Brackman Released

Photo Courtesy of Zimbio.com

                                        

According to the Wall Street Journal and River Ave. Blues, Andrew Brackman's 2012 option has not been picked up, and he has been released by the Yankees. The option would have been for $500,000 in the minor leagues, or $1 Million in the major leagues. They also still have to pay his signing bonus of $3.25 Million.

All told, Brackman has had one decent season since signing with the Yankees, 2010 in AA. As things stand right now, he is not much of a loss. He has always had a great deal of potential though, and for $500,000 I don't see how a potential big league arm isn't worth holding onto. If he found his control, he could have been a really valuable reliever in our system, or possibly even a good starter if he reached his full potential.

It is also possible, however, that Brian Cashman knows something we don't, and Brackman is currently injured. He may be clearing space on the 40 man roster for someone, or pinching pennies so he can make a larger bid on Yu Darvish or CJ Wilson. Finally, he could be planning on resigning Brackman at a discount since his value is lower than ever. Regardless of the reasoning, he could make the Yankees regret this decision if he finds himself over the next year. This scenario is highly unlikely to occur, given his recent and past failures. If it does, however, I think the reaction by Yankees fans would be rather predictable. If I'm in Cashman's shoes, I exercise the option as a low risk, low likelihood of reward, but a good preventative measure to stop someone from turning our trash into treasure. Hopefully this is all part of something bigger which ends up being advantageous for the Yankees.