Saturday, December 12, 2009
NY Times: Yanks Unlikely to Offer Wang a New Contract
The Yankees will make it official on Saturday, when it is highly likely they do not offer Wang a contract for 2010. That would make Wang a free agent, and it could make him a popular target for teams seeking a low-risk, high-reward starter.
Wang is eligible for salary arbitration, and the rules specify the Yankees must offer him at least $4 million, or 80 percent of his $5 million salary in 2009. That is more than the team wants to pay for a pitcher who had surgery on July 29 to repair a torn shoulder capsule.
The Yankees would like to re-sign Wang to a minor league deal to minimize their risk; if Wang makes the major league team, he would presumably be paid well. But as a free agent, of course, Wang could seek offers from all teams.
Wang’s agent, Alan Nero, said at the winter meetings that he was hopeful Wang could return by opening day. The Yankees believe it could take until June, and during the playoffs, Wang split the difference, saying he might return in May.
I’d like to see the Yankees bring Wang back on a minor league deal with incentives if he’s amenable to it, but I have a feeling some team’s going offer him more money than the Yankees may be willing to. I’ll wish him well wherever he ends up, unless it’s northeast of New York.
The article also mentions that the Yankees will tender contracts to Melky Cabrera and Chad Gaudin, and are considering it for Sergio Mitre. Those are the only players the Yankee need to make a decision on this year.
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