One down, Casey Blake to go: Indians re-sign Rafael Betancourt, avoid arbitration again
NorthCoastNOW
CLEVELAND — The Indians’ arbitration streak lives — for now.
The club, which hasn’t endured an arbitration hearing with a player since 1991, avoided it again Wednesday, signing relief pitcher Rafael Betancourt to a two-year contract worth $5.4 million. The deal also includes a $5-million club option that could keep the elite setup man in Cleveland through the 2010 season.
With Betancourt out of the way, the Indians now turn their attention to their only other arbitration-eligible player, and potential streak-buster, third baseman Casey Blake.
Along with Betancourt, Blake and his agent exchanged salary figures with the Indians last week, Blake asking for $6.9 million per season, while the team offered $5.4 million. Betancourt, who made $840,000 last year, asked for $2.5 million, with the Indians offering $1.75 million.
The Indians are negotiating with Blake, who made $3.75 million last year. Major League Baseball arbitration hearings are set to begin Feb. 1.
“(Assistant general manager) Chris (Antonetti) continues to have conversations and we remain hopeful that we’ll get something done,” said general manager Mark Shapiro, who is on the road with the team’s press tour, which makes a Lorain County stop tonight at German’s Villa in Vermilion. “If not, we’re comfortable with the arbitration process.
“I think we’re neutral (on arbitration). If we do go, we’ll prepare like we always do and we’ll go to win the case.”
For Betancourt, a 32-year-old right-hander who began his career as an infielder, the security of a multiyear contract was more important than the lure of big money on the free-agent market, which he would have been eligible for at the end of the 2009 season.
“Getting to this point was very important for my family,” said Betancourt, who resides in his birthplace of Cumana, Venezuela, with his wife and two children. “To be able to make them feel comfortable was very important to me. Now we can be here for two or three years. There can’t be a better time to do it.”
Betancourt had been under a series of one-year contracts since joining the organization in 2003 as a minor league long shot who had been out of the game for a year. His big league career, though increasingly successful, has featured a number of setbacks — injuries and a suspension for violating MLB’s banned substance policy in 2005.
“This is a great story,” Shapiro said. “Knowing what Rafael has been through and how hard he worked, to see him get the security of a multiyear deal and for us to get the consistency and effectiveness we’ve had from him for our bullpen, it’s a great story.”
Along the same lines, last year was a fairytale one for Betancourt, who was one of the game’s top relievers, posting the second-lowest ERA among American League relievers (1.47) while going 5-1 with three saves in 68 games.
Remaining injury free for one of the first times in his career, Betancourt limited opposing hitters to a .183 batting average, while not allowing more than a run in any of his appearances and producing six of seven scoreless ones in the postseason.
His effectiveness last year in a late-inning role makes him an enticing closer option for the future.
“I don’t think you can take statistics and dictate whether a guy can close or not,” said Shapiro, who admitted that there were incentives in Betancourt’s contract should he close games for the team. “It’s dependent on so much more than stuff or talent.
“I think that Raffy has the attributes, objectively, to earn the chance to close games, but I don’t know if you can predict if any guy will succeed in that role until he performs in it.”
For now, Betancourt is content with his multiyear contract and the job as the Indians’ setup man to closer Joe Borowski, who led the AL with 45 saves in 2007.
“That’s a question people always ask me,” Betancourt said of becoming a closer. “I feel good doing what I’m doing, doing what I did last year. If it happens, I’d be ready and do it, but right now, I’m going to keep my mind on what I have to do this year.”
Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.
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Filed by NorthCoastNOW January 24th, 2008 in Sports.
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