[Note by Ed Valentine, 12/01/09 7:33 PM EST : From LoHud comes news that the Yankees have declined to offer arbitration to anyone.]
Of the four major names, how many will be offered arbitration? There's Johnny Damon (type A), Hideki Matsui (unranked), Andy Pettitte (B) and Xavier Nady (B, somehow).
Joel Sherman expects the Yankees to decline to offer arbitration to Damon, Matsui and Pettitte. I could see that. Damon and Matsui are aging stars that would likely accept arbitration (and Matsui doesn't even offer the benefit of bringing back a draft pick). With Pettitte, the Yanks probably feel they can retain him for another 'discounted' year.
Nady will be an interesting decision. He would be worth offering arbitration, because if he declined, he would bring back a second-round draft pick, and if he accepted, we would get a good left-fielder for 2010 (at a decent cost because he barely played this year). However, if the Yankees think he can't stay healthy (he's coming off Tommy John surgery), then obviously it's not worth it. I don't know enough about his medical condition to declare him healthy or unhealthy. Hopefully the front office knows more.