Fallout from Betances case could complicate Yankees’ bullpen setup

Irfaan Gaffar reports from the official opening day of Blue Jays Spring Training, where anything less than a World Series berth this season would be disappointing.

You could make the argument that Dellin Betances has been the most important reliever in the New York Yankees bullpen over the past three years. But, given the war of words between the team and Betances’s representatives, it’s fair to wonder how things will change for the fire-balling right-hander going forward.

New York beat Betances in a recent arbitration hearing, meaning the soon to be 29-year-old will receive $3 million this season instead of the $5 million he requested. On Saturday afternoon Yankees president Randy Levine held a conference call and lambasted the pitcher’s reps, saying they made “over the top demands based on very little sense of reality” and accused them of trying to change the market for relievers by seeking “elite closer” money for Betances.

Levine painted the pitcher as a victim of his agents’ agenda and Betances, during his own press conference on Saturday, was understandably upset. He talked about his disappointment at hearing the Yankees “trash me for about an hour and a half,” while his agent fired back with a statement criticizing Levine. The fact that Betances isn’t happy is to be expected — when there’s a gap this big, it’s tough to lose.

But further comments from Betances, as reported by the New York Daily News, offer a glimpse into what could be a troubling on-field scenario for the Bronx Bombers.

[blockquote] “Whenever they needed me, I was there for them. I never said no. Whenever (Joe) Girardi said, ‘Can you pitch?’ I got it. And for me I felt like this whole process was unfair. We tried to come to middle ground and nothing really happened.

“Some of the stuff they said in that room, they value me as an eighth-inning guy. Is it selfish of me to say now, ‘Hey, guys, I just want to come in for the eighth inning with no runners on?’ That’s not the player I am. I go out there and try to battle with my teammates, but now you go in that room and you see some of that stuff, do you put yourself at risk at all times? It’s fair for me to say that.”

[cite]Dellin Betances, Yankees pitcher[/cite][/blockquote]

Hearing that the rubber-armed Betances might be re-thinking his usage has to be unsettling for Yankees manager Joe Girardi, as he has relied heavily on the set-up man whose 8.5 wins above replacement over the past three seasons leads all MLB relievers per FanGraphs.

Girardi has never been shy to turn to Betances for multiple innings or on back-to-back days. The manager drew criticism for his use of the reliever in 2015 as the Yankees chased a wild-card spot and again in 2016 when the team remained a contender late in the season.

Yankees’ usage of Dellin Betances    
Year No. of multiple-inning appearances Number of appearances on back-to-back days
2016 13 20
2015 26 16

Betances, a strikeout monster with a career 14.3 K/9 ratio, was a key component in Girardi’s recent formula for success. He never complained and based on the manner in which he was deployed, Betances was essentially Andrew Miller before the current incarnation of Andrew Miller — a reliever who could enter a game prior to the ninth, pitch multiple innings and carve through the heart of a batting order.

In the eyes of many observers, Betances’s heavy workload was the reason he struggled mightily this past September, allowing 13 runs over 8.1 innings while assuming closing duties after Miller and Aroldis Chapman were traded from New York.

The Yankees brought Chapman back in the off-season, though, and he’ll be paired with Betances in what figures to be a very top-heavy bullpen. After the duo there’s a sharp drop-off to the next high-leverage reliever, Tyler Clippard, and with a starting rotation that’s unsettled and has several red flags in terms of health concerns, it’s likely Girardi will need his ’pen to do serious yeoman’s work again in 2017.

The situation would become more complicated if Betances chafes at the idea of pitching multiple innings or on back-to-back days, in order to preserve his health.

It’s worth noting that he’s under club control for the next three seasons, so free agency is nowhere close. And his comments on Saturday could just be reactionary.

“I think he will be able to bounce back, separate the business from the game, come out and still do his job,” teammate CC Sabathia told reporters.

Girardi, for his part, downplayed the situation, stating his belief that it would blow over by time the regular season begins because the heat of competition can change a player’s mindset.

That could easily be the case. But if not, the manager could be faced with a complicated predicament.

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