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Mariners Blog
December 7, 2009

 
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Beltre declines arbitration


Posted at 12:01 am by By Kirby Arnold

The Mariners' pockets must feel at least $12 million heavier now because word just came down that third baseman Adrian Beltre has declined the team's offer of arbitration. No word if GM Jack Zduriencik dropped to one knee, looked skyward and shouted, "Thank you Boras!"

What that means is that Beltre is a no-holds-barred free agent and he's able to strike any deal he can with any team he wants ... or any team that wants him. Had he accepted arbitration, Beltre would have remained with the Mariners for another year at a salary determined in an arbitration hearing if he and the team couldn't reach an agreement first. Depending on who you want to believe, Beltre made from $12 million to $13.4 milion this year. Whatever it was, you can figure he'd get close to that next year if his case went to arbitration, and that would have been a problem. It would have wiped out most of the Mariners' remaining available money for further acquisitions this offseason.

Now that this step has passed, it clears the way for the Mariners to officially introduce Chone Figgins as their new third baseman, and then use their remaining money (some writers have estimated about $15 million would be available for 2010 without Beltre) to find a power bat and/or/maybe/hopefully/pleaseohplease a quality starting pitcher.

That's it from here (my warm place in 20-some-degree Snohomish County, not Indianapolis where all the action is taking place at the Winter Meetings. Thanks, by the way, to the little bird in Circle City for keeping me in touch on this one).

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