I can see not offering it to Pettite. Pettite they want to keep but not at the current price. He wants to come back, only wants a 1 year deal and would have accepted arbitration. Its hard to picture someone offering Pettite $16-17 million and I’d have to think Pettite would come back if the Yankees match whatever his best offer is.

Lathamjoe,
I dont even understand your comment. How would the yanks offering abreu arbitration result in a multiyear deal for him? Cash has constantly and consistently said two things: one, he is interested in improving the farm system (sometimes it would seem at the expense of the major league club.) Two, that he loves short one year contracts with higher salaries than long term contracts with lower average annual salaries. This arbitration situation goes completely against cashman’s own philosophies. Not only did he potentially flush multiple first round draft picks down the toilet. But he did that, to ensure that the yanks dont get stuck with two one-year contracts. Cash has done some pretty foolish things in his tenure as GM but this ranks right up there. I just dont see any possible explanation and im sure it is not about the money as he claims. You dont offer the highest pitcher contract in the history of the MLB and the two weeks later snub a franchise player for a couple of million.

If either of these players sign elsewhere, cashman looks like an idiot because we get nothing in compensation. Furthermore, if either player re-sign for more than one year and/or not at a significantly reduced salary from last year, cashmans again looks like a fool. He really put himself into a corner with this one. But im sure the media will somehow spin it to look like brilliance. Really, the move is incomprehensible and whats worse, there is really very little routes in which the yankees FO comes out of this looking smart.

He may not have too much of a choice.

(If you look closely enough you might conclude that the 1st draft was prepared in Orange County by someone with the initials SB.)