The Sommer Frieze

Lots of news today.

Henrich dies, a local boy signs with a local team (the team he grew up rooting for), Bowden retires (with one more game to go) …

Here is Yankees news, from the NY Post. No surprises. 

The Yankees declined to offer salary arbitration to World Series MVP Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon and Andy Pettitte, a move that means the team would not receive draft picks as compensation if they sign elsewhere.

Tuesday night was the first big deadline of baseball’s offseason, with teams having until midnight to make arbitration offers to their former players who became free agents. Players have until Dec. 7 to accept; if they reject, they still can re-sign with their former clubs at any time.   

BTW, I won’t post it, and do generally like Joel Sherman’s columns, but go the the Post website and check out Sherman’s snarkiness in his recent columns regarding Jeter’s SI award. (Link and his 3Up blog). Kind of like the grinch in his reactions to it. Really, Joel. Lighten up.

Sherman did write:

If Damon were offered arbitration, he would have had a very difficult time finding a team that was willing to both give a 36-year-old a multi-year contract and give the Yankees their first-round draft pick next June (or second-round pick if the team finished with one of the 15 worst records last year).

 

In addition, Damon would have difficulty rejecting an arbitration offer from the Yankees since he probably could have turned that into a one-year contract in the $15 million range.

In case you are wondering the reasoning behind the decision, here is some clarity (in the Post today) (note the Yanks didn’t offer, thus my bold emphasis):

If they offer and the player accepts (he has until Monday at midnight), he is a signed player for one year, with a salary raise subject to a hearing if a number can’t be agreed on. (My comment: The Yanks weren’t going to give a raise to any of the three, not when the youngest of them is 35) 

If the offer is made and not accepted and the player signs with another team, the Yankees would receive a compensation draft pick. If no offer is made and the player leaves, the Yankees don’t get compensated. (Which could be what happens).

Should the Yankees not offer, they can continue to negotiate with the trio. (Expected)

Since Matsui and Damon each made $13 million last year, the Yankees may not want to give them a chance to accept since they would make more than that in 2010 thanks to arbitration. Ditto Pettitte, who made $5.5 million in base salary last year and $16 million the previous two seasons.