Does anyone understand that Marte is a type A free agent? If another team wants to sign him, they have to give their 1st rounder. This gives the Yankees an advantage. Most teams won’t give a first rounder for a reliever. Big money teams will probably not want to give ‘em up to the Yanks. Too expensive. $14 mill and a 1sr rounder? nah.

The Marte move was another in a long series of bungles by Cashman, can you imagine a scenario where you turn on the tube and watch coming out of the Red Sox or Mets pen, I can. The Yanks have roamed the baseball landscape for the better part of a decade trying to rebuild the Nelson, Stanton, Mendoza, Rivera pen of the late 90′s, Marte is a perfect fit for the Stanton role and what does Cashman do………

i think not picking up marte’s option is a mistake. he’s a rare player: consistent set-up man. with all the variations you get with relief pitchers year to year, to get one that has been so consistent, and is left handed, is a coup. 1 year and 6 million isn’t going to be that much more anually than he’ll command in a 3 year deal. plus, since elias ranks the draft pick compensation based on a three year period, if we kept him for one year, it’s likely he’d still be a type A next year. if we sign him for 3, who knows if he’ll be a type A at the end of it. plus, you risk losing him. i just don’t understand this one.

IMO, I think using Marte as a LOOGY is a waste.

Having said that, my views on pen men are pretty well known; if Marte goes, he will be replaced by another arm. Tis the nature of building a bullpen.

I think there are more than a few teams – esp. the Mets – who would be willing to give him $14 mill for three. So, it might take something like $15 or $16 mill for three to get it done.

That’s why I don’t get cutting him for the $6 mill? For the, what, million you save this year you risk losing him.

Of course, there’s the draft pick thing too. Maybe the Yankees are banking on that.

But, my experience with Cashman is…when he tries to get clever, it usually backfires.

See: Igawa’s posting fee and losing Lieber when he thought he had him…and then Kris Benson came along and screwed that up…

So what would you offer him that might get it done? 3/$14m?