Dec 01
Sounds like it. Via Jon Heyman:
The Yankees will not offer arbitration to free agents Andy Pettitte and Bobby Abreu, SI.com has learned. The Yankees did not want to chance taking either player to arbitration since both players made $16 million in 2008 and stood to make even more than that in arbitration. Both players can still re-sign with the Yankees though only Pettitte appears to have a good chance to do so.
9 Responses to “Money More Important To Yanks Than Draft Picks?”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
December 1st, 2008 at 7:33 pm
This economy is truly terrible. I don’t blame them for trying to save money right now and for hedging their bets. Anyway, it looks like they would have forfeited the picks when/if they sign C.C. and another Type A free agent anyway.
December 1st, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Anyway, it looks like they would have forfeited the picks when/if they sign C.C. and another Type A free agent anyway.
———–
yea instead now we’ll lose our draft pick…i really hope andy doesn’t see this as a slap in the face and that they are in negotiations…
December 1st, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Yankees saving money has to be some kind of oxymoron.
Because of the lack of quality drafts, we dont have enough top tier young talent.
So instead of trying to get more picks, we reject that notion and attempt to sign high priced free agents.
That makes sense.
December 1st, 2008 at 8:22 pm
I am so tired of Cashman’s stinginess. I can understand long-term deal stinginess, but no arbitration because of money is once again Cashman pinching Steinbrenner’s money. Rather than wanting to win, he’d rather save.
This is the one offseason we should have an advantage. With the economy down and our new ballpark in the time of revenue sharing and teams keeping their free agents because of our money given to them, we should get who we can, but this is life in Cashmania!!
December 1st, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Somebody else suggested we did not want to because we are probably going to get CC and Tex. I dont have an opinion on whether it would happen or not, but it would make sense if that were the case, considering we dont have a bona fide batter for ahead of Arod like Abreu.
December 1st, 2008 at 10:12 pm
This is the way I see it:
They don’t want Abreu back. Makes sense.
They may or may not want Pettitte back.
Me? I want Pettitte back.
But, they’re afraid to offer arbitration because they fear the player might accept.
Me? So what if they accept? It’s $32 million dollars, thereabouts. Does that mean the Yankees are stuck? No, they can still trade the player or make his life heck by not playing him. But, rather than take that risk, and get the picks, the Yankees punted to save money. And, now, they get no picks.
Save less money than Cashman pissed away on Igawa. Save less money than Cashman pissed away on Pavano. Oh, but, they saved money.
Me? I would have played chicken. Maybe, just maybe, I could see not offering Abreu. But, Pettitte? No way. I’m offering there…why the Yankees didn’t well…other than being cheap, all of a sudden, I don’t get it.
December 1st, 2008 at 10:51 pm
Its obvious why they didn’t offer to Andy: They told him they want him to take a paycut, he said no. An arbitration offer would have been accepted because he’d be guaranteed not only the same salary but actually a bump, plus he’d get to play in the new stadium. Maybe they believe they will still offer the most for Andy’s services when push comes to shove, but the fact is this:
Pettitte just became a lot more attractive to the Dodgers and the Astros.
December 1st, 2008 at 11:35 pm
It doesn’t make sense that they’re being cheap or saving money when they’ve got a $140m offer to Sabathia on the table…
December 2nd, 2008 at 1:35 am
@ Corey – I believe at least two of our draft picks are protected (the Gerrit Cole and Scott Bittle picks).
——-
@ Raf- I suspect that they expect to make more than $140 million back on Sabathia over the life of his contract, especially in a few years when we all expect the economy to return to some semblance of economic growth. Whether they can make over $16 million back in the course of the 2009 season in a bad economy is a different question, one the Yankees brass can better assess than me…