Free Agent Profile: Gavin Sheets, OF-1B

Gavin Sheets

Position: OF, 1B B/T: L/L

Age: 28 (4/23/1996)

2024 Traditional Stats: 10 HR, 45 RBI, .233/.303/.357/.660, 24 2B, 106 SO, 451 AB, 501 PA, 139 G

2024 Advanced Stats: -1.0 bWAR, -0.9 fWAR, 88 wRC+, 21.2 K%, 8.6 BB%, .281 BABIP, .312 xwOBA

Rundown

The White Sox have gone from a playoff team to a .500 team to 101 losses to a record-setting 121 defeats in the last four years. Gavin Sheets has been along for the free-fall and his career doesn’t quite mirror that trajectory, but it comes close. His OPS as a rookie in 2021 was .830. In the three years that followed it was .706, .599, and .660.

In 2024, FanGraphs had Sheets a negative when it came to baserunning (-2.9), offense (-9.9) and defense (-15.5). And after making the most starts (122) of his career, the 2017 second-round draft pick out of Wake Forest once considered a promising prospect was not tendered a contract.

When the son of MLB outfielder Larry Sheets made his MLB debut in 2021 he hit 11 home runs in 179 plate appearances. He slashed .250/.324/.506 and went 4-for-12 with a home run and a double in an ALDS loss to the Astros. He seemed poised to fulfill his potential.

In 2022, he hit a career-best 15 homers in 410 plate appearances, but his production fell off dramatically in the two years that followed.

In scuffling his way to that career-low .599 OPS in 344 PAs he posted a negative-1.5 bWAR in 2023. He went 1-for-19 vs. lefties. Baseball Savant ranked him in the bottom 3 percent of MLB in xBA (expected batting average) and in the bottom 1 percent of wOBA (weighted on-base average) and xwOBA (expected weighted on-base average).

And while this past season could be called a bounce-back compared to 2023, his numbers still leave much to be desired.

Contract

Sheets earned  $735,000 in 2024. He is arbitration eligible and MLBTradeRumors projected him for a $2.6 million contract in 2025.

Recommendation

It’s a plus that he can play two positions, but it’s a minus that he doesn’t play either of them well. Defensively, he’s negative-4 outs above average at first base for his career (666.2 innings) and negative-13 OAA in the outfield (1,618 innings). (To be clear, I would not recommend Sheets for the spot the Mets have open at first base and would question the motives of anyone who does.)

The Mets could use a left-handed bat to platoon with Starling Marte at designated hitter, but I’d still look elsewhere. Sheets slashed .239/.315/.364 vs. right-handed pitching last year, which isn’t all that different from what Marte (.251/.302/.357) did against righties.

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