Non-Tender Deadline Is Here! Yanks Have 6 Arbitration Eligible Players
Around this time of the year, many teams will usually non-tender players because arbitration cases could be expensive. The Yankees have 6 players that are all on the arbitration list and could get a new deal.
1. David Robertson: David Robertson had a fantastic 2011 season, so the Yankees will most likely have no problem keeping their 8th inning guy especially with set-up men being scarce in the FA market.
2. Brett Gardner: Gardner didn’t have an outstanding 2011 batting average wise, but two places where he never faltered was on the bases & in the outfield. The Yankees would be nuts to not offer Gardner another contract, but with Gardner under team control till 2015 they might not rush into it right away.
3. Boone Logan: The “Lone Lefty” in the Yankees bullpen could be in for a little raise this winter. Logan has been the go-to guy in the bullpen to get lefties out (and more surprisingly righties). Logan has for the most part stayed healthy in 2011 and the Yankees want to keep him that way since their only lefty is a Rule 5 Draft pick.
4. Russell Martin: Cashman already said it himself, Russell Martin is coming back in 2012 but the question would be how much money Martin would make. Martin did a fantastic job behind the plate for the Yankees in 2011, and even went to the All-Star game. Even if Montero does well in Spring Training, the starting job for catcher is Martin’s.
5. Phil Hughes: Phil Hughes’s 2011 numbers weren’t very good. At all. But the only thing we can do is blame injury for the cause. Hughes will be back in the rotation but it depends on Spring Training where in the rotation Hughes ends up. Yankees fans are expecting Hughes to come back into form like in 2010, but we can only hope from the moment Hughes picks up the baseball.
6. Joba Chamberlain: Chamberlain missed most of 2011 after having Tommy John Surgery but the Yankees don’t see that as an issue. They would be glad to bring Chamberlain back but Chamberlain isn’t slated to return until summer of 2012 (though Chamberlain says that he is making fast progress). We just don’t want him to come back too early. Different scenario, but remember what happened to A-Rod last year.