"In my mind, it's a done deal," Sheets told FOXSports.com on Thursday night. "That doesn't mean it's going to be. But I'm looking only at the positive. When I'm healthy, I'd be a good fit for teams making a run at it."

Clubs already are inquiring about adding Sheets for the second half, according to major-league sources. At that point, a team could sign Sheets, the Brewers' former ace, without forfeiting a top draft pick.

Dr. James Andrews performed the surgery on Sheets in Birmingham, Ala., repairing a partial tear in the pitcher's right flexor tendon. Sheets said that while Andrews set no timetable, the doctor was confident that he would pitch later this season.

Andrews performed the same surgery on left-hander Andy Pettitte in Aug. 2004. Pettitte has since produced four straight 200-inning seasons, two with the Astros, two with the Yankees.

Even if Sheets does not return in the second half, he would be virtually assured of being healthy in 2010, making him far more marketable in free agency than he was this off-season.

"Obviously, it didn't work out ideally," said Sheets, who will receive no income in 2009 while he remains unemployed. "If I knew then what I know now, I would have had (surgery) done in October.

"I thought it would heal. It didn't. Every (team) had the same question. It was a question that had to be answered. For me, the best option was hopefully to get healthy for the two months on the back end of this year.

"I want to perform when I'm out there. I don't want to be just out there. It stinks that I've got to miss the first half. But that's the hand I was dealt."

Sheets' injury, his status as a Type A free agent and the collapsing economy all contributed to his inability to land a contract that he considered suitable for a pitcher of his stature.

The Mets and Yankees were among the teams that showed early interest, and Sheets had a two-year deal in place with the Rangers before the team reviewed his physical and became alarmed over the condition of his flexor tendon.

The two sides briefly discussed a restructured deal with less guaranteed money, but Sheets opted for surgery instead.

"I think (the Rangers) have a good team. I was excited by the prospect of being near home," said Sheets, who is a native of Baton Rouge, La., and owns a home in Dallas.

"I can't say I ever felt great about doing that deal. But I felt for both sides it might have worked. They didn't feel the risk was worth it. They've got a right to feel that way. I wasn't mad either way."

While Sheets' original diagnosis indicated that he possibly could have pitched with his injury, the tear would not have healed on its own, creating lingering uncertainty.

Sheets, in researching other pitchers who tried to fight through the same problem, said he learned that many lasted only 50 to 100 innings before shutting down.

He said he was troubled by the prospect of battling through games and pitching at less than his best. After he started his off-season throwing program, his discomfort returned.

"It was feeling better – not all the way better, but I was making improvements," Sheets said. "I thought I was getting over the hump. But the same thing came back.

"When you start throwing, everything changes. I could just feel I wasn't recovering. It was identical to the thing I had at end of the year."

Sheets, the starting pitcher for the National League in last year's All-Star Game, worked 198 1/3 innings last season. His injury, however, limited him to 4 1/3 innings after Sept. 11 and prevented him from pitching in the post-season.

Right-hander A.J. Burnett, a pitcher with comparable career statistics, signed a five-year, $82.5 million free-agent contract with the Yankees in December. Burnett finished the season healthy. Sheets did not.

Sheets said that he could have landed a one-year contract with shared risk, but did not believe such a deal would have been fair to either side. He said he was not willing to sell himself short, and felt uncomfortable that a team would be getting him at less than 100 percent.

The Brewers offered him salary arbitration in December, but Sheets said he did not seriously consider accepting, even though he almost certainly would have received a raise from his $11 million salary in 2008 on a one-year, non-guaranteed contract.

"I had eight great years in Milwaukee," he said. "We went from losing 106 games to going to the playoffs. For me, I just felt it was time to move on. I don't regret it."

The Brewers, by offering Sheets arbitration, sought to preserve their rights to a high draft pick plus a supplemental pick between the first and second rounds if he signed with another club.

Instead, they will get nothing.

Draft-pick compensation is eliminated for free agents who sign after the June amateur draft. Sheets will postpone his decision accordingly, knowing he will be unable to pitch before then.

"I feel like I'm taking a big chance, but it was one I was willing to take," Sheets said. "I think there is a huge opportunity out there to be had. I truly believe I'll be back by the end of the year, be healthy and help somebody win."