Yankees decline arb on all free agents

[jacksonianmarch]

WTF? This doesnt make much sense. This sounds like an order from above.

[kreinbihl34]

WTF? This doesnt make much sense. This sounds like an order from above.

 

Wow really getting those draft picks now huh?

[TheKilo]

http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2008/12/01/the-yankees-offer-nobody/

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

hahahahaha

[Cocos Disciples]

Cashman's explanation:

 

The determination we made today was to make sure that we control what amount we’d be spending at least in the event that we’re fortunate enough to bring those players back. We did not want to put ourselves in a position of having that determined by a third party without knowing what that figure would be. The arbitration time period falls in early February, so obviously as we attempt to put this team together, in Andy’s case and Bobby’s case, they made $16 million last year. It’s been tough in the past to try and deviate from previous years earnings in an arbitration setting. We wanted to be able to control the cost that we would allocate for every position on the club.

 

Even though we wanted draft picks if we lost anybody, by offering arbitration we would lose out ability to determine a final cost. So by doing so, we chose to go a different direction, not offer arbitration and we’ll still stay engaged with the entire free agent market including those two players.

[TheKilo]

So Gom, are the Yankees crying poverty here?

[BoSox21]

amazing, the Yankees of all teams decline arbitration cause of money worries

[jacksonianmarch]

it doesnt make sense, unless we are significantly cash strapped due to the expenses of the new stadium.

[26 to 6]

It makes no sense at all and it kind of irks me. Only thing that would make sense to em is that they intend on bringing both Andy and Abreu back , otherwise I think they made a huge mistake. We could have really used those picks.

[Gom]

WTF? This doesnt make much sense. This sounds like an order from above.

********. You can't have it both ways. It was Cashman's call NOT to trade for Santana. It was his call to trade for Nady & Marte. It was his draft choices this year. It was his deal for Swisher.

 

Good or bad it is his show.

 

What I don't understand is that even if they did accept arbitration, the contracts are NOT GUARANTEED. The most they would owe them is termination pay which would be 30 or 45 days depending on the situation.

 

Why not offer arbitration and threaten to release them with termination pay if they accept? The loss of draft picks WEAKENS their market therefore lowering their price on the market.

 

Your defense of the worst GM in our lifetime shows ZERO baseball intelligence. ZERO.

[riverside sluggers]

Not even Abreu?

 

Damn, not much selection in the first 2 rounds for the Yanks (This isnt even counting what free agents they will be signing)

[jacksonianmarch]

********. You can't have it both ways. It was Cashman's call NOT to trade for Santana. It was his call to trade for Nady & Marte. It was his draft choices this year. It was his deal for Swisher.

 

Good or bad it is his show.

 

What I don't understand is that even if they did accept arbitration, the contracts are NOT GUARANTEED. The most they would owe them is termination pay which would be 30 or 45 days depending on the situation.

 

Why not offer arbitration and threaten to release them with termination pay if they accept? The loss of draft picks WEAKENS their market therefore lowering their price on the market.

 

Your defense of the worst GM in our lifetime shows ZERO baseball intelligence. ZERO.

 

dumbass

[jacksonianmarch]

This got me thinking and the only logical conclusion I could draw was that the yankees have plans on retaining both of them. I know the yankees want to retain Pettitte on a 1 yr deal, but at a lesser AAV, so this made sense. I also know that offering it to Pudge would be a significant gamble, since cutting him prior to the season would have been a rough go with the players union. (In order to nullify an arbitration deal, you must show cause, ie there must be better in house options and this does not happen very often). But not offering Abreu arbitration is a head scratcher. Everyone knows he wants to stay a yankee and everyone knows he wants a 3 yr deal. Unless the yankees plan on retaining Abreu for 2-3 yrs at a lesser AAV, this move makes no sense. Makes me think something is in the works. If it isnt, then this is a poor move.

 

Regardless, no matter who we sign, we still will have a first and second rounder as comp from last yr. But not having the luxury of having 2 more picks in those rounds baffles me. There has to be something up their sleeve

[BSN07]

WTF? This doesnt make much sense. This sounds like an order from above.

 

 

 

You better pray those 2 knuckleheads aren't making the GM's choices for him. If that's true, They will run it right into the cellar.

[ORS]

What I don't understand is that even if they did accept arbitration' date=' the contracts are NOT GUARANTEED. The most they would owe them is termination pay which would be 30 or 45 days depending on the situation.[/quote']

This, of course, is based on a 6 month calendar. Thirty days is 1/6 of an arbitration award. Pettitte and Abreu made, what, $16M and $15M respectively? That's $5M spent on nothing if they dump them after they accept arb. Furthermore, you aren't going to dissuade them from accepting with a threat of dropping them. They'd just pocket the $2.5M and then sign another contract on top of that.

[BoSox21]

but don't you think if the Yankees told Pettitte he isnt in their plans for 2009, he wouldnt f*** them over by accepting arbitration?

 

and even if Abreu accepted and the Yankees were forced to trade him, I dont think theyd have that much trouble finding a suitor

[ORS]

Sure, I think Pettitte wouldn't screw them, but I also think Jacko is right. He's in their plans, but they want to bring him back for one year at a lower salary. It's tough to accomplish that with an arb offer on the table.

 

The decision to not offer Abreu arbitration makes little sense.

[BoSox21]

it may be a dumb question but whats the criteria for determining how much a guy makes in arbitration? cause theres no way to justify Pettitte is worth $16 mil at this point of his career, even with today's inflated pitcher salaries

[a700hitter]

It's a good move by the Yankees. They have all the leverage. They also have the flexibility to go after the other FA pitchers without worrying that they'll be stuck with Pettitte after they round out their staff. If they had offered arbitration, the players get to shop themselves and have the Yankees as a captive buyer. Draft choices are not worth the flexibility that they'd be losing.

