We have heard that the new "qualifying offer" sheets that essentially replace arbitration in the new collective bargaining agreement will pool the salaries of the best 125 players in the league and average their salary. We have heard speculations anywhere from the high $11 million's to the lower $14 million's but the official number came down the pipe today and it sits at $13.3 million.
The Yankees have some decisions to make in this department after the World Series. Guys like Rafael Soriano if he opts out, Nick Swisher, Hiroki Kuroda, Curtis Granderson (although his option is almost a lock to be picked up), Robinson Cano (see Curtis Granderson), Russell Martin, Eric Chavez, Andruw Jones, Ichiro Suzuki, Raul Ibanez, Freddy Garcia, Derek Lowe, Pedro Feliciano, and Mariano Rivera all set to be free agents after this season.
Obviously you only consider offers to Soriano, Swisher, Kuroda, and MAYBE Ichiro if I am making the decisions. I would not waste my time on Mariano Rivera because he is not going anywhere and Granderson and Cano's options are as close to locks as humanly possible. I believe that Soriano would decline, Swisher would decline looking for the security of a multi year deal, Kuroda would decline due to either money or a willingness to go back to Los Angeles, but Ichiro would scare me. I would not put it past Ichiro to sign a one year deal, regardless of the team, and the $13.3 million would not be a huge discount from what he is accustomed to making.
Either way the only two that would be willing to accept in my eyes, Kuroda and Ichiro, are the two guys that I would not mind having back on the 2013 team. I say offer qualifying offers to those four men and hope we get them back on one year deals to help with the luxury tax goal or we get a ton of draft pick compensation.
Agree!
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