate and mentor for the younger pitchers in the organization? No, don't be silly. Why would any team want that?
No...the reason the Cubs need Ben Sheets is simple. They need a scapegoat. One thing that is a constant for the Cubs is that they have one or more oft injured players every year who get hurt during the season resulting in the organization blaming injuries for fact they didn't do as well during the season as they had hoped they would. Last year they signed Milton Bradley for this task...he didn't get hurt, but Soriano and Ramirez covered for him. In previous years it was Wood, Prior and Nomar. Rondell White, Geremi Gonzalez, Amaury Telemaco, Todd Zeile, Moises Alou, Anthony Young, Damon Berryhill, Mike Harkey, Scott Sanderson, Rick Sutcliffe...all were players whose soul purpose on the Cubs was to provide an excuse for not meeting expectations.
After Bradley didn't fulfill his job as DI (Designated Injury), the Cubs dumped his ass so they could sign someone that would do the job better.
That person should be Ben Sheets.
