Friday, December 16, 2005
Yankees offer Bernie arbitration
12/08/2005
DALLAS -- The Yankees and Bernie Williams weren't ready to say goodbye to each other on Wednesday, so the two sides agreed to give themselves another month to talk about a new contract for the veteran outfielder.
New York offered arbitration to Williams, extending the deadline to sign him to Jan. 8. Williams and his agent, Scott Boras, agreed to decline the arbitration offer, giving the two sides one more month to either come to an agreement or part ways.
"The purpose of this mechanism is to buy some time," said general manager Brian Cashman. "In Bernie's case, for a player that deserves more time and consideration for all he's done for this franchise, we're giving him a chance to make a decision."
Williams has been with the Yankees for 15 years, the past 13 as the starting center fielder, making him the longest-tenured player on the team. Should he return for a 16th season in pinstripes, it would be in a reserve role, similar to the one filled for the past two years by Ruben Sierra.
Boras said that should Williams return to the Yankees, he would enter Spring Training with the goal of winning the center field job.
"We've certainly agreed to the fact that we're willing to deal with the uncertainty," Boras said. "I don't think any player ever agrees that he's going to take on a part-time role, but the fact is, he's going there with the understanding that if he does play there, he has a job to win."
"I would never take the competitive nature away from anybody. You encourage that, so I'd expect nothing less," said Cashman, who spoke briefly with Williams in an elevator on Wednesday. "That's the beauty of baseball; you don't take away anybody's ability to compete. I would never deny Bernie -- or anybody else -- the opportunity to be more than what someone else thinks they should be."
As of now, however, the Yankees plan to enter Spring Training with Bubba Crosby as the starting center fielder, though Cashman continues to look for help at the position.
"The job is clearly defined," he said of Williams' role, should he return. "But just like every year on every roster, how you draw it up and how it plays out are usually two different things."
With a month to come to an agreement, Williams will likely get a feel for what opportunities may be presented to him around the league, then decide whether increased playing time or returning to the only franchise for which he has played is more important.
"I'm focused on where and how he may fit on my end," Cashman said. "He can factor on his end what that means based on whatever discussions they're having elsewhere."
The two sides were never close to reaching a deal on Wednesday, though Cashman said he believes that the decision to extend the negotiating deadline is a sign on both sides that they want to get a deal done.
"I see there's a role, I see his willingness to stay," Cashman said. "So while I can't say he's going to return for another year, he's going to have the opportunity to say yes or no."
Williams made more than $12 million in 2005, so he would have to take a significant pay cut to return to the Yankees next season. Sierra earned $1.5 million last season, and the Yankees would likely try to sign Williams in that same range.
"We've defined the role; now we have to define the economics of it," Cashman said. "This is a signal that we're both agreeing that, at some point, we'd like to get something done. There's a willingness and a hope to try to get something done and bring him back for one more year, assuming we can work out the economics for both sides that make sense."
Although there was a lot of speculation that Williams' Yankees career would come to an end on Wednesday night, Cashman said that he never felt that way.
"There's a lot that goes into this decision," he said. "Bernie means a lot to this franchise, and he's given a lot to this franchise. Someone like him, you make sure you take the extra time and care as you walk through the process. That's all we're doing."
Source: http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/
DALLAS -- The Yankees and Bernie Williams weren't ready to say goodbye to each other on Wednesday, so the two sides agreed to give themselves another month to talk about a new contract for the veteran outfielder.
New York offered arbitration to Williams, extending the deadline to sign him to Jan. 8. Williams and his agent, Scott Boras, agreed to decline the arbitration offer, giving the two sides one more month to either come to an agreement or part ways.
"The purpose of this mechanism is to buy some time," said general manager Brian Cashman. "In Bernie's case, for a player that deserves more time and consideration for all he's done for this franchise, we're giving him a chance to make a decision."
Williams has been with the Yankees for 15 years, the past 13 as the starting center fielder, making him the longest-tenured player on the team. Should he return for a 16th season in pinstripes, it would be in a reserve role, similar to the one filled for the past two years by Ruben Sierra.
Boras said that should Williams return to the Yankees, he would enter Spring Training with the goal of winning the center field job.
"We've certainly agreed to the fact that we're willing to deal with the uncertainty," Boras said. "I don't think any player ever agrees that he's going to take on a part-time role, but the fact is, he's going there with the understanding that if he does play there, he has a job to win."
"I would never take the competitive nature away from anybody. You encourage that, so I'd expect nothing less," said Cashman, who spoke briefly with Williams in an elevator on Wednesday. "That's the beauty of baseball; you don't take away anybody's ability to compete. I would never deny Bernie -- or anybody else -- the opportunity to be more than what someone else thinks they should be."
As of now, however, the Yankees plan to enter Spring Training with Bubba Crosby as the starting center fielder, though Cashman continues to look for help at the position.
"The job is clearly defined," he said of Williams' role, should he return. "But just like every year on every roster, how you draw it up and how it plays out are usually two different things."
With a month to come to an agreement, Williams will likely get a feel for what opportunities may be presented to him around the league, then decide whether increased playing time or returning to the only franchise for which he has played is more important.
"I'm focused on where and how he may fit on my end," Cashman said. "He can factor on his end what that means based on whatever discussions they're having elsewhere."
The two sides were never close to reaching a deal on Wednesday, though Cashman said he believes that the decision to extend the negotiating deadline is a sign on both sides that they want to get a deal done.
"I see there's a role, I see his willingness to stay," Cashman said. "So while I can't say he's going to return for another year, he's going to have the opportunity to say yes or no."
Williams made more than $12 million in 2005, so he would have to take a significant pay cut to return to the Yankees next season. Sierra earned $1.5 million last season, and the Yankees would likely try to sign Williams in that same range.
"We've defined the role; now we have to define the economics of it," Cashman said. "This is a signal that we're both agreeing that, at some point, we'd like to get something done. There's a willingness and a hope to try to get something done and bring him back for one more year, assuming we can work out the economics for both sides that make sense."
Although there was a lot of speculation that Williams' Yankees career would come to an end on Wednesday night, Cashman said that he never felt that way.
"There's a lot that goes into this decision," he said. "Bernie means a lot to this franchise, and he's given a lot to this franchise. Someone like him, you make sure you take the extra time and care as you walk through the process. That's all we're doing."
Source: http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/
