Written by Greg Fertel | 16 August 2007

The details on Andrew Brackman's deal are a little murky, but Brian asks a great question:

It has been pointed out by some rather angry people (oops) on other forums that I might not be understanding the Brackman deal correctly. Can I run it past you guys since you are normally on point. What is the significance of it being a major instead or a minor league deal? I was under the impression that it meant that at the end of the contract he would be a free agent. Others have suggested that it simply not the case. Can you guys please clear up how long the team would have control of him. Is the clock ticking ow? Is it when he returns from rehab? Is it when he hits NY? And how many years would we have the option of arbitration after the 3 option yrs? How does that compare to someone like Joba who signed (I think) a more standard minor league deal. Thanks guys. B

The answer isn't pretty. Andrew Brackman will be immediately added to the 40-man roster and his option clock will immediately begin. He'll be a free agent a year or two early and will earn more money much earlier. In short, it sucks for us, and it's great for Brackman. This could mean two completely opposite things: 1) The Yankees are content that Brackman will not need Tommy John Surgery. They expect him to move quickly. The incentives point to some hope by Boras and company that Boras will in fact not need surgery and will be able to meet those benchmarks. 2) Scott Boras was ready to send Brackman back to college if he didn't get a major league deal, because he's about to need Tommy John Surgery. The Yankees decided that although he's going to earn some money earlier, Brackman won't be much of a problem on the roster if he's on the 60-day DL. Honestly, and this is completely on the gut, I'm leaning toward #1. I don't see much of a reason for a complex and expensive major league deal if Brackman is going to go under Dr. Andrew's knife next week. I remember reading a quick thought by a writer a few months ago. He said that Brackman may not have any injury problems at all; his coaches just screwed up his mechanics so poorly that he couldn't maintain any velocity. He suggested that the "dead arm" excuses for Brackman missing games was just a way for North Carolina State to quietly say that he just wasn't as good as the other pitchers on his team. It's far-fetched, but it's possible. I'm willing to give Cashman, Contreras, and Oppenheimer the benefit of the doubt right now.

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