New York Yankees pitchers and catchers officially reported to Spring Training on Tuesday, but three-time All-Star reliever Dellin Betances was not one of them.
According to multiple reports, the first coming from WFAN's Sweeny Murti on Tuesday afternoon, Betances is working out privately and will not report to camp until at least Saturday, which is the day after he and the Yankees will have their salary arbitration hearing in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Betances, who turns 29 later this spring, has posted a 1.93 ERA and 392 strikeouts in 247 innings over the last three seasons, and is hoping to leverage that success - which includes three All-Star nods and 22 saves - into a record salary for a first-time arbitration-eligible non-closer.
Come Friday, a three-arbiter panel will hear each side and determine whether the soon-to-be 29-year-old righty will make $5 million, as he requested, or the team-offered $3 million in 2017, with the decision expected to be announced Saturday.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi was asked during his spring-opening media session Tuesday whether or not he thought the situation would affect Betances, and the skipper was hopeful that regardless of the result, there won't be any lingering hostilities from it.
"Obviously, this is the part of the game that somewhat becomes public and sometimes can be frustrating for both sides, but you have to be able to move on," Girardi said. "Once he gets through his arbitration case, we're going to have to put that business behind and move on and focus on the game. Sometimes it takes players a little bit of time, and sometimes there can be hard feelings, but that's something we'll deal with, and if I feel that it does affect him, I will talk to him."
Regardless of the result of his hearing, Betances' late report date gives him roughly two weeks in Yankees camp before he joins the Dominican Republic squad for the World Baseball Classic, and with the defending champion Dominicans a favorite in this year's Classic as well, he may not return until the conclusion of the entire tournament, the finals of which are scheduled for March 22 in Los Angeles.
