Yanks, Mitre avoid arbitration

January 6, 2010 by Mike Axisa 56 Comments

Via Jerry Crasnick, the Yankees and righthander Sergio Mitre agreed to a one year contract worth $850,000, avoiding arbitration. The deal also includes some performance incentives. The Yanks declined Mitre’s $1.25M option back in November with the idea of signing him to a cheaper deal, and obviously it worked. He’s out of options, so he would have to clear waivers to be assigned to the minors.

Mitre was pretty terrible with the Yankees (6.79 ERA, 5.30 FIP), but it’s a good low risk deal. Very easy to back out of, and if nothing else he’ll be a decent innings eating mop up guy. Chad Gaudin is the team’s only remaining arbitration eligible player.

http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Archimedes Torquemada

Brian Cashman: Pimp of the Year
- jsbrendog
  
  seriously.
  - jsbrendog
    
    ninja-pimp, even.
    - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Archimedes Torquemada
      
      Brian Cashman: Wayne Brady
http://www.twitter.com/matt__harris Matt :: Section 105

Welcome back, Meat-tray
- A.D.
  
  Maybe Sterling should come up with home run calls against Yankee pitchers:
  
  “Another Meat-ball by Mitre”
  “Not so dandy by Andy, that was crushed”
  “No rob-bing that one, Rob-ertson gives up another HR”
  “Gopher ball from Gaudin”
A.D.

Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s DFA’d by mid-May, that said hope he continues to rebound.
http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Archimedes Torquemada

He’s out of options, so he would have to clear waivers to be assigned to the minors.

Ironically, if his 2010 salary had been 1.25M, he probably would have cleared waivers, but now that he’s only making 850k, he probably wouldn’t.

So, by saving ourselves money, we may have cost ourselves roster flexibility. Whatevs.
- Brooklyn Ed
  
  maybe he would get traded before he has the chance to be DFA.
  - jsbrendog
    
    true, hwile saving money decreased flexibility (possibly) it also may have made moving him for a return more of a possibility.
    
    not many people would give up anything for mitre at 1.25. A team like the mets will be dying for someone like mitre at 850k by early may
    - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Archimedes Torquemada
      
      All good points.
      
      I wasn’t saying we SHOULDN’T have lowered Mitre’s salary, just pointing out that it’s easier to retain an asset if you make it slightly less desirable. (If retaining that asset is your main priority, which obviously it probably isn’t.)
    - Brooklyn Ed
      
      2 words: Josh Willingham
      
      since the Nats are desperate for pitching.
      
      …hey I could dream right? lol
      
      (if this is off topic, sorry)
      - jsbrendog
        
        they’re not desperate enough to trade willingham for mitre.
      - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Archimedes Torquemada
        
        Calling a Mitre-Willingham trade “a dream” is insulting to dreams.
        
        Brooklyn Ed
        
        lol good point.
      - theyankeewarrior
        
        What about Willingham for Gaudin+?
        
        http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Archimedes Torquemada
        
        Nope.
    - thurdonpaul
      
      i dont think $400,000. is a huge amount of money to MLB teams, so i dont think that would make much of a difference in moving him or not.
      having said that, 400k is a hugeeee amount of money to me.
      - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Archimedes Torquemada
        
        I bet it would make a difference. Even the specifics of the 400k aside, there’s a large psychological difference between a 6 digit salary and a 7 digit one.
        
        Odd-number pricing FTW.
        
        thurdonpaul
        
        ok, i can see your point.
        
        Chris
        
        But no team would claim him on waivers anyway. He would be DFA’d, likely decline to go to AAA and then sign a deal at the major league minimum with another team with the Yankees paying the rest of his salary.
        
        Mike Bk
        
        they do that psychological study on normal items on the difference of items ending .99 and .00 on the likelihood of people buying and there is for some reason not understandable to me a big difference in purchasing habits
    - Jack
      
      hwile
      
      Every time I read this, I think of “Cool hwhip” from Family Guy
      - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Archimedes Torquemada
        
        Hwhil Hwheaton.
        
        Tampa Yankee
        
        http://www.myvideo.de/watch/6023235/Family_Guy_Ruined_evening
- Bo
  
  What team will sign him for 850??
  - king of fruitless hypotheticals
    
    The Yankees?
    