[Dojji]

If you want to roll the dice on Hughes and Kennedy again the Yankees still need 1 more starter. If they sign CC, they're theoretically set.

 

At least it's set assuming that they STILL haven't learned to go into the season with more than 5 major league caliber starters. If Cashman fails the biggest in any area it's in his creativity in lining up Plan B.

[BoSox21]

As of right now, the only two certainties are Wang and Chamberlain.

 

I haven't kept track of what's going on with Pettitte in terms of what Andy wants and what the Yankees want

 

I have to assume they'll sign two of Sabathia/Burnett/Lowe

 

I just can't imagine they'll guarantee a rotation spot to Hughes/Kennedy coming out of ST

 

wow thats a lot of uncertainty

[diony]

Sure, I think Pettitte wouldn't screw them, but I also think Jacko is right. He's in their plans, but they want to bring him back for one year at a lower salary. It's tough to accomplish that with an arb offer on the table.

 

The decision to not offer Abreu arbitration makes little sense.

 

Not really, it makes all the sense in the world. They don't want to pay around $17.5 million for 1 year of Abreu. That's not pocket change for the Yankees anymore.

 

If Abreu hits the FA market as a type-A, it'll be hard for him to get a multi-year deal around 10-12m a year somewhere else. So he can just stay home in NY (were he likes to play) for another year earning more than $17 million.

 

As this article explains:

 

2. I do think the Yankees' decision to refuse to offer arbitration to Bobby Abreu is fascinating. I talked to several agents who said they believed that if Abreu went through the arbitration process he likely would have received a contract for about $17.5 million in 2009. The Yanks were legitimately worried that Abreu might accept that total and try to find a better multi-year deal in - let's hope - a better economy for us all next offseason. If the Yanks agreed to arbitrate with Abreu then a new signing team would also have had to forfeit their first-round draft pick as compensation. Would a team be willing to give Abreu, say, even a three-year, $36 million deal and lose that pick? I don't know if that was really out there for Abreu. And even if it was would Abreu have said, "heck, I can make nearly half of that total for just one year by simply returning to where I like to live in Manhattan and playing for the Yankees through the arbitration process." Remember that $17.5 million would be more than, say, Magglio Ordonez ($15 million), Carlos Lee ($16.6 million), Carlos Beltran ($17 million) and Alfonso Soriano ($17 million) make on their multi-year deals.

 

If the Yanks had offered arb to Abreu, then would have another OF logjam. Having to move Damon to his worst position (CF) and Nady to LF. And that strictly means Swisher would have to play 1B.

 

Now that Abreu is gone, they can aim for targets like Ramirez, Tex and Dunn.

[ORS]

I think you risk it. If he accepts, you are "stuck" with the guy who will be the best outfielder on that roster. If he declines, you can still sign him for more time / less AAV. If somebody else signs him, you get the picks. I fully understand what they were thinking, but that doesn't mean I think it makes sense.

[BSN07]

As of right now, the only two certainties are Wang and Chamberlain.

 

I haven't kept track of what's going on with Pettitte in terms of what Andy wants and what the Yankees want

I have to assume they'll sign two of Sabathia/Burnett/Lowe

 

I just can't imagine they'll guarantee a rotation spot to Hughes/Kennedy coming out of ST

 

wow thats a lot of uncertainty

 

Pettitte doesn't want a pay cut(16M for '08). Yankess have been said to have offered 10M.

[Mr Crunchy]

Once again the yanks appear completley rudderless with the brothers fredo beating the drums of stupidity and brian cashman looking like the guy in georgia who was jilted by the bug eyed run away bride who claimed black guys kidnapped her...

Oh Lord why dont CC love me cries Cashman....memo to Cashman, save your money, this guy has dl written all over his bloated ass, he'll fit in well with the Giants and that other douchebag Barry Zito, who is making 100M for sucking.

[26 to 6]

Sure, I think Pettitte wouldn't screw them, but I also think Jacko is right. He's in their plans, but they want to bring him back for one year at a lower salary. It's tough to accomplish that with an arb offer on the table.

 

The decision to not offer Abreu arbitration makes little sense.

Apparently according to Joel Sherman (NY Post) they offerred him $10 Mil for 1 year and have yet to hear back from him.

[BoSox21]

Apparently according to Joel Sherman (NY Post) they offerred him $10 Mil for 1 year and have yet to hear back from him.

 

yea, and Sherman is apparently pissed at Pettitte that neither he nor his agent have refuted reports that he'd go to LA to play for Joe Torre, despite the fact that he said he won't pitch for anyone else but New York

[Cocos Disciples]

IMO he could get more on the market. Might not make sense, but I think he could get it.

[diony]

I think you risk it. If he accepts' date=' you are "stuck" with the guy who will be the best outfielder on that roster. If he declines, you can still sign him for more time / less AAV. If somebody else signs him, you get the picks. I fully understand what they were thinking, but that doesn't mean I think it makes sense.[/quote']

 

The point is that they don't want him back. Best OF my ass, his defense SUCKS. He's 34 and declining and they'll have to overpay by giving $17 million to him. I can understand why they don't want him back.

 

Now They can use that money on pitching.

[ORS]

The point is that they don't want him back. Best OF my ass, his defense SUCKS. He's 34 and declining and they'll have to overpay by giving $17 million to him. I can't understand why they don't want him back.

 

Now They can use that money on pitching.

I don't buy that they don't want him for a second. He's the best RF available. I think they are trying to leverage for a lower AAV, but an arb offer would have been at little risk. If he accepts, they keep the best guy available at a position of need for only one year. Yeah, it's a little pricey, but it bridges a gap to the 2010 FA class which is much deeper.