I have a few guys who are up for Arb. When I click on neg/LT I find that some of them are asking for 1 year contracts at a much higher salary than the arb asking price. I'm going to arb them because I usually arb twice before deciding on a LT contract. But why are they only asking for 1 year? I don't think I've ever seen this before.

LT? The only 1 year I've seen were with older vets, like 36 and older. LT for an arb. guy, not since the change have I seen a 1 year option.

i have a guy with a very low health rating who has routinely asked for a 1 year contract.

I had one guy this season do that to me. He was asking for 1.5-2M more than his ARB price for one year. He was like 31/32 years old I think

You can sign him for longer than they ask for at the same annual rate in most cases.

Can you think of any reason why you would sign a guy to a 1 year contract for more than he's asking in arb? Seems pointless to me.

The only reason I could think of to do so is if he's good enough to warrant not ******* off so he can walk away when all his arb years are used up. If you sign him to a 1-yr "long-term" contract, he'll be happier than if you beat him in arbitration.

If he's going to be a type A or B FA and you want the picks sooner rather than later - assuming the contract trumps his remaining Arb years. Not sure how the game handles that.

I have the same situation. A 28-year old C that wants a one-year deal for $3.2M. His arb number is $1.4M. I tried to offer him a 3-year deal @ $3.2M per and he turned it down. "You did not meet my client's demands." If I was the player, I would fire my agent and take the offer. I can arb him for the next 3 years, and the total amount of my arb cost will never approach the $9.6M is offered over the same time period. By then, he will be 31 and nobody will offer him a big money, long-term deal.

Quote: Originally Posted By disaacs on 2/16/2010The only reason I could think of to do so is if he's good enough to warrant not ******* off so he can walk away when all his arb years are used up. If you sign him to a 1-yr "long-term" contract, he'll be happier than if you beat him in arbitration.

I think the argument is also signing him for his arb rate, not just beating him in arb

Funny, I had this recently as well. A relief pitcher wanted $2.7 in arb or a 1-year contract of $3.2. This was his final year of arb. I arb'd him. Maybe he'll be mad next year but I can live without him.