What does this mean?
The Yankees may offer Freddy Garcia arbitration in an effort to retain him on a one-year deal for the 2012 season. Should Garcia decline, perhaps with hopes and dreams of one final long(ish) term deal to close out his career, the Yankees would receive a supplemental round draft pick in the 2012 Amateur Draft if and when he signed elsewhere. Unlike a Type A free agent, such as Rafael Soriano, the signing team would not lose a draft pick, meaning the market for Garcia's services isn't necessarily limited for fear of losing a first or second round pick.
Considering Garcia's relative health and league-average performance over the past two years, I see no reason for the Yankees to not offer the veteran junkballer arbitration. The worst-case scenario would be that he accepts, makes $6 MM or so, and garners consideration at the back-end of the rotation. With the uncertainty surrounding the rotation, that doesn't sound too bad at all.
And a tip of the hat to MLBTR.
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