Hot- Stove

One day after Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland said he was “flabbergasted” by Gary Sheffield’s complaints about playing time, Sheffield was among several Tigers placed on waivers by the club Tuesday, according to a major league source.

Teams aren’t permitted to comment on the waiver process, so it’s possible the timing is coincidental. But there were indications that the Tigers floated Sheffield’s name in trade talks before the July 31 trading deadline. So it seems likely that Sheffield’s latest remarks have prompted them to see if interest in him may have picked up this month in the wake of a number of injuries to prominent players on several contenders.

Other teams would have until Thursday afternoon to place a claim on Sheffield, who has one year remaining on his contract (at $14 million) beyond this season. If he clears waivers, he could be traded to any of the other 29 teams. If he’s claimed, the Tigers then would have 48 hours to deal him to the club that claims him.

Sheffield is hitting .222 with 10 homers and 33 RBIs in 75 games. The 39-year-old Sheffield is a career .293 hitter with 490 home runs and 1,609 RBIs, ranking among the top 30 run-producers in baseball history.

Gary Sheffield was traded from the New York Yankees to the Detroit Tigers on Friday for three pitching prospects. As part of the deal, Sheffield and the Tigers agreed to a two-year contract extension.

Sheffield, who turns 38 on Nov. 18, topped 34 homers and 120 RBIs in each of his first two seasons with the Yankees but missed most of 2006 with a wrist injury.

New York gets right-handers Humberto Sanchez, Kevin Whelan and Anthony Claggett. The 23-year-old Sanchez was a combined 10-6 with a 2.53 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 123 innings with Triple-A Toledo and Double-A Erie this year. Whelan, 22, was 4-1 with a 2.67 ERA and 27 saves for Class A Lakeland. Claggett, 22, was 7-2 with an 0.91 ERA and 14 saves for Class A West Michigan.