Email a copy of 'AL East Notes: Betances, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Betts' to a friend
Loading ...
By Steve Adams | at
Email a copy of 'AL East Notes: Betances, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Betts' to a friend
MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com
hide arrows scroll to top
MB923
I think Betances deserves $5 mil but I got a feeling the arbitrator will only give him $3 million because of his low Saves total. As sad as it sounds , I am pretty certain Saves are a key factor for relievers when it comes to arbitration. I forgot where I read it (perhaps River Ave)
jdgoat
Doesn’t he either have to get the 2 million or 5 million. There’s no middle ground when it goes to the arbitrator I don’t think.
Cam
Correct – player and team both file, and the ruling is one or the other.
muggs
Yes, the arbiter hears arguments from both sides and chooses between the team’s offer and the player’s offer. There is no negotiating on any other number.
But there is a mistake in the article that says the Yankees’s offer was $2MM — it was $3MM — So Betances will receive EITHER $3MM OR $5MM
On another note, it kind of sucks for the player to hear arguments from his own team on why he’s worth less right now… arbitration hearings aren’t fun.
brandons-3
I used to think that too. They are more like this: Instead of a team saying they aren’t worth this because they only did that, they look up similar players based off numbers and see what they earned. For example, if John Doe had a similar comp to DB, they’d argue that their offer reflects a precedent. I’m sure there is some of the “He only deserves X because his numbers don’t reflect it here and there, but I think it’s more of a systematic thing of establishing precedents and to keep the cost down in future arb years.
GaryWarriorsRedSoxx
And that’s why they come to a middle ground at the last minute BEFORE the hearing. Both sides feel they win when a compromise is made.
Steve Adams
You are correct. Unfortunately, however, my clumsy fingers failed to successfully navigate the millimeters between the “2” and “3” keys on the board. MB is right — it’s $5MM or $3MM… the dopey author just made a haphazard typo that has led to a great deal of confusion.
Betances filed at 5… Yankees countered at 3. Apologies.
MB923
Yes. I said $3 mil or $5 mil because those were the actual offers. Steve put $2 mil by mistake.
Bald Vinny
Has a 3.08ERA pitcher ever gotten 5M first time through arbitration before?
go_jays_go
I’m sure some starting pitcher has done it before. idk about relief pitchers though.
Foreveryankees
Yankees should have dumped him at the deadline last year. His value was high then now he is declining he is not worth 5 mill on a team with no starting pitching.
jayceincase
I’m thinking with what Cecil got in free agency, that should help from a non-saves standpoint.
pinballwizard1969
The Yankees countered at $3MM NOT $2MM.
MB923
That’s correct.
Whyamihere
Pretty sure the arbitrator picks one or the other, not settles an amount between them.
Connorsoxfan
I’m sorry, why are you here exactly?
Sky14
Steve made a typo, the Yankees offered $3 million. Makes more sense of his follow comment, “In addition to the immediate $2 million at stake…”.
aussiejaysfan
I don’t think he was being an ass. The guys handle is whyamihere
MB923
It’s $3 mil or $5 mil. Not $2 mil.
Dookie Howser, MD
Please god, keep any of these bozos throwing around “snowflake”, or “safe place”, or “trumptard” out of this baseball website
slider32
Yanks win this one but it might cause some bad blood down the road. I see Betances moved at the deadline if the Yanks are out of contention and Holder and Heller progress.
28rings
I don’t think Holder or Heller will push Betances out of the setup role or off the team, more likely it would be Severino in a year or two if he doesn’t crack the starting rotation and they decide to give up on him as a starter. barring injuries, whomever doesn’t crack the rotation out of Green, Cessa. Mitchell and Warren will be in the bullpen ahead of Heller and Holder as well as along with Clippard, Layne, Chapman and probably Bleier and Shreve as well . it’s possible they trade him, but with 4 years of team control there is no reason to rush to move him or give him away and they’ll probably be looking to get as much if not more than what they got for Andrew Miller last season, which will probably be too steep a price for most teams. If they are OUT of contention, I see them more likely to trade Tyler Clippard who is a free agent at the end of the year instead and they’ll also be very busy looking to possibly trade other impeding free agents CC, Pineda and Tanaka . The only way I see them trading Betances this year is if they are IN contention and he is the piece or part of the package they need to move to get an ace starting pitcher for the playoff run – unless someone sweeps them off their feet with a deal too good to pass up.
locutus
Rutledge was a rule V pick; doesn’t that make him more than a non-roster invite since he needs to be rostered all season?
Whyamihere
Yes
pinballwizard1969
Actually as a Rule 5 pick up Rutledge has to be put on the Sox roster immediately. He is on the teams roster and as such will be at ST as a roster player, I believe.
df08988
The Red Sox can simply return Rutledge if they don’t want to keep him on the roster. Or they can work out a trade for him too. If they wish to keep him, he must remain on the ML roster all season.
Whyamihere
That could be a very important arbitration case. I’d imagine Betances reps will argue that past comps aren’t suited due to the skyrocketed value of relievers as seen for Chapman, Melancon, and Jansen. They could also use andrew miller as an example as to how saves are no longer a very good measure of talent/value for relievers.
pinballwizard1969
You do realize all of the players you mentioned made their money as FA’s not as 1st year arbitration players. FA’s salaries/compensation are notoriously not an apples to apples comparison to players filing 1st year arbitration cases.
Connorsoxfan
Is point is that relievers didn’t make close to this kind of money a couple years ago, and thus should be worth more money in arbitration.
Whyamihere
I wasn’t pointing to those guys as comps for his first year arbitration salary, but as examples of a shifting market for relievers that would lead to them getting paid more (starting with Betances) though arbitration, especially for elite, non-closer relievers.
BuxBombers
I would be very surprised if this goes to arbitration and Betances wins. Bad advice from his agent unless they settle. And if I were the Yankees it would not be a midpoint settlement. I like Betances but that’s a big ask for where he is in his career and considering his past performamce.
BuxBombers
I should point out I am referring to his most recent run at the closers role when I cite his performance. He is a great talent, but have to admit he ended poorly as closer.
Dmalsch22
I think it’s a coincidence that it happened as a closer. He’s know to go through stretches during the year were his command is terrible, he throws too many pitches or falls in love with 1 pitch, walks to many guys, and is forced to throw a fastball down the middle. I think it just happened when he was trying to prove he could do the job.
B-Strong
Dellin isnt going to win this one. If he hadnt had a setback year (for him) hed have got that and possibly a little more. Tyler Thornburg, not quite Dellins equal but not worlds away, got 2.05m in his first trip through, so 3m really isnt that far off imo. He should have shot for 3.75-4m honestly.
BJLVR
What happened to Navarro?
28rings
The Yankees are really pushing Betances out the door… Last offseason they offered him only a $540,000 contract which he refused and they re-upped him at the league minimum instead at $507,500. They still have 4 more years of team control until he hits free agency at age 32 so a long term extension is probably not going to happen either, especially since his strikeout to walk rate dropped from 7.8 to 2.6 in the second half of last year as he proved he can not handle the 9th inning duties as well as he could the 7th and 8th innings.
vinscully16
Sox need to free-up Holt to play his utility role – best for the player and team. Here’s hoping Pablo is back in form.