Yanks Decline To Offer Arbitration To Their Free Agents
Via the Ledger –
The Yankees announced in a statement Tuesday that they will not be offering arbitration to any of their eligible free agents.
The team has seven arbitration-eligible players: OF Johnny Damon, INF/OF Jerry Hairston Jr., INF/OF Eric Hinske, DH Hideki Matsui, C Jose Molina, OF Xavier Nady and LHP Andy Pettitte.
This only matters on Damon, Pettitte and Nady, as Rhett Bollinger points it out:
The Yankees announced Tuesday that they will not offer arbitration to any of their eligible players by Tuesday night’s deadline, meaning the club will not receive Draft pick compensation if any of the players sign elsewhere.
Outfielder Johnny Damon is the lone Type A player in the group, while left-hander Andy Pettitte and outfielder Xavier Nady rank as Type B players. Designated hitter Hideki Matsui, catcher Jose Molina and utility men Jerry Hairston and Eric Hinske were unranked and therefore arbitration doesn’t apply.
If they would’ve offered Damon arbitration and he signed elsewhere, the Yankees would have been in line to receive a first-round Draft pick from the signing team if that club selects in the second half of the first round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft or a second-round pick from the signing team if that club selects in the first 15 picks of the first round, plus a sandwich pick between the first and second rounds in either case.
And in Pettitte and Nady’s case, the Yankees would’ve received a Draft pick in the supplemental round if they chose to sign elsewhere.
My guess is that that feared Johnny Damon not getting a decent offer as a free agent and then accepting arbitration and possibly getting a one-year deal through the process worth more than $13 million bucks. But, then again, had that happened, would that have been the worst thing in the world for the Yankees?
My guess is that that feared Johnny Damon not getting a decent offer as a free agent and then accepting arbitration and possibly getting a one-year deal through the process worth more than $13 million bucks. But, then again, had that happened, would that have been the worst thing in the world for the Yankees?
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Exactly.
Corey wrote:
Like i’ve been saying, no…not the worst thing. Damon at 1 year $15 million (no way he earns same rate as last year, but year means salary increase) is not a bad thing.
However, Cashman clearly wants that $13-$15 million free and flexible right now to do something else with. I’m ok with them not wanting to risk giving a 36-year-old outfielder who can’t play the outfield a guaranteed deal in that range.
Let’s just relax and see where it goes. Everybody went off the wall when we didn’t offer arb to Abreu for the same reason and in the end, it was the right move. This can very well be the right move too.
Let’s chill out, our World Series winning General Manager has a plan.