    Or is this a trick question?
  - jsbrendog
    
    you know who else we should sign? fernando tatis. for 850k
    - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Archimedes Torquemada
      
      Heh.
http://www.myspace.com/rayzayas Ray Fuego

Meeeeeeeee-tray. I hope he doesn’t become a “me” first player. Swish would have to beat that ass.
- http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Archimedes Torquemada
  
  Fun Fact: Nick Swisher is a “me-first” kind of guy, but that’s only because he’s really a “you-first” kind of guy but we all have a little Nick Swisher in us.
  - http://www.myspace.com/rayzayas Ray Fuego
    
    That is a great way of putting it. I like that. Now I could explain how swisher is to an ignorant red sox fan
  - ColoYank
    
    Oh, the math! Oh, the torture!
  - king of fruitless hypotheticals
    
    …all i could think of was one of those jersey shore guidos saying ‘eeeeeeey…yoo got any EYE-talian in yoos? No? Yoos want some eeeeeeyyyy!’
Bo

Hes assembling quite a staff at Scranton. Igawa. Mitre.
- Jack
  
  He’s out of options, so he would have to clear waivers to be assigned to the minors.
  - Tampa Yankee
    
    Don’t confuse Bo with your facts
crawdaddie

Guys, the Yankees can still cut Mitre in late March before the start of the season and pay him off either with a 45 or 60 day prorated amount of the 850K. A spring training trade is still possible too if he has good results.
pat

I know the results weren’t there but I actually like Mitre’s stuff. 93 mph sinker with good movement and an uncharacteristically good changeup for a sinkerball pitcher. I think he’s better than last year’s statistics would lead you to believe. He did come back from TJ awfully early, maybe a little too early.
- http://Louie louie louie
  
  Under Joe’s watch in FLA he was the opening day starter over Josh Johnson and Willis…when Willis was good….verdict is definitely still out. So far, he has been a tease.
viridiana

Not since Jim Mason have Yanks had such a worthless player. Oops, forgot Igawa.
- http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Archimedes Torquemada
  
  Oh, come on, now. Jim Mason played for the Yanks in when, the mid-70s?
  
  We’ve had oodles of useless AAAA guys come through here between now and then. Every team has.
  - http://www.myspace.com/rayzayas Ray Fuego
    
    Does Shelly Duncan ring any bells?
    - king of fruitless hypotheticals
      
      no.
  - pat
    
    WB Mason>>>>>>> Jim Mason
    
    WHO BUT?/…//.
  - viridiana
    
    Not one of em could match Mason for the unique combination od defensive and offensive ineptitude.
  - scoopemup
    
    He hit the only home run for us in the ’76 series.
scooter10

Not very excited about the signing but at a low cost, it does provide depth and flexibility for any injuries the Yankees may encounter in spring training. $850K is only 4% of a $2m payroll. And the Yankees can release Sergio if he doesn’t pitch well in ST. I count two remaining potential arbiration cases to resolve.

Gaudin – made $2m last year
Logan – made $428k last year
scooter10

My math and statemetn was off – $850k is less than 1% of a $200m payroll.
Hughesus Cristo

WHY

If Sergio Mitre had been on any other team in the major leagues, had the exact same season, and been signed to the exact same contract, people would be going out of their minds right now. Mitre is garbage.
- http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Archimedes Torquemada
  
  (thinks)
  
  No, I wouldn’t. If the Reds or Astros or Blue Jays or someone signed Sergio Mitre to a 850k one year deal, I’d give them praise for buying low on a guy with a little talent who may actually turn out to provide quality-to-semi-quality production.
  
  The Sergio Mitre contract: not bad
crawdaddie

Chad Jennings confirmed with Cashman today that Mitre’s contract is non-quaranteed.

http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2010/01/06/a-few-notes-from-cashman/#comments
Omar

I hate this asshole so much, that the reasonable side of my brain can’t analyze this.
Mike

we pay mitre who is nothing more than a bp pitcher close to a mil but we dont tender wang?
- http://www.secondavenuesagas.com Benjamin Kabak
  
  Tendering Wang would have cost the Yanks at least $4 million, and Wang truly was worse than a BP pitcher in 2009 before suffering a shoulder injury. You’re not guaranteed a good return on investment by tendering him, and the Yanks could still bring him back.
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