New York Yankees president Randy Levine may have driven a wedge between the organization and one of its elite talents.
Yankee setup man Dellin Betances, who has been one of baseball’s best relievers since the beginning of the 2014 season, requested a salary of $5 million in his arbitration hearing. The Yankees were willing to pay $3 million and won, largely because despite his elite output, Betances has rarely been used as a closer and had few saves to point to.
After the hearing concluded, Yankees president Randy Levine publicly ripped Betances and his agents for their $5 million demand.
Yankees president Randy Levine rips Dellin Betances' agents for "half baked attempt" to "use a player to change a well-established market."
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) February 18, 2017
Randy Levine blamed Betances' agent for "overreaching" and trying to "change the marketplace" for relief pitchers.Called Betances a "victim"
— Erik Boland (@eboland11) February 18, 2017
Randy Levine said that $3 million should be a "great victory for Dellin Betances," and his $5M request "had no bearings in reality."
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) February 18, 2017
Randy Levine said that Dellin Betances' $5 million request might as well have been $50 million. "He doesn't have the stats."
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) February 18, 2017
"$5M goes to elite closers. Pitchers who pitch the 9th inn and have a lot of saves. Dellin didn't have that record. He never did." – Levine
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) February 18, 2017
RL: "It's like me saying, I'm not the president of the Yankees, I'm an astronaut. I'm not an astronaut and Dellin Betances is not a closer."
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) February 18, 2017
Betances took notice of Levine’s comments and responded in a press conference after morning workouts on Saturday, and his words were very foreboding.
Betances was upset & frustrated by comments made by Levine"I was planning on putting this behind me but I felt a need to clarify how I felt"
— Meredith Marakovits (@M_Marakovits) February 18, 2017
Betances said Yankees say they love him, then "take me in a room and trash me for about 1 1/2 hours." So here we go…
— Erik Boland (@eboland11) February 18, 2017
Betances said he's done everything asked of him last 3 years as reliever w/o complaint. Said arb hearing might make him rethink some of that
— Erik Boland (@eboland11) February 18, 2017
"You look at it a little differently now. I think (free agency) will be a little easier when the time comes." – Dellin Betances
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) February 18, 2017
Levine has a history of putting his foot in his mouth, but this could prove damaging both on and off the field. Betances hasn’t been the Yankees closer, but he has been more valuable to the Yankees without getting saves. He’s thrown 247 innings in three years as a reliever, a huge number, and his ERA over that period is 1.93. His WHIP is a paltry 0.96 and he’s striking out over 14 batters per nine innings. Betances is an elite reliever, one of baseball’s best, and the Yankees are completely wrong here. Betances deserved every penny of the $5 million he requested, and the fact that he lost because he lacked saves is absurd and sets a troubling precedent for elite setup men across baseball.
