So, the Yanks announced yesterday that they were offering salary arbitration to – nobody.
Maybe I’m a worrywart, but I have to say that I have a bad feeling about the Bombers declining arbitration on Bobby Abreu and Andy Pettitte, and I’m afraid this decision will turn out badly.
While I do want Andy back, I’m mixed on having Abreu return, but at any rate, I’d like the Yanks to get those draft picks. And if Pettitte walks out the door, the way Roger Clemens did after 2003, without the Yanks even getting any draft picks for him, I will be doubly peeved. Especially if Andy goes to the Dodgers. Don’t forget, of course, that Clemens and Pettitte share the same agents – the Hendricks brothers.
And while Brian Cashman claimed the Bombers were engaged in contract discussions with Abreu, the right fielder’s people said they hadn’t talked with the GM since the season ended. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Abreu as a Met next year. What say you, Squawker Jon?
Other Yankee free agents not to get arbitration offers include Jason Giambi, Ivan Rodriguez, Carl Pavano, Mike Mussina, Chad Moeller and Sidney Ponson. I don’t have a problem with not trying to keep any of these guys, particularly Pavano. What would he have gotten, any way? Would it have been like a game of “Operation,” where he received money for each injured body part?
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports suggests that yesterday’s events are an austerity move due to the bad economy, writing, “Yes, even the filthy-rich Yankees are cutting back. By their definition, anyway.”
The Yankees planned this new stadium on a faulty assumption – that the amount of money they could raise the ticket prices for was infinite. And now they’re going to have to realize that there aren’t that many people who can afford to pay $2500 a ticket for a baseball game. Not that I have a whole lot of sympathy for the Bombers on this. While I did think it was time to build a new stadium, I wish they had kept the average fan in mind, instead of focusing on the martini bar, steakhouse, and luxury boxes.
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And thanks to Bombers Beat, Confessions of a She-Fan, and Ultimate Banter for talking up our giveaway, and linking to us.
What do you think the arbitration non-moves? Leave us a comment!
